Arida Mikan

[ . BACK to TOP . ]

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Arida Mikan

QUOTE
©　www.wakayama-info.net/ Martin St-Pierre

There is most likely no product from Wakayama Prefecture more well-known across Japan as the mikan. Although other prefectures grow mikan oranges, none have surpassed those from Wakayama for their variety, sweetness and juicyness.

Known as either Aridamikan, Arida mandarin, Arida mandarin oranges or Arida mikan oranges, it is important to remember that whatever the species, they are all branded as mikan from the Arida valley. The township of Arida, which covers the Arida river valley territory, consists of Arida city and 5 towns; Yuasa, Hirokawa, Kibi, Kanaya and Shimizu. The Aridagawa river runs east to west and its source is just west of Koyasan. Most of the mikan-producing land is in the western part of the valley, closer to the delta and the ocean.

There are two theories, or stories, as to the origin of Arida mikan. One is the natural growth of a citrus in Itoga, Arida city in the 15th century. The other is of Magoemon Ito from Itoga who brought two young mikan trees from Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture in 1574. Magoemon Ito was a village headman, shoya, who most likely reported to a samurai, although it is not really known who his boss really was. The story says that he was given a letter by his boss officially requesting two young mikan trees as bonsai from Yatsushiro in Kumamoto. He brought back two mikan trees, one of which was planted in his boss’ garden and the other in his own garden in Itoga, Arida. His boss’ tree soon died but his survived because he carefully nurtured the tree after it had a difficult voyage and transplantation. Magoemon made successful graftings to spread mikan trees all over Arida.

In the early years of the Edo era, the lord of Kishu, Yorinobu Tokugawa, encouraged people to develop agriculture and expand the use of arable land throughout the prefecture. Due to the mountainous terrain, agriculture meant growing rice in the flat and lower lands in Wakayama. This resulted in a limited amount of collectable tax. Finding and encouraging new crops was and essential part of the lord’s strategy to strengthen the Shogunate’s hold on this naturally rich and strategic province.

Yorinobu thus encouraged people in the Arida valley area to grow mikan on the mountainside, where the climate was ideal for mikan. Year after year, more seedlings were planted and many orchards sprung up all across the valley area.

While there are many different types of mikan oranges in Arida today, two are considered to be the most important in the history of orange growing in the Arida region. They are; the Kishu mikan, which are small and contain seeds, and the seedless Unshuu mikan (Wen zhou mi gan in Chinese) introduced to Wakayama in the 1800s and so-called because of the area in China which is thought to be one of the places from which mikan were brought over to Japan. It is important to note that the Unshuu mikan is not the same as the fruit from the Unshuu area in China.

They are called Unshuu mikan in Japan only because they have no seeds, which is a trait of the Chinese Unshuu mikan. In English, they are often called by different names, such as: Unshiu orange, Unshu mandarin, Mandarin orange, Japanese mandarin or Satsuma mandarin.The Japanese Unshuu mikan was discovered as a sudden chance seedling, or mutation from Chinese mikan trees that bore fruit with seeds growing in the Kagoshima area. While the Unshuu mikan from China had no seeds, these were considered unlucky because they symbolized the inability to procreate. The importance of continuing the family lineage in a clear fashion in Japan resulted in people frowning upon eating seedless fruit. This changed though in early Meiji when people discovered how much more sweet and juicy the seedless Unshuu mikan were.

To sell all of these prized mikan, it was important to bring them quickly and safely to market in larger urban centers. River boats, called kawabune, were used to bring boxes of mikan from inland orchards to the delta, where they would be loaded onto sea-faring ships. Boxes, 35cm wide, 35cm deep and 25cm high were made of bamboo and held about 15 kilograms of mikan.

A merchant called Toubei, from the village of Takigawara, was the first to bring Arida mikan (Kishu mikan) to Edo, present-day Tokyo, by ship. The year was 1634 and he had brought 400 15kg bamboo baskets to sell. His mikan were so much better than all the others available that one and a half basket sold for 1 Ryo, which equals to 100 000 yen in today’s value, inflation and currency adjusted. The next year, he sent 2000 baskets and they sold for half a Ryo for a basket. From that point on, cultivating mikan spread all over the Arida valley and Arida mikan became famous in Edo and all over Japan.

Another important and enigmatic figure in the history of Arida mikan is Bunzaemon Kinokuni. Much is not known about this adventurous and enterprising man. His claim to fame is being able to successfully bring a shipload of mikan to Edo in a great storm in 1685, thus ensuring that receipts for the year’s harvest were collected and maintaining Arida’s reputation of as a reliable source of excellent mikan. He died in 1734 very poor, even though he had made a fortune selling mikan and lumber.

Yet another important man in the history of Arida mikan is called Eiichiro Ueyama. He not only was the first to export Arida mikan to North America in 1887 and Korea in 1897, but he also was the inventor on the mosquito coil, made from the Chrysanthemum flower. Chrysanthemums used to be planted at the base of mikan trees to supplement mikan growers’ income.

In 1881, Unshuu mikan were sent to the Kanda market in Tokyo for the first time and they quickly gained popularity for their superior sweetness. The Meiji Restoration broke down many old customs and the idea that seedless mikan were bad was one of them. From that point on, Unshuu mikan were the favored mikan to grow in Arida.From 1889, the year that the Tokaido Railway line was opened, mikan were no longer sent directly to Edo by ship. Instead, ships brough the cargo to Kumanonada by ship and then loaded onto trains. In 1924, a railway was established all the way to Arida and the ships, as seen in the picture above, were no longer needed. Other changes involve the use of cardboard boxes from 1959, the conversion of rice fields in the lower valley lands into mikan orchards because they were, back then, more lucrative, and the use of plastic-roofed greenhouses from 1966 to extend the growing season and protect the prized fruit.



*****************************
BACK TO

Washoku ... Citrus Fruit

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::