Saijogaki hoshigaki - Traditional Foods in Japan | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

ShimaneSaijogaki hoshigaki

Classification (Large)

Agricultural products

Classification (Small)

Other processed agricultural products

Main ingredients used

Saijo persimmons

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Region of inheritance

Matsue City (Hata District, Honjo District, Aika District), Hamada City, Misumi Town

Product overview (special characteristics and types)

The traditional dried persimmons (or hoshigaki) of Matsue City’s Hata District also called “amber gems” and have been highly prized since olden times. These persimmons are about the size of an egg, with an earlobe-like texture, and the sugar content is 60 degrees, giving them a rich sweetness that spreads in your mouth. The Hata District is an optimal location for producing dried persimmons, and Saijo persimmons have been cultivated here for many years. Nowadays, too, more than a dozen farmers tend some 4,000 persimmon trees and ship out around 300,000 dried persimmons each year.
Nestled among mountains, the Hata District has a relatively high elevation, with slopes facing the dry winds that blow in, and the clay-like soil in this region retains water well. This climate enables dried persimmons to develop a concentrated sugar content, creating an exquisite, powerful sweetness with a jelly-like core and a dusting of white fructose on the surface of the fruit.
The harvesting area for Saijo persimmons in Shimane Prefecture is the largest in Japan, and along with the Hata District, the Honjo and Aika Districts, as well as Misumi Town in Hamada City, have a flourishing persimmon production industry.

History and culture

It is said that long ago, peasant warriors of the Mori army, who were fighting the Amago clan of Izumo Province, brought in shoots and saplings bearing dried persimmons as convenient rations for the troops. As if to confirm this legend, trees over 200 years old can be found throughout Matsue City, and there is one large tree that is 500 years old in the Aika District. Furthermore, dried persimmons were widely sent as gifts in the Edo period, and there is a record of Sasuke Ishibashi, from the Hata District, creating a kakigoya shed in 1809 that was dedicated to drying persimmons.
For a month starting in late November, the sight of countless persimmons being dried in three-story kakigoya has become a traditional scene that signals the arrival of late autumn. This scenery has been selected as one of the “hundred landscapes for the next hundred years,” and in recent times has become a popular destination with tourists and photographers.

Production method

Persimmons fully ripen for harvest in November, after being pruned in January and thinned out during early to mid-summer. The harvested persimmons have their stems removed and each fruit is carefully peeled and attached to twine organized according to size. The persimmons are then hung in designated kakigoya, which are three-story wooden structures with glass walls and good ventilation, and go under repeated rough drying, assisted drying, and sun drying for about a month. Much care is taken with regard to the weather and temperature, and the persimmons are hung for 30 days until fructose appears on the fruit surface. These dried persimmons are shipped out in December after inspection.
The ingredients used for this are just local Saijo persimmons that have been carefully grown from soil preparation, pruning, thinning, and weeding. The growers transform these fruits into amber gems.

Conservation and succession efforts

All farmers in the Hata District have come together to grow high-quality Saijo persimmons. No herbicides are used, and use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers has also been dramatically reduced.
What is more, the local producers are striving to pass down their food culture and expand their sales channels into enterprises like pop-up cafes, collaborations with confectionary shops, hands-on experiences for local elementary and junior high school students, and development of new recipes by senior high school students. The persimmon owner system also started from 2009 to encourage people across the entire region to become persimmon fans.

Main consumption method

Dried persimmons are often sent as a luxurious gift, and are usually eaten as they are.
They can also be enjoyed in Western dishes, such as immersing them in wine, putting them in sandwiches with butter or cheese, or on canapes. In recent years, tempura using these hoshigaki have also become popular.

At-home recipes：Dried persimmon dressed with drained yogurt

Ingredients

Dried persimmon (Saijo persimmons)

2 persimmons

Yogurt

400 g

Honey

As needed

How to make

Put a colander in a bowl, line it with paper towels, and place yogurt on the paper. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator to let the yogurt drain.

Cut dried persimmons into tiny pieces.

Put the yogurt drained in 1 above in a bowl, top it with the persimmons cut in 2 above, and pour honey.