In 1871 the ferry crossings on the Oigawa river were abolished and the porters who carried travellers across it lost their trade overnight. Shinpei Otsuka was one of them. With about twenty other families he took a loan from the Kakegawa clan, cleared forest land on the hills at Nisaka, and planted tea. Five generations later the company still works that ground.

In 1955 the third generation began producing fukamushi, the deep steamed style that Kakegawa is now known for across Japan. That decision shaped everything Otsuka makes today, and it is why their sencha pours dense and cloudy rather than clear.

Their tea has won the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award five times, and the highest award at the Kakegawa Tea Fair seven years in a row from 2015 to 2021. In 1993 their gardens were designated a tribute tea garden. The current president is a certified Japanese tea appraiser.