Horii Shichimeien Matcha Guide: History and Grades (2026)
Horii Shichimeien has grown Uji matcha since 1879 on the last surviving garden of the historic Uji Shichimeien. Its history, grades and pricing.
Restocks sell out in minutes — get the alert in Discord.
Join DiscordHorii Shichimeien is not a brand most people outside serious tea circles have heard of, but it holds a genuinely unique place in Uji's tea history: it owns the only tea garden left from a set of seven that once defined the region. Here is what that history means for the matcha in the tin.
What is Horii Shichimeien?
Horii Shichimeien is a Uji, Kyoto tea producer whose business dates to 1879, when founder Fusakichi Horii's tea was first publicly recorded at a competitive exhibition in Yokohama. The company is now led by its sixth-generation owner, Horii Chotaro, and handles the entire production chain itself: cultivation, processing, finishing and stone-grinding are all done in-house rather than split across separate growers and millers, which is unusual even among established Uji houses and gives the company direct control over every stage that affects the final matcha.
| At a glance | Horii Shichimeien |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1879 (Meiji 12), Uji, Kyoto |
| Historic garden | Okunoyama — sole survivor of the Uji Shichimeien |
| Key innovation | Prototype tencha-drying machine, invented 1924 |
| Awards | 12 first-place Agricultural Minister Awards |
| Matcha blends | 12 blends, roughly $0.55-$6/g |
| Production | Vertically integrated: grows, processes, grinds and sells in-house |
What is the Uji Shichimeien and why does Okunoyama matter?
The Uji Shichimeien, or "Seven Famous Tea Gardens of Uji," were designated during the Muromachi period after the Ashikaga shoguns developed a taste for Uji tea, and the resulting reputation helped establish Uji as Japan's premier tea-growing region. Over the following centuries, urban development swallowed six of the seven plantations one by one. Only the hilltop Okunoyama Tea Garden survived, acquired and protected by Horii Shichimeien since the mid-Meiji period — making the company the sole living link to that 600-year-old designation, not just a marketing claim borrowed from regional history.
What makes Horii Shichimeien's production different?
Beyond owning Okunoyama, Horii Shichimeien's third-generation owner, Chojiro Horii, invented a prototype tencha-drying machine in 1924 that became the foundation for the equipment most Japanese producers now use to process tencha, the base leaf that is stone-ground into matcha. Combined with full vertical integration and 12 first-place Agricultural Minister's Awards at national tea competitions under the current sixth-generation owner, the house has both a historical claim and a modern technical track record behind its matcha, not just age.
How much does Horii Shichimeien matcha cost?
Pricing spans roughly $0.55 to $6 per gram across 12 matcha blends, covering both usucha and koicha preparation styles. That is a wide range even by premium-Uji standards, reflecting everything from accessible daily-drinking grades up to rare single-origin lines grown specifically on the Okunoyama garden, which command the top of the range.
Where can you buy it?
Horii Shichimeien ships internationally through its own official store, so you do not need to go through a third party to get an authentic tin. Specialty importers such as Sazen Tea, Kanso Tea and Ujicha Matcha also stock individual blends and can offer faster regional shipping depending on where you live, though their catalogs cover only a subset of the full 12-blend lineup.
Sources
- Yuri Matcha — Horii Shichimeien brand profile
- Chaba & Co. — the history of Horii Shichimeien
- Horii Shichimeien — official company history
- Sazen Tea — Horii Shichimeien matcha collection
FAQ
Is Horii Shichimeien a real historic tea house?
Yes, and an unusually well-documented one. Its business dates to 1879, when founder Fusakichi Horii's tea was first recorded at a competitive exhibition, and it owns Okunoyama, the last surviving garden of the seven historic Uji Shichimeien plantations designated under the Ashikaga Shogunate centuries earlier.
What is the Uji Shichimeien?
The "Seven Famous Tea Gardens of Uji," designated by the Ashikaga Shogunate during the Muromachi period when the shoguns developed a taste for Uji tea. Six of the seven plantations disappeared to urbanization over the centuries; Horii Shichimeien's Okunoyama garden is the only one still cultivated today.
What is the best Horii Shichimeien matcha to start with?
Start at the lower end of its roughly $0.55-to-$6-per-gram range for an everyday usucha before moving into the premium single-origin blends. The house sells 12 blends spanning usucha and koicha styles, so pick based on preparation method first: usucha for whisked bowls and lattes, koicha only once you want the thick ceremonial style.
Where can I buy Horii Shichimeien matcha outside Japan?
Horii Shichimeien ships internationally through its own official store. Specialty importers such as Sazen Tea, Kanso Tea and Ujicha Matcha also carry individual blends, which can be a faster regional option depending on where you are ordering from.
Never miss a Horii Shichimeien restock
Join the free Discord community and get an instant alert the moment your grade is back — or browse live stock across every major Japanese tea house yourself.