What is Budo Sansho
Budo sansho is a spice specially produced in Japan that has a fragrant
scent and then gives a tantalizing kick with a mildly hot taste when eaten. There
are several varieties of sansho cultivated, including Asakura sansho in Hyogo Prefecture
and Takahara sansho in Gifu Prefecture, however, the variety cultivated in Wakayama
Prefecture is characterized by vines of large berries in clusters that resemble
bunches of grapes, and as such, it is called budo
sansho, (budo meaning grape in Japanese). Wakayama Prefecture is the
region boasting the largest production of sansho in Japan, cultivating budo sansho. Further, cultivation centers
around Aridagawa Town here, extending across the Aridagawa river basin. Compared
to other varieties, another characteristic of budo sansho is its thick pericarp. In early summer, fresh
and luscious green fruit forms.
Since ancient times, sansho has been utilized as
a natural medicine and as a seasoning in various types of cooking. In Aridagawa
Town, a range of initiatives have been taken by local people as central figures
to expand the possibilities and applications for budo sansho. Locals are creating, for example, new seasonings,
ingredients, sweets, cakes, and recipes; working in collaboration with food companies
and chefs; and conducting other activities. Here, we introduce budo sansho and those initiatives.
The History od Budo Sansho
Wakayama Prefecture accounts
for more than sixty percent of the volume of sansho
production in Japan, and is the stand out number one production region of the nation,
well ahead of those in second place and below. In Aridagawa Town specifically, the
region of Shimizu (formerly Shimizu Town) once accounted for eighty percent of the
total production of sansho
in Japan, and is a prosperous sansho
production area.
In old times, in the middle
of the Heian period (794—1185) sansho
was subject to taxation, “Kii Province three sho (units) of shinsho” (Kii Province is present day
Wakayama Prefecture, shinsho
refers to sansho) was stated in the Engishiki
(compendium of codes, procedures and laws) (statutes). Also, during the Shoka era
(1257—1259), sansho was recorded
as produce in the Koyasan monjo, so the
region has a history of sansho cultivation of 800 to 1,000 years. Furthermore, it
is thought that cultivation of Asakura
Sansho began during the Edo period (Tokugawa; 1603—1967), after it was
procured from the area that is now Hyogo Prefecture.
In the Tenpo era (1831—1845) at the end stage of
the Edo period, Kane’mon Ioki discovered sansho with large berries in clusters resembling
bunches of grapes in the garden at his house in Toi Village (currently Toi, Aridagawa
Town), and since it had a strong fragrance and a hot zesty flavor, the variety was
cultivated from then onward, and has become firmly rooted in the region. This variety
is specially produced budo sansho that is still grown today. Ioki can also be written
in different characters, as Iyoki meaning “tree with medical applications,” and
it is said that because budo sansho was adopted for medicinal purposes, these characters
have been adopted for the name of the Kane’mon house.
The town of Aridagawa is mountainous in nature, and
seventy-six percent of the area is covered with forest. Located on the temperate
Kii Peninsula, the region of Shimizu is located at high altitude, so it also sees
snowfalls in winter. These geographical features and climate are suitable for cultivating
sansho, and so, by utilizing ridges between rice fields and sloping land, sansho
cultivation has ensued. Further, demand for sansho as a condiment and base ingredient
for medicines increased dramatically following the Asia-Pacific War, full-scale
cultivation of sansho began in fields and the cultivation area also was increased.
Japanese Spice Sansho
The proverb goes, “Sansho has small grains, but still
packs a peppery punch,” meaning that even something small can be strong willed or
have great power. Sansho is given as a metaphor to warn against underestimating
people; but literally, even though sansho
has small grains, if you add just a little bit, it can bring out the colors and
enhance a dish.
Sansho is a deciduous tree originating in Japan, and is
a plant from the same family of citrus that mandarin oranges and yuzu belong to. It is thought that
sansho has been consumed
since the Jomon period (10,000 BCE–300 BCE), as traces of seeds were discovered
inside earthenware from that time. Hajikami,
the former name of sansho, was recorded
in the Kojiki (712; Records
of Ancient Matters), in a passage that can be translated as, “the hajikami that grows below the fence
makes the mouth go numb.”
Sansho, long used as a medicine and spice, is still put
to use in modern times—the shoots and young leaves as a Japanese herb, and the fruit
in Japanese spice. One of the charms of sansho
surely is in the enjoyment of seeing it change form along with the changing seasons.
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