Protected local food
Kasshi Gaki
甲子柿
A persimmon from Kamaishi on the Iwate coast, sweetened by smoke in a closed room. It turns as red as a ripe tomato and as soft as jelly.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 12 March 2021
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 甲子柿
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 岩手県釜石市
Sweetened by smoke
Kasshi gaki starts as a bitter, astringent persimmon. Farmers in Kasshi-cho, Kamaishi city, Iwate, place the fruit in a muro, a small closed room, and smoke it until the astringency is gone. No other persimmon in Japan is made this way. The fruit turns bright red like a ripe tomato and so soft you can peel it by hand and eat it with a spoon.
An accident by the hearth
It began when someone laid astringent persimmons in the attic above an irori hearth, where the smoke rose, and found them sweet. The variety, the seedless Koeda persimmon, came from the nearby Kesen area in the early Meiji era. Since 1945 farmers have used smoke rooms, which shortened the process and gave the fruit its bright red colour.
A northern persimmon
Kamaishi is mild for Tohoku, with little snow, wind, typhoon or frost damage. It is said to be the northern limit for growing persimmons. For locals, kasshi gaki is the taste of autumn.
Good to know
- Look for kasshi gaki in autumn at roadside stations around Kamaishi. It is also sold frozen and as sweets.
- Kamaishi is on the Sanriku coast, part of the Michinoku Coastal Trail. The Sanriku Railway runs along the shore.
Questions travellers ask
How do you eat it?
Chill it, cut off the top and scoop out the soft flesh with a spoon.
When is it in season?
In autumn, roughly October to November.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.