Protected local food
Fukuyama Kuwai
福山のくわい
Kuwai, or arrowhead, is a small water tuber with a sprouting shoot. Fukuyama in Hiroshima has grown it since its castle moats were farmed around 1902, and it is a lucky food at New Year.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 29 June 2020
- Region
- Chugoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 福山のくわい
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 広島県福山市
A tuber with a shoot
Kuwai, called arrowhead in English, grows in flooded fields like rice. The tuber is round with a long shoot sticking out of the top. Fukuyama kuwai has a vivid blue skin and a soft, fluffy texture when cooked, a little like chestnut with a mild bitterness.
A New Year food
Kuwai is a lucky ingredient in osechi, the boxed food Japanese families eat at New Year, so demand peaks in December. Markets trust Fukuyama for steady quality and strict sorting.
From the castle moat
Farmers began growing kuwai around 1902 in the fertile moats around Fukuyama Castle in Hiroshima. The mild, sunny Seto Inland Sea climate and irrigation canals dug in the Edo era give it the large amount of water it needs.
Good to know
- Fukuyama Castle stands right next to Fukuyama Station on the Sanyo Shinkansen.
- Nearby Tomonoura is a pretty old port town on the Inland Sea.
Questions travellers ask
What does kuwai taste like?
Soft and fluffy, a little like chestnut or potato, with a mild bitterness.
When can I find it?
Mostly in December, in the run-up to New Year.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
- Fukiya: the birthplace of Japan Red
- Iwami kagura: gods and demons dance the old myths
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- Onomichi: a hillside port town of temples and lanes
- The Murakami Kaizoku: sea lords of the Geiyo Islands
- Tomonoura: Japan's best-kept Edo-era port town
- Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo and Maizuru: Japan's naval port cities
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.