Today I’d like to share with you a little history about Natsu Mikan.
Here we are in the summer tangerine orchard located within the grounds of the old Tanaka Estate. It was here where Takamasa Obata planted the orchard that played a pivotal role in helping the samurai here regain their livelihood in the wake of the early modern period.
Although Hagi is known for the summer tangerine, the tangerine’s origins lie elsewhere.
According to legend, about 300 years ago in Ohibi Omijima a woman named Ochyou was walking along a beach when she found a summer tangerine. Removing the seed, she planted it and that resulted in the tree that is now a natural monument in Nagato, a small city located twelve miles north of Hagi.
However, it is not clear if the current tree and the original tree are of the same variety or if it is a hybrid.
At first, people did not eat the fruit instead, children used it as a replacement ball in the traditional sport of Kemari and it was called Uta or Bakemono.
After people started using the juice from the fruit as a vinegar, it became known as Natsu dai dai.
In around 1833, a man from Hagi visited Nagato and brought back with him two seedlings which he planted. The trees did not bear fruit until around 1848. However, no one knew exactly when the fruit should be harvested until one day a child in the Kodama family ate one of the leftover tangerines located at the top of the tree and discovered how delicious it was and the Kodama family presented the fruit to Takachika Mori who suggested that the fruit should be cultivated. Thus it also became known as the Kodama citrus in Hagi.
In 1876, Obata Takamasa, a Hagi native, returned to Hagi from Osaka only to find the newly jobless samurai in despair. Not one to sit around, he purchased some seedlings and began an orchard enlisting the help of the other desperate families. Working together, the families went into business and sought a buyer in Osaka.
Originally, the fruit was sold under the name of Natsu dai dai, but when a prominent Osaka merchant recommended changing the name due to it easily being associated with the name of a disease, the name was changed to Natsu Mikan.
Not only is Natsu Mikan delicious, it is also good for you. High in vitamins A, C, and E, it is an antioxidant and is not only useful for lowering cholesterol, it also helps reduce high blood pressure, fights constipation, and is also said to be good for the skin.
I hope you enjoyed learning about the summer tangerine and please be sure to like, share and subscribe. Thank you.