Long before Shizuoka became synonymous with Japanese tea, monks were already cultivating tea in the mountains of Nara. According to tradition, the monk Kobo Daishi (Kukai) brought seeds back from Tang dynasty China in 806 and had them planted at Butsuryu-ji Temple — making Nara one of the earliest recorded centers of tea cultivation in Japan.
Nara is one of Japan's smaller but historically significant tea-producing prefectures, according to MAFF production statistics. The green tea produced in Nara is collectively called "Yamato tea" — a name that encompasses Kabusecha, Sencha, Bancha, and Tencha.
History of tea production in Nara Prefecture
Kobo Daishi's disciple Kenne planted the seeds at Butsuryu-ji Temple, and it is said that the chausu (stone tea grinding mill) that Kobo Daishi also brought back from Tang is still kept there today.
From there, tea culture flourished primarily within Nara's temples. In the Muromachi period, wabi-cha was developed by Murata Juko, a tea master from Nara. Grounded in wabi — the appreciation of restraint, imperfection, and quiet refinement — wabi-cha was carried forward by Sen no Rikyu, who shaped it into the tea ceremony tradition still practiced today.
Nara combines favorable mountain conditions with a tea legacy shaped by its Buddhist temples, setting it apart from most other tea-growing regions in Japan. Its earliest cultivators and earliest drinkers were both monks, and that monastic line still defines how the region thinks about tea.
Tea-growing areas in Nara Prefecture
Yamato tea is mainly grown in the Yamato highland area in the northeastern part of Nara Prefecture.
Yamato Plateau is a cool mountain area stretching across Nara City, Tenri City, Sakurai City and Uda City, and is ideal for cultivating high-quality tea, with limited sunlight and a wide morning-to-evening temperature swing.
The shorter sunlight hours slow leaf growth, while the wide day-to-night temperature swing concentrates amino acids and flavor compounds in the leaf.
Among these, Tsukigase tea — produced in Tsukigase, Nara City — is one of Yamato tea's best-known regional names.
Tsukigase Tea
Tsukigase is known not only for its tea, but also for its fertile mountain soils and famous plum blossoms.
Tsukigase is a mountainous tea-growing area where the harvest is said to be among the latest in Japan.
Most Japanese Shincha (the first harvest of the year) arrives in early May, but Tsukigase's cool mountain conditions slow growth and push the first picking back to mid-to-late May. That contrasts sharply with Kagoshima, where the season opens in early April.
A large share of Tsukigase's production — historically around 80% in cooperative records — is Kabusecha, prized for its rich umami. The slow mountain growth and significant day-to-night temperature swings concentrate amino acids in the leaf, giving Tsukigase Kabusecha a soft, layered sweetness that distinguishes it from coastal-grown teas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Yamato tea?
Yamato-cha is the collective name for teas from Nara Prefecture, covering Sencha, Kabusecha, Bancha, and Tencha. The name derives from Yamato, the ancient name for the Nara region. Grown on the Yamato Plateau — a cool, elevated highland with low sunlight hours and pronounced day-to-night temperature swings — Yamato tea tends toward a gentle, well-rounded character. The cold nights slow growth and encourage amino acid accumulation, which translates to a soft sweetness and clean finish that distinguishes it from teas grown in warmer, lower-altitude regions.
What makes Tsukigase Kabusecha special?
Tsukigase sits at higher elevation than most of Nara's tea-growing areas, and that altitude has a measurable effect on the harvest calendar. While most of Japan's Shincha (first flush) arrives in early May, Tsukigase's cool mountain conditions push the first picking back to mid-to-late May — among the latest in the country. That extended dormancy concentrates flavor compounds in the leaf. A high share of Tsukigase's production — around 80% in cooperative records — is Kabusecha, grown under shade cloth to further deepen umami. The result is a Kabusecha with notable softness and a long, gentle finish.
How does Nara's tea history connect to the tea ceremony?
Murata Juko, the founder of wabi-cha and one of the most consequential figures in tea ceremony history, was born in Yamato Province — present-day Nara. His philosophy of finding beauty in simplicity and restraint became the foundation of the tea ceremony tradition. Juko's ideas were passed down through Takeno Joo and ultimately reached Sen no Rikyu, who refined them into the form of tea ceremony practiced today. Nara's link to the tea ceremony is not coincidental — it sits at the start of the aesthetic line that runs through it.
For an overview of every major Japanese tea-growing prefecture, see our guide to Japan's tea regions.
At Far East Tea Company, we appreciate the way mountain-grown, shaded teas like Yamato Kabusecha reward patience — both in how they're grown and in how they open up in the cup. Browse our green tea collection.