In 1738, there was a great technological breakthrough in the manufacturing of Ujicha. Pan roasting, which had been the standard until that point, was replaced by a hand-rolling method discovered by Souen Nagatani, one of the prominent tea manufacturers in Uji at that time. This breakthrough provided impetus for further innovations that followed one after another, and Uji quickly earned nationwide repute as the most important region of green tea manufacture in Japan.