Matcha Brand “YOHAKU”

Official Origin Story

My great-grandfather once worked with Uji matcha in Kyoto.

He wholesaled Uji matcha and ran a teahouse in Hanamikoji, Kyoto.

We do not know exactly to whom the tea was offered.
What has been passed down through our family is simply this:
it was delivered to places of formality and dignity, not for general circulation.

Today, my great-grandfather rests at Kodaiji Temple in Kyoto.

Originally, this matcha was meant to be carried on by my grandfather.
He was the eldest son, academically gifted,
and it was natural for my great-grandfather to think:

“One day, this business will be yours.”

But the era was the height of World War II.

My grandfather suffered from asthma and was exempt from military service.
His younger brother, not academically inclined but physically strong, was sent to the battlefield.

When his brother returned alive,
my grandfather could not choose to inherit the family business for himself alone.

He declined.

The business passed to his brother,
but it did not last long.

Postwar confusion.
A lack of hands.
A lack of capital.
A changing distribution system.

The Uji wholesale operation
and the Hanamikoji tea house
were both quietly closed.

And so, our family’s matcha disappeared—once.

My grandfather often prepared matcha alone.

He would take out the matcha, the bowl, the whisk, the scoop,
the strainer, and the cooling vessel from the cupboard,
and prepare tea in silence—
not for anyone else to see.

As a child, I found the sight strange.

A man who had lived through war,
seen his family business vanish,
and lost so much along the way—

what was he thinking,
whisking matcha and drinking it alone?

At the time, I did not understand.

But now, I think I do.

It was not to motivate himself.
Not to excite or elevate his spirit.

It was simply time
to return to himself.

Today, I work as a trader,
importing and wholesaling the finest vanilla and cacao from Madagascar,
connecting global origins with Japan’s confectionery industry.

In my own small way,
I believe I am helping deliver true value across borders.

One day, an American business partner said to me:

“Next is matcha.
Let’s reclaim your great-grandfather’s business.”

Those words stopped me.

I had been looking outward—
to Madagascar,
to vanilla,
to cacao.

And only then did I realize
that my roots had been waiting quietly beneath my feet.

This matcha is not a reproduction.
Nor is it nostalgia.

It is an attempt
to reconnect a once-broken lineage
through modern sensibility and intention.

One Uji estate.
Carefully selected first-harvest leaves.
Shade-grown.
Stone-milled.

Every choice was made
not for speed,
but for stillness.

Television.
News.
Social media.

Information overflows.
Unpredictable events unfold across the world.
And we live surrounded by constant notifications and noise.

That is why we create matcha
to reclaim the present moment
from the world’s noise.

This is not matcha for focus.
Not matcha to stimulate or elevate.

This is matcha
for returning to yourself.

This is YOHAKU.