imu umu
- 忌む績む -
imu umu is a handcrafted brand offering the highest quality Japanese matcha and tea products and hemp-cotton apparel, deeply rooted in Japanese tradition and culture, and founded by Japanese people.
Its name comes from two words:
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“imu(忌む)” — To purify oneself, to avoid misfortune.
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“umu(績む)” — To twist hemp fibers together, spinning them into a long, continuous thread.
Japanese is a language that resonates through vowels.
Vowels are indivisible; they create softness and space beyond binary divisions.
This resonance connects rather than separates — people to people, people to nature — bringing harmony.
The name imu umu embodies the ancient acts of “purifying” and “connecting,”
and carries the unity woven by vowels into modern craftsmanship.
With natural materials and artisanal skill at its core, we weave enduring value that will be cherished for generations.
The story we weave
(01)
hemp
Hemp(麻・おおあさ) is a plant that has been deeply woven into the clothing, food, and shelter of the Japanese people for over ten thousand years.
In traditional life, a baby’s umbilical cord was cut with hemp thread, and children were dressed in kimonos with hemp leaf patterns so they would grow up strong like the plant itself. At weddings, couples’ hair was tied with hemp thread as a prayer for long life and a lasting bond.
In daily life, people wore hemp sandals with hemp straps, dressed in hemp kimonos, lived in houses with walls and ceilings made from hemp stalks, slept on tatami mats woven with hemp thread, and in summer wrapped themselves in hemp mosquito nets. Hemp was an indispensable resource, both physically and spiritually.
We are carrying forward the enduring qualities and possibilities of hemp, elevating it into a variety of everyday items.
(02)
tea
For over a thousand years, tea(茶) has nourished the ethos and daily life of Japan - first brought by monks in the age of courtiers and temples, as a medicine to calm the heart.
In a time of warring samurai, it blossomed into "chanoyu(茶の湯)" -- a gathering where warriors and townsfolk could meet as equals.
In daily life, a morning bowl of tea brings balance, and the steam that greets a guest reflects both the season and the weather.
Tea is not merely a drink -- it embodies hospitality, the aesthetic of sensing the shifting seasons and the “here and now,” and serves as a medium that connects self and others.
The act of preparing tea is never just a routine.
The moment of boiling water and whisking tea is a luxurious pause in an ever non-stop technological world.
We carry this spirit of tea, its depth of flavor and philosophy into the present, and share it with the world.
(03)
philosophy
What we create is not merely clothing or drink.
It is an attempt to weave Japan’s deeper kokoro — its heart, spirit, and ethos — onto the world stage.
To walk with the seasons, to savor stillness, to honor harmony — a spirit that flows through both hemp and tea.
Not for profit alone, nor to be swept away by the speed and noise of capitalism and technology, but to help shape an age where people can live with kindness, as human beings true to themselves.
Our craft aspires to be a medium that, wherever in the world it is found, reminds us of peace and harmony, and awakens the blessings of nature and the warmth of life.
Company Profile
IMUM Global
IMUM Japan