Ippodo

Ippodo is a Kyoto-based Japanese tea specialty house whose origins trace to 1717, when Omi merchant Watanabe Rihei founded 'Omiya' in Kyoto. In the late Edo period it received the trade name 'Ippodo' from the Yamashina-no-miya. Today the company, Kabushiki Kaisha Ippodo Chaho, processes, manufactures and retails Kyoto fine teas, and its teas are handled at more than 100 locations nationwide in Japan. It operates the Kyoto main store, the Tokyo Aoyama store and the Tokyo Shin-Marunouchi store, with tea rooms at the Kyoto main store and the Aoyama store, and it runs tea-brewing classes. It also had a New York store that temporarily closed in September 2022.

Ippodo's origins date to 1717 (Kyoho 2), when Omi merchant Watanabe Rihei founded 'Omiya' in Kyoto, initially dealing in tea, ceramics and other goods. In the late Edo period it received the trade name 'Ippodo' from Yamashina-no-miya, with the wish that it should 'preserve one thing, tea.' In 1864 the store burned down in the Hamaguri Gate Incident and was rebuilt at its current location. In the Meiji era it mainly exported tea to the United States, with customers being trading merchants based in Kobe. In the Taisho era it shifted from an export wholesaler to tea retailing. In 1935 employee Sado Yojiro devised 'Uji Shimizu.' In 1952 it opened its first department store outlet at Hanshin Department Store in Umeda, Osaka. In 1995 it opened the tea room 'Kaki' at the Kyoto main store. In 2006 its tea-brewing classes began in earnest. In 2010 the Tokyo Marunouchi store opened (until January 2025). In 2013 the New York store opened (temporarily closed in September 2022). In 2024 a summer-limited pop-up café 'Hiyakashi IPPODO TEA' ran. In 2025 the Tokyo Shin-Marunouchi store and Tokyo Aoyama store opened. In 2026 'Room Ippodo' in Tokyo Koji-machi started.

A long-established Kyoto specialty retailer of Japanese tea, offering house-blended teas and tea-related lifestyle goods.

• Matcha Uji Shimizu

• Gyokuro

• Sencha Hosen

• Sencha Kumpu

• Sencha Shōike-no-o

• Sencha Kaboku

• Iri Bancha

• Drip Tea Bag Set 24

1. 1一保堂茶舗(いっぽどうちゃほ)公式サイト｜1717年創業 京都の日本茶専門店ippodo-tea.co.jp
2. 2一保堂のこと – 一保堂茶舗ippodo-tea.co.jp
3. 3お茶の暮らしイロイロ – 一保堂茶舗ippodo-tea.co.jp
4. 4ドリップティーバッグセット24(玉露・煎茶・ほうじ茶) – 一保堂茶舗ippodo-tea.co.jp