Protected local food
Koge Hanagosho Persimmon
こおげ花御所柿
A sweet, juicy persimmon from Yazu town in Tottori, from a local variety grown for more than 200 years. Dense, fine flesh and more sugar than most.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 27 December 2018
- Region
- Chugoku
- Official name in Japanese
- こおげ花御所柿
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 鳥取県八頭郡八頭町
From Nara, around 1780
Around 1780, gosho persimmons were brought back from Nara to the old town of Koge and planted. The local line was named Hanagosho in 1909 by a government horticulture researcher, and the area began branding it as Koge Hanagosho in 1969. Koge is now part of Yazu town in Tottori.
Sweeter than most
Hanagosho persimmons are sweeter than typical persimmons, with dense, juicy flesh. In 1947, at the first national fruit show after the war, a Hanagosho won first prize in the persimmon class.
How to eat it
Peel and slice it like an apple and eat it fresh, slightly chilled. It is an autumn fruit and a popular year-end gift.
Good to know
- Look for it in Tottori from late autumn. Pair a trip with the Tottori Sand Dunes and Tottori Sakyu Rakkyo.
- If you like persimmons, also try dried ones, such as Ichida Kaki.
Questions travellers ask
Is it a crisp or soft persimmon?
It is a sweet persimmon eaten fresh and firm, peeled and sliced, with dense, juicy flesh.
Where is it grown?
In Yazu town, Tottori Prefecture, mainly the former town of Koge.
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.