Horii Shichimeien

堀井七茗園

Horii Shichimeien (堀井七茗園) is one of Uji's most historically significant tea houses, founded in 1879 (Meiji 12). The shop stewards the Okunoyama tea garden (奥ノ山茶園), the sole surviving estate from the legendary Uji Shichimeien — seven elite tea gardens designated by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu during the Muromachi period. This unbroken custodianship of over 600 years places Horii Shichimeien in a category of its own among Japanese matcha producers. The brand's historical contribution to tea manufacturing is equally remarkable: in 1924, third-generation owner Horii Chojiro invented the Horii-style tencha manufacturing machine (堀井式碾茶製造機), the archetype from which all modern tencha processing equipment in Japan descends. The shop operates fully vertically — cultivating, processing, finishing, stone-grinding, and retailing its teas entirely in-house. Under sixth-generation owner Horii Chotaro, the house has accumulated 12 first-place Agricultural Minister's Awards (農林水産大臣賞) at national tea competitions, and holds certification as a Premium Gyokuro Certified Shop (プレミアム玉露認証店).