Howaen

Howaen is a tea wholesaler in Kakegawa, Shizuoka, Japan. According to its official website, it has been in business for over 250 years since the Hōreki era (1750s) of the Edo period, specializing in Kakegawa deep-steamed tea.

Howaen's history traces back to the Hōreki era (1750s) of the Edo period, when the first generation, Tadanosuke Okamoto, founded a wholesaler called 'Maruo Okamoto Shoten' in Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture. Initially, the business sold tea tree seedlings and oil extracted from tea seeds, as drinking tea was not yet widespread. In the Meiji era, the sixth generation owner, Kumataro Okamoto (1877–1953), began exporting tea to America and Siberia via Yokohama port. After World War II, the seventh generation brothers expanded into domestic wholesale. Around 1965, the family promoted the 'deep-steaming method' (fukamushi), which made Kakegawa known as the home of deep-steamed tea. The current eighth generation, Yoshiaki Okamoto, produces tea sold in famous Japanese tea shops, major department stores, and supermarkets.

1. 1掛川深蒸し茶の専門店｜江戸時代創業 お茶の宝和園howaen.com
2. 2掛川茶の宝和園の歴史｜静岡・掛川のお茶問屋と深蒸し茶の歩み - お茶の宝和園howaen.com
3. 3Howaenwikidata.org