Gyokuro — Japan's most prized shade-grown tea, with its characteristic sweetness and deep umami — was not discovered in a temple or by a scholar. It was invented by a merchant. The man was Yamamoto Kahee the sixth, head of the Yamamotoyama tea house in Edo, who came up with the idea of covering tea bushes after visiting a farm in Uji. That single observation created a tea category that remains Japan's finest to this day. But Yamamoto Kahee is not one person: the heads of the Yamamoto family used the name "Kahee" for generations, each making their own mark on Japanese tea history.
Yamamoto Kahee and His Achievements in "Yamamotoyama"
Their story runs through the Edo period's transformation of tea into an everyday Japanese habit.
Yamamoto Kahee, the First — The Beginning of Yamamotoyama
Yamamoto Kahee, the first owner, moved from Kyoto to Edo and founded a shop named "Kagiya" in Nihonbashi in 1690, dealing in Japanese paper, tea and tea utensils. This is the beginning of the ongoing "Yamamotoyama." The family name of the shop subsequently changed several times, and in 1941, the shop was renamed "Yamamotoyama" after a popular tea it was selling.
Yamamoto Kahee, the Fourth — The Rise of Yamamotoyama
In the era of Yamamoto Kahee, the fourth head of the company, a breakthrough came. Nagatani Soen, who developed the Green Sencha Method, visited Yamamotoyama to promote his new tea. The fourth-generation Kahee was so surprised by its beautiful color and depth of taste that he decided to buy it immediately. This Sencha was later named "Tenka-ichi (the best in the country)" and became very popular not only in Edo but throughout Japan.
There is an episode that Yamamotoyama thanked the Nagatani family for the huge profit it made and kept sending 25 ryo of koban (gold coins) to the Nagatani family for about 130 years.
Yamamoto Kahee, the Fifth — The Discovery of Sayama Tea
The fifth generation Kahee discovered "Sayama Tea" grown in what is now Saitama Prefecture. In Sayama, where tea was originally produced, people had begun to make tea following the Sencha method popular nationwide at the time. Kahee recognized the good taste of the tea and gave advice on how to make it — resulting in what became "Sayama Tea." In 1819, they signed a sales contract and named it "Shimo no Hana (Frost Flower)." Sayama tea has since become known as one of Japan's three major teas alongside Shizuoka and Uji.
Yamamoto Kahee, the Sixth — Creating Gyokuro
It is said that Yamamoto Kahee, the sixth, developed the production method of Gyokuro. Every tea dealer was competing fiercely to differentiate Sencha, which was very popular. Kahee the sixth came up with the idea of covering tea leaves like dew when visiting Uji (Kyoto) — this is said to be the origin of Gyokuro. Gyokuro became popular with hatamoto and daimyo for its mild and elegant flavor. It has remained Japan's most prized covered tea ever since.
Every cup of Gyokuro brewed today still follows the principle Kahee discovered at Uji — that shade changes the leaf, and the leaf changes the cup. The method has been refined, the cultivars have diversified, but the core idea remains: cover the plant, slow the light, and the tea grows sweeter. Two centuries later, that observation still holds. Browse our green tea collection to taste what shade-grown tea becomes in the cup.