Shizuoka's food cultureKnow

In Mori Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, known as the "Little Kyoto of Enshu," the Jiro persimmon brand, a specialty of Mori Town, ripens all at once in autumn. This fruit, sometimes called the "king of sweet persimmons," has a square shape, a crisp texture, and a rich sweetness.100It has been chosen as a gift for the Imperial Family for over 10 years.

The "Jiro" in the brand name comes from the name of Matsumoto Jiro, who found and cultivated a young persimmon tree in Morimachi at the end of the Edo period.

Starting from a young tree discovered by chance, the logs have been protected through fires and wars and are the pride of the town. We headed to Morimachi to trace the thoughts of the people who have protected these persimmons.

 The Yanaka and Enda areas of Morimachi are the major producers of Jiro persimmons. Every autumn, the surrounding areas are filled with Jiro persimmons, turning the fields a vibrant orange.

The people who support this harvest are persimmon farmers. The harvested persimmons are loaded into the back of a light truck and transported to the farm in Yanaka.JAIt is transported to central Enshu.

On this day, the person who received the persimmons wasJAYusuke Tsurumi of the Enshu Chuo Forest Farming Center.

Each lovingly grown persimmon is placed in the palm of your hand and selected based on its color, shape, and softness.Lから4LWe will carefully distribute them.

"Jiro persimmon" is characterized by its flat, square shape.

And run to the skin4The fact that you can see the grain of the fruit is unique to Jiro persimmons.

"This year's harvest is bumper. We've been able to harvest a lot of sweet, plump persimmons," says Tsurumi.

Placed in the palm of your hand3LThe size of the persimmons is comparable to that of an apple, and their weight is evident just from their appearance.

The final step before shipping is packaging, where the persimmons are covered with lids bearing the words "Mori no Jiro Persimmon" and securely fastened with straps.

In the past, "Jiro" and "Jiro" were mixed together, but in the Heisei era20In the year,JAThe Morimachi Persimmon Division and the Morimachi Jiro Persimmon Tree Preservation Society decided to use the brand name to indicate the place of origin."Jiro"has been unified into.

Tsurumi smiles and says, "I'm happy to be able to carry on Jiro's vision and bring it to market like this."

He continued, "This year's persimmons have a higher sugar content than usual,20"Some of the plants reached the maximum level. This is a great year," he said with a smile.

The brand name is "Jiro," but the logs are actually "Jiro," the name of the variety, and are registered as a natural monument by Shizuoka Prefecture.

The differences in names are interesting, but what's surprising is the age of the trees.160The tree is over 20 years old and still bears delicious fruit on its branches.100It is said that it is extremely rare in the fruit world for fruit trees to continue bearing fruit in the same place for more than a few years.

The Morimachi Jiro Kaki Log Preservation Society continues to protect this miraculous tree, working in cooperation with the government to maintain a conservation system.

 In order to hear the voices of those who have continued to protect the logs, we asked the director of the Morimachi Jiro Persimmon Log Preservation Society,JAWe visited Yoshimi Ozawa, chairman of the Morimachi Jiro Persimmon Committee.

"If left alone, the logs are at risk of disease and dying. To prevent this, we regularly prune and fertilize them," says Ozawa.

The "Jiro persimmon" tree in the garden of his home is grafted from a log and is 100 years old.120It transcends the years. Even after so many years, it continues to spread its branches and bear fruit abundantly.

Thus, the Jiro persimmon, which was cultivated with so much love, was first cultivated in the Meiji era.41It was presented to Emperor Meiji when he stayed in Shizuoka City in 1925, and it is said that he was extremely pleased with it. Since then, Jiro persimmons have continued to be selected as a gift persimmon, and until the Reiwa era7In 2013,112I counted the times.

"It has long been said that you eat Fuyu persimmons with your jaw, but Jiro persimmons with your teeth, because the flesh of the Jiro persimmon is so firm," says Ozawa. As he says this, he takes a bite of a freshly picked persimmon. "The sweetness is exceptional," he says with a smile.

"Jiro persimmons" are characterized by their crispy, crunchy texture. They have a very high sugar content, leaving a rich, lingering sweetness. Because of their flavor, "Jiro persimmons" are also known as the "king of sweet persimmons."

Jiro persimmons, which have a history of being presented to the Imperial family, are not only edible but are also made into wine.

Hasegawa Chieko and Yokota Go from Morimachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry said:

"I want to spread the appeal of persimmons even further.1998"We started making wine in 2013. The persimmons harvested from the vines are also used in the wine," says Hasegawa.

"The sweet and fruity taste is unique to Jiro persimmons. They have a reputation for being easy to drink even for people who don't like alcohol and for women," says Yokota.

We also make wine using "Jiro persimmons."2025In the year26During that time, we have changed the label to make it more stylish and to increase the alcohol content.10The percentage has been adjusted to make it easier to drink, and it has become a long-selling product.

Reiwa7The "Enshu Morimachi Jiro Persimmon Wine" of this year is12Month19Sales will begin on the 1st in limited quantities at liquor stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, etc.13You can purchase it in store.

The sweetness and size of the persimmons vary, so does the taste of the wine.1I'm looking forward to seeing how the book turns out.