Rare ceremonial matcha by Tsujirihei Honten, available outside Japan for the first time. At its heart, competition-grade Asahi, the cultivar that won Japan's National Tea Competition. Rich umami, velvety texture, and a finish that lingers long after the last sip.
Tsujirihei Honten · Est. 1860 · Competition Grade Asahi · Deep Umami & Velvety · Maison Koko Exclusive · First Release Outside Japan
Description
加茂昔 — Kamo Mukashi. Kamo (加茂) refers to the Kamo area of Kyoto, the river and shrines that have stood at the heart of the city for over a thousand years. Mukashi (昔) is a traditional designation in tea naming, marking this as koicha-grade tea, made the old way, by methods unchanged for generations. Together, the name speaks of permanence: a place that has not moved, and a method that has not changed.
Elegant and quietly powerful, Kamo Mukashi is a premium ceremonial matcha that carries the full depth of Uji's tea heritage. It is built around Asahi, a competition-grade cultivar whose tencha has won national recognition at Japan's most prestigious tea competitions, including the Minister's Award at the 2022 National Tea Competition. Blended with Ujihikari and Samidori for balance and silk, the result is a matcha of exceptional complexity and composure.
It opens with a soft cover aroma, gentle, floral, and distinctly Uji. On the palate, layers of rich umami unfold slowly, carried on a velvety texture that coats and lingers. This is not a matcha that announces itself. It reveals itself, sip by sip, with quiet authority.
Producer Tsujirihei Honten Est. 1860, Uji, Kyoto
Cultivars Asahi, Ujihikari & Samidori Competition grade Asahi
Availability Rare & limited First release outside Japan
The elegant Tsujirihei Honten tin is part of what makes this matcha a gift in itself, a piece of Uji craftsmanship to keep long after the last spoonful.
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Origin: Uji, Kyoto, Japan
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Cultivars: Asahi (competition grade), Ujihikari & Samidori
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Shading: Honzu (本簀) — traditional reed and straw canopy
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Net: weight: 20g — presented in an elegant Tsujirihei Honten tin
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Style: Deep umami, velvety, meditative
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Finish: Long, elegant, and quietly lingering
*Tasting notes and colour descriptions reflect general sensory perception and data provided by our supplier, and may vary by individual preference, preparation method, and seasonal batch. We do our best to describe each product as accurately as possible.
Why This Matcha?
Kamo Mukashi draws its name and character from the landscape of Kyoto itself — the Kamo River that flows through the city, the centuries of tea tradition that line its banks, and the quiet mastery that Tsujirihei Honten has practised since 1860.
WHAT MAKES THIS MATCHA EXCEPTIONAL
Competition-grade Asahi at its core
Asahi is one of the most storied cultivars in Uji tea history, an older, lower-yielding variety that demands significant skill and labour to cultivate, but produces matcha of extraordinary character. The tencha from this cultivar has competed at and won Japan's most prestigious national tea competitions. Its presence at the heart of Kamo Mukashi elevates this from ceremonial to something genuinely exceptional.
Honzu (本簀), 16th century shading, fewer than ten farms
The tea used in Kamo Mukashi is shaded using honzu, reed screens and rice straw collected from the Uji River, a method dating to the 16th century. The natural canopy allows the plants to grow freely while cutting up to 95% of sunlight, forcing the production of chlorophyll and L-theanine, the compounds behind the deep colour, natural sweetness, and long umami finish this matcha is known for.
Ujihikari & Samidori, balance and silk
Ujihikari adds the refined floral character and structural elegance unique to Uji. Samidori provides natural sweetness and the smooth, coating texture that gives Kamo Mukashi its velvety finish. Together the three cultivars create a matcha that is complex without being difficult, layered, but always composed.
Strictly limited availability
This is a strictly limited release. Tsujirihei Honten produces in small quantities by design — quality over volume, always. Once this allocation is sold, availability cannot be guaranteed.
Tsujirihei Honten
One of Japan's most respected tea houses, and until now, one of its best kept secrets outside of Japan.
Tsujirihei Honten was founded in 1860 in Uji, Kyoto, the region that has defined Japanese matcha for over six centuries. For more than 160 years, the house has dedicated itself exclusively to the cultivation, refinement, and blending of authentic Uji tea, remaining one of the most respected names in Japanese tea culture.
Their teas are cherished by tea masters, cultural institutions, and discerning connoisseurs across Japan. Tsujirihei Honten operates from a century-old tea processing factory in the heart of Uji ,partially renovated to preserve its historic character, where stone mills grind tencha into matcha in the traditional manner, slow and temperature-controlled to protect colour, aroma, and flavour.
WHAT SETS THEM APART
160 years in a single craft
Since 1860, Tsujirihei Honten has focused exclusively on Uji tea — no diversification, no compromise. Generations of expertise concentrated into a single pursuit.
Honzu shading, the rarest cultivation method
The tea gardens used for Mori no Shiro are shaded using honzu (本簀) — the oldest and most labour-intensive shading method in Japanese tea cultivation. Farmers hand-construct bamboo frames over the tea bushes and drape them with natural reed screens and rice straw, creating a breathable canopy that filters sunlight gently and evenly. This allows the plants to grow freely upward while being protected, unlike modern plastic sheeting, which restricts growth and airflow. Used by fewer than ten farms in Japan today, honzu shading is the mark of the most serious tea producers.
Stone-milled in a century-old factory
Tsujirihei Honten grinds their tencha in the same factory that has been used for over a century, using granite stone mills that run slowly and deliberately, preserving the vibrancy, sweetness, and aroma that high heat or fast milling would destroy.
Elegant packaging with a collector's tin
Every Tsujirihei Honten matcha is presented in a beautifully crafted signature tin, a piece of Uji design heritage in itself. The tin preserves the matcha from light and oxidation while making it one of the most thoughtful gifts in the Maison Koko range.
Ingredients
Ceremonial-grade green tea fine powder (Asahi, Ujihikari & Samidori cultivars, Uji, Kyoto)
Character
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Thickness: Velvety and coating, full-bodied and present
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Sweetness: Subtle and natural, balanced by umami depth
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Umami: Rich and layered; unfolds slowly, lingers long
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Aroma: Soft cover aroma, gentle, composed, distinctly Uji
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Finish: Long, elegant, and meditative
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Astringency: Low and well-integrated, smooth throughout
Origin
Uji, Kyoto, Japan
