Honyama-cha (Honyama-tea) of Shizuoka

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This article was last modified July 6th, 2022. by Yuki

Rich soil and natural fog are ideal for producing quality tea. The Honyama area of Shizuoka is one area that satisfies these conditions.

This article will dive into the Honyama-cha, Japanese tea produced in this area.

Shizuoka prefecture is an enormous piece of land. Honyama-cha is produced in the upper stream areas of the Abe and Warashina rivers, located in the center of this prefecture.

This area is ideal for growing tea trees. The clear water, the rich minerals in the soil, and the deep mountain fogs bless the growth of quality tea.

Tea lovers refer to the unique fresh aroma of Honyama-cha as the "Scent of the mountains."

Honyama-cha is the origin of Shizuoka-cha. Shizuoka-tea is considered one of the 3 Great Teas of Japan, along with Ujicha and Sayamacha.

Therefore, Honyama-cha is of significance to the evolution of Japanese tea.

Historically, this quality tea had been a leading brand of Shizuoka-cha.

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate and the conqueror of the Sengoku period, loved this tea.

It also has other prestigious accomplishments, such as being gifted to the Meiji Emperor of Japan.

Even today, Honyama-cha remains one of the premium producers of Shizuoka-cha as it has produced multiple winners of Japan's Annual National Tea Competition in recent years.

The origin of Honyama-cha dates back approximately 800 years.

A high-monk named Shouichi Kokushi planted the first tea tree in this Shizuoka prefecture. Of course, back then, Shizuoka wasn't established as a prefecture yet.

In 1241, he brought a tea seed from China to Ashikubo, an area on Abe Mountain in Shizuoka. This is said to be the start of Honyama-cha and Shizuoka-cha.

In 1605, at the beginning of the Edo Era, the first Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu decided to reside in Sumpu Castle, a castle located in the lower stream of the Abe River.

Sumpu Castle in Shizuoka

Ieyasu is an unparalleled lover of green tea and regularly orders Honyama-cha to be delivered to the castle.

The relationship between Honyama-cha and the Tokugawa did not end there. There are records that Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the 5th Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, ordered Sencha to be delivered to the Edo Castle from Ashikubo.

For 60 years after that, Ashikubo continued to gift green tea to the Edo Castle, cementing its brand in the meantime.

Until then, the name of the tea was not Honyama-cha. Abe-cha was its name, as it was tea produced near the Abe River.

During the Taisho Era (1912 - 1926), Honmaru-cha became the tea brand in this area. This name implies that it is the authentic and original Shizuoka-cha.

Although considered part of the Honyama-cha, tea produced in Ashikubo still goes by the name Ashikubo-cha.

Quality Honyama-cha is relatively challenging to find outside of Japan. The volume of produce from this area is only a tiny portion of the production of Shizuoka tea.

Our Koshun cultivar sencha is a Honyama-cha, and the quality of the area is evident with this tea. I'll add a link here if you're interested.