Our History

SHU-HA-RI

守破離

TSUJI RIICHI HONTEN was founded as a tea company in 1860 in Kyoto, Japan’s most renowned region for matcha production. Building on this heritage, we have established one of Japan’s best-known matcha brands, offering not only high-quality matcha itself, but also a wide variety of matcha-based products such as matcha lattes, ice cream, and sweets.

Our founder, Tsuji Riemon, taught us the practice of “Shu-Ha-Ri,” a concept drawn from the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and the martial art of kendo:

• Shu (守) means to follow and master established rules.
• Ha (破) means to break away and incorporate the strengths of others.
• Ri (離) means to create and establish something entirely new.

Guided by these principles, we continue to explore innovative possibilities for tea while remaining true to traditional production methods. As a result, we have become a long-standing favorite among customers throughout Japan.