Inaka Denshosha
About Company
Wakayama / Living Heritage
Experience local knowledge. Carry it forward.
Based in Wakayama, Japan, Inaka Denshosha explores historical tea culture and creates experiences rooted in local materials, traditions, and everyday knowledge.
Inaka Denshosha is a Wakayama-based organization that researches local food traditions and everyday knowledge, turning its findings into cultural experiences and new products. Founded by Hiroto Tanaka in 2013, it offers opportunities to learn through local materials and techniques, including research into historical tea-making practices in the foothills of Mount Koya.
Bringing Local Heritage to Life
Inaka Denshosha values the cultural and ecological diversity woven into everyday life. It studies local materials, customs, tools, and practical knowledge, developing experiences and products that help people discover what makes each place distinctive.
Its office is in Hashimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, with a tea workshop in Koya, a fermentation laboratory in Kinokawa, and a medicinal herb garden in Hashimoto. Connecting research with practical uses for local resources is central to its work.
Exploring Tea Culture in Heian Japan
A key initiative is a tea experience exploring the culture of the Heian period, when the Buddhist monk Kukai lived, through efforts to reconstruct how tea was made and prepared at the time.
The team produces its own tea, drawing on historical texts and research into the tools, ingredients, and methods once used. Differences from modern tea offer a starting point for exploring the connections between food and history, materials and tools.
The choice of plant material is also part of the research. Tanaka describes seeking out traditional local tea varieties and finding a tea tree more than 100 years old. In his published account, he also describes transplanting the tree to the herb garden.
Researching and Reconstructing Tea Traditions
Inaka Denshosha combines research with practical experimentation to gain a closer understanding of historical tea culture. Texts, plant materials, tools, and production methods provide clues to how tea was once made and consumed.
Where Food Heritage Meets Craft
Selecting materials, learning how tools were used, and testing methods by hand are all part of the process. Through its work with tea, Inaka Denshosha shares both the finished product and the skills and cultural context behind it.
Hiroto Tanaka, Founder
Hiroto Tanaka
Founder, Inaka Denshosha
Originally from Wakayama, Hiroto Tanaka gained practical experience in community development in Shimanto, Kochi Prefecture. He returned to Wakayama in 2013 and founded Inaka Denshosha.
Through field research, cultural experiences, and product development, he continues to encourage a deeper interest in local cultures and natural environments.
Partnerships in Products, Experiences, and Community Projects
Inaka Denshosha welcomes opportunities to reach new markets and explore product development and community projects. It is also interested in connecting with people in Japan and abroad who share a strong interest in history and culture.
Product Development
Exploring new ideas inspired by local materials and food traditions.
Reaching New Markets
Connecting cultural experiences and products with audiences who value their distinctive stories.
Community Projects
Researching local traditions and practical knowledge, and finding ways for others to learn from and carry them forward.
In a September 2026 post, Tanaka invited collaborators to recreate historical confections to accompany the tea experience. This offers a specific starting point for businesses interested in researching and reconstructing food traditions.
Selected Media Coverage
Travel publication NEWT has featured Inaka Denshosha’s tea and herb experiences.
NEWT / Travel20 Places to Visit in Wakayama City, with Suggested ItinerariesFeaturing Inaka Denshosha’s tea and herb experiences · Article in JapaneseAccording to Inaka Denshosha’s announcements, the Mainichi Shimbun featured its herb garden on August 25, 2026, while the Yomiuri Shimbun and Nara Shimbun covered its historical tea events in 2025. The links below lead to the organization’s own reports of that coverage, in Japanese.
Organization Details
| Name | Inaka Denshosha |
|---|---|
| Founder | Hiroto Tanaka |
| Established | September 1, 2013 |
| Office | Hashimoto, Wakayama, Japan |
| Facilities | Koya: tea workshop Kinokawa: fermentation laboratory Hashimoto: medicinal herb garden |
| Areas of Work | Research and reconstruction of historical tea practices; cultural experiences; research into local resources; product development |
| Website | Inaka Denshosha |
Contact / Kogei Japonica
Media and Partnership Inquiries
For media inquiries or potential collaborations involving Inaka Denshosha, including product development, cultural experiences, and community projects, please contact Kogei Japonica. Mention “Inaka Denshosha” in your message so we can direct your inquiry appropriately.
