Gokasho, Uji Matcha

Gokasho is a small farming district on the east bank of the Uji River, anchored by Manpukuji temple and a tradition of single-family tea operations.

The Gokasho area sits across the Uji River from the historic city center. The land along the riverbanks holds nutrient-dense soil deposited by centuries of seasonal flooding, and tea has been grown here since at least the late Edo period. Most operations are tiny: single-family farms running a handful of fields each. Output stays low and quality varies plot by plot.

A Gokasho field won first place in the young-tea-plantation category at the 2022 Kyoto Prefecture Superior Tea Plantation Fare (the Kyoto Governor's Prize), one of the more meaningful regional awards for tencha. The cultivar mix leans heavily on Samidori and Saemidori, with some Uji Hikari plantings tracing back to a 1954 Kyoto Tea Research Institute selection.

Kettl carries four Gokasho matchas in our database (Gokasho Blended, plus organic single-cultivar Saemidori, Samidori, and Uji Hikari), all sourced from the same small farm. They share Uji's depth but with a slightly cleaner, less weighty finish. Useful if you find textbook Uji matcha too dense.