The Teafox Story

Mr. Taka in front of his shoe store
before the Kitsune (fox) Festival

How I came to tea

I first became interested in green tea while living in Japan where I trained as a potter.  One day while strolling through the streets of Akita, I happened upon a small shop that made traditional Japanese shoes.

  When I went inside, the shop’s owner, Taka san, was working to attach new straps to a pair of richly lacquered wooden geta.  He was very friendly and welcomed me in. 

He spoke virtually no English, but his daughter who was visiting was able to translate for us.  Mr. Taka told me he wanted to share Japanese culture with me and invited me to return in a week to have tea with his family.

That next week I returned to the shop and was invited into the family’s home which was in the back of the store.  There I was given my first taste of Japan, in a small porcelain cup.   We spent the afternoon together sharing small sweet bean cakes and fresh Sencha.

I was invited to return many times after that day, and friendships were formed despite our lack of a common culture or language.  It was only later, while studying Japanese Tea Ceremony that I was able to realize that serving tea is a way of sharing oneself with others.  It is a way of showing appreciation for old friends, and acts as a catalyst for making new ones. 

When I retuned to the United States, I spent years trying in vain to recapture the taste of Japan.  I went to Asian markets, and specialty tea retailers trying to find the teas that I grew to love in Japan.  I found that they were not the same.

I realized that I had to begin an adventure of seeking out and contacting the tea growers myself.  Having successfully formed relationships with several tea producers in Japan, I decided that I would like to make this delicious, hard to find green tea available to others here in the U.S.

Why a fox?

Foxes have played a prominent role in Japanese culture for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years.   There are many folktales about foxes throughout Japan.  They are sometimes portrayed as tricksters, and other times are seen as bestowers of good fortune.

One of the roles foxes play is that of messengers of Inari, the Shinto deity of rice.  They are believed to possess the power to ward off evil, and therefore serve as guardian spirits at the gates of the Inari shrine.

Because of the friendship I had with Mr. Taka and his family, I was given the honor of participating in the Kitsune No Yomeiri, which translates to “fox wedding.”  This Shinto festival is celebrated to give thanks for the rice harvest and to pray for success in business. A couple wearing fox masks and traditional Japanese wedding attire are paraded through town accompanied by a colorful procession of men dressed in kimono, wearing fox masks and makeup.

With my face painted like a fox and wearing a kimono, I served as one of the men in the fox wedding procession.  It was a great privilege to be a part in this indigenous Japanese ceremony.  I not only witnessed, but participated in an aspect of Japanese culture that many have never seen.

I chose to name our business Teafox in order to pay tribute to my friend, celebrate Japanese culture and to express my love for animals. It seemed to be the perfect fit.

Fox guardian outside the
Fushimi Inari Shrine