Gokase Midori Seicha Tea-Farm

Gokase is a small mountain village in the north of Miyazaki prefecture where the climate is especially beneficial to the growth of the tea bush. The amount of rainfall, temperatures, soil quality, mist and dew are qualities that are especially favorable in these mountain precincts where native bushes used to grow freely and in great numbers. During the Meiji period (1868-1912), improvements on the production of Mountain Tea [山茶, yama-cha] were imposed on the farmers, and methods involving sun-drying practices were prohibited. In 1886 a teacher from Shizuoka came to the region to instruct on Shizuoka style green tea making, achieving a tea that was qualitatively comparable to what was at the time produced in Shizuoka. But, on the flipside, this eliminated all pan-firing practices until in 1930 the only factory equipped with machinery dedicated to the production of kamairi-cha was installed under prefectural supervision. From this point on more manufacturers reverted or diversified their manufacturing to kamairi-cha in recognition of the region’s authentic tradition and culture of farmer’s families that used simple pan-firing methods on tealeaves obtained from wild-growing tea bushes. A major difference now is however that most manufacturing has become mechanized as opposed to the traditional hand-parching methods [手炒り, te-iri] of the past.

Yōichi’s farms are situated in this central area on the Kyūshū mountain range, at an altitude of 600 to 650m above sea level. In summer it is cool, and in winter this region is treated with good amounts of snow. The temperature differences between day and night are large, while most mornings produce a thick mist over the mountains. These are all features that are specific to mountainous areas and that – in contradiction to flat areas – have always been considered more beneficial to the growth of tea, summer and autumn vegetables and rice. The surrounding mountains are mostly reclaimed forestland for the growth of Japanese cedar, a wood variety that is often used in Japanese architecture. And while there are but few sources of flowing water in the precincts of Yōichi’s farms, and as the individual plots of land are comparatively small, most farmers in this area combine tea farming with other activities such as field farming or animal husbandry.