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Uihana (ういはな) — Kondō Wase SENCHA | First Flush

A rare SENCHA made from the Kondō Wase cultivar, grown only in the small region of Mariko, Shizuoka.
Harvested in early April, its tender leaves offer a jasmine-like floral aroma with a gently unfolding umami. 
With an extremely limited annual production, it is often referred to as a “phantom tea.”
Once the spring harvest is gone, it will not be available again until the following year.
Brewed hot, it reveals a delicate fragrance; brewed cold, it takes on a light, floral character reminiscent of a fine white wine.
A cup that captures the quiet beginning of spring.

Cépage

Kondō Wase

Producer

Yohei Matsukawa

Origin

Mariko, ,Shizuoka

Harvest

arefully harvested using precision picking

Harvest Period

First flush (spring harvest)

Cultivation Method

Ridge cultivation

Ingredients List

Green Tea

Net Quantity

Net Wt. 50g / 1.7 oz.

Storage Conditions

Store in a cool, dry place, Refrigerate once open.

Shipping to

Japan, United States, United Kingdom, France
$52.00 USD
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.
Concept
Aroma & Taste
Tea Story
Place
Producer
A Name, Before Words
HEIAN Hirakana - Hatsuhana
Suggested Moment

Concept

Japan moves through four distinct seasons.

Spring is when everything begins to soften.
After the stillness of winter, life quietly emerges,
and the fragrance of blossoms begins to rise.

Gentle light and scented air
wrap the earth in calm.

Uihana reflects that first sign of the season.

Aroma & Taste

Floral aroma, a lingering softness

On the palate, a gentle floral aroma rises—
reminiscent of jasmine.

This natural fragrance comes from a rare aromatic compound,
seldom found in other Japanese green teas.

When brewed cold,
it reveals a light, floral character,
echoing a delicate white wine.

The umami is present, full yet composed,
with a finish that lingers—
then quietly fades.

Like spring dissolving into mist.

Tea Story

Kondō Wase, a rare SENCHA from Shizuoka

This tea is made from Kondō Wase,
an exceptionally rare SENCHA cultivar grown only in a small area of Mariko, Shizuoka.

Its annual production is limited to around 120 kilograms of aracha,
earning it the name “phantom tea.”

Born from a natural cross between Yabukita and an Assam lineage,
it is harvested remarkably early, in early April.

Its young leaves are tender,
carrying a floral sweetness and a quietly unfolding umami.

A first leaf, before spring finds its name.

Place

A tea field shaped by quiet

Within the embrace of a mountain
crowned by Dainichi Nyorai,
the tea fields open.

Beneath this presence—
a symbol of universal truth—
a profound stillness lingers.

A single cherry tree stands nearby.
Solomon’s seal spreads at its feet.
A bamboo grove rests beyond.

As blossoms begin to open
and shoots push through the earth,
the tea plants release their tender buds.

Producer

A grower, in quiet dialogue with nature

This tea is born in Mariko, Shizuoka,from fields passed down through generations.

Yohei Matsukawa continues a family tradition that began with his great-grandfather,and has been cultivating Kondō Wase since 2005.

With its large leaves and thick stems, this is a cultivar that demands care and precision.
Yet it is through this difficulty that its character is revealed.

The steaming process is kept to a minimum, while each year’s climate and soil conditions are carefully observed.
The tea is grown in close alignment with nature.

The soil is maintained soft and alive, nurtured with organic fertilizers.

As nature shifts from year to year, subtle adjustments are made—
allowing the aroma and taste to emerge.

Harvested earlier than any other in Shizuoka, this tea reflects a daily practice of attention—
a quiet dialogue between grower and plant.

A Name, Before Words

Its name is Uihana

Uihana.

The first leaves of the season—
opening quietly, before spring fully reveals itself.

In classical poetry, flowers and young leaves have long been used to evoke the faint arrival of a season,
carried in fragrance, light, and air.

Spring, before it is seen.
Spring, before it becomes words.

To gather that subtle presence into a single name.

This tea, with its early harvest and soft floral aroma, carries that same quiet beginning—
and is named Hananoha.

Its lingering impression is held gently within the flowing forms of HEIAN hiragana.

HEIAN Hirakana

Words unfold like a fragrance.

This word is expressed in hiragana,
inspired by the flowing forms of the Heian period—over a thousand years ago.

The gentle sequence— u(う), i(い), ha(は), na(な）—
moves in a continuous, unbroken rhythm.

Its movement echoes the way aroma rises from the tea,
and how its finish slowly unfolds on the palate.

Not as writing to convey meaning,
but as a form to be sensed—like a fragrance.

“Uihana” becomes something to be seen and felt,
resting quietly within the moment of tea.

Suggested Moment

Welcoming spring, within a single cup.

Water is poured. The leaves begin to open.

A soft aroma rises, quietly filling the space.

The warmth of the vessel, a single sip, the slow unfolding of its finish.

Nearby, the word “Uihana,” rendered in HEIAN hiragana, rests gently within the moment.

Fragrance, form, and aftertaste come together, creating a quiet scene.

This SENCHA is for that moment.

To accompany this moment

Giving form to an opening fragrance.

The moment changes, gently, with the vessel.
Earthenware deepens the umami,while fine porcelain allows the aroma to open.
Each piece offers a different wayto experience Uihana.

Architect & Art

Craft & Art

OUR BRAND & INFO.

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