What are Yamagata’s heirloom vegetables? Features, season, and ways to eat the 87 items explained

Yamagata Prefecture organizes 86 items (it does not officially claim the top rank).The Japan Traditional Vegetable Promotion Association's certification covers 86 items (as of March 2024), whileYamagata Prefecture Agricultural Information Site's tally confirms about 160 varieties across all native crops.

From nationally famous varieties like dadacha-mame, Atsumi turnip, and Minden eggplant to rare varieties preserved at the settlement level such as Jingoemon-imo and Kanjiro cucumber, distinctive native varieties are passed down in each of the four regions of Murayama, Mogami, Okitama, and Shonai. This article organizes the overall picture by these four regions and explains seven representative items in detail.

The definition of "heirloom vegetable" and the scope of this article

There is no nationwide unified definition of “heirloom vegetables,” and criteria differ by certifying body. To help you accurately understand this article's content, we first lay out the criteria of the main certifying bodies.

Certifying body	Main criteria
Kyoto Prefecture "Kyoto Heirloom Vegetables"	Cultivated in Kyoto from before the Meiji era and unique to Kyoto
Osaka Prefecture "Naniwa Heirloom Vegetables"	Cultivated within Osaka Prefecture from roughly 100 or more years ago
Nara Prefecture "Yamato Heirloom Vegetables"	A variety with a cultivation history of more than 40 years
Akita Prefecture "Akita Heirloom Vegetables"	Cultivated within the prefecture from before the Showa 30s
Yamagata Prefecture "Yamagata Heirloom Vegetables"	Cultivated within the prefecture from before Showa 20
The Japan Traditional Vegetable Promotion Association	Independent certification criteria (broader)

In this article, we introduce 86 items with the Yamagata Prefecture "Yamagata Heirloom Vegetable" certification (as of March 2024) as the main source. However, varieties bred and registered after the war, and items that don't strictly fit the "vegetable" category such as fruits, aquatic plants, and wild edible plants, are organized separately in the "Other local specialty cultivars" section at the end of the article.

What are Yamagata's heirloom vegetables? A prefecture with one of Japan's largest counts of native varieties

The reason Yamagata has so many heirloom vegetables lies in its topographic and climatic diversity. The Shonai Plain facing the Sea of Japan, the Mogami Basin surrounded by the Dewa Mountains, the inland Murayama Basin, and the Okitama Basin centered on Yonezawa—four climate zones packed into a small prefecture—each fixed its own distinctive varieties.

Certification criteria for "Yamagata Heirloom Vegetables"

Condition	Details
History	Cultivars grown within Yamagata Prefecture roughly from before 1945 (Showa 20)
Origin	Vegetables unique to that region, cultivated and used there
Seed preservation	Cultivars and lineages maintained through self-saved seed
Availability	Seeds and seedlings are still obtainable, and produce circulates

Akita's 39 itemsalso have prefecture-official certification systems, but Yamagata's item count is more than double Akita's. The deeply rooted culture of self-saved seed at the settlement level is behind this high item count.

Item distribution across the 4 regions

Region	Regional characteristics	Representative items
Murayama	Inland basin including the prefectural capital, Yamagata City	Yamagata akane spinach, okahijiki, Akudo imo
Mogami	Mountainous area surrounded by the Dewa Mountains. Turnips and taro stand out	Jingoemon-imo, Kanjiro cucumber, Mogami turnip group (multiple cultivars)
Okitama	Southern inland including Yonezawa, Nanyo, and Nagai	Usukawa marunasu, yukina, ukogi, Onogawa bean sprouts
Shonai	Granary on the Sea of Japan side. The home of dadacha-mame	Dadacha-mame, Atsumi turnip, Minden eggplant, Hirata red negi

The Mogami region especially preserves different turnip cultivars in each settlement of the Dewa Mountains, with multiple turnip cultivars concentrated there such as Hijiori turnip, Nagao turnip, Tsunokawa turnip, and Nishimata turnip. Different fixed varieties coexisting in a narrow mountainous area is a symbolic feature of Yamagata's native-variety culture.

The link between Yamagata's food culture and heirloom vegetables

• Imoni gathering × Akudo imo / Jingoemon-imo — Yamagata's autumn tradition. The riverbank event of simmering taro supports consumption of native varieties
• Pickle culture × Atsumi turnip / Yamagata seisai (mustard greens) — Yamagata City ranks among the nation's top in household spending on pickles, and pickle culture runs deep. Pickles of native turnips and greens are everyday food
• Dadacha-mame × Shonai region — Nationally branded as the representative edamame cultivar. A native variety of Tsuruoka City
• Okahijiki × Murayama / Okitama — A land vegetable resembling seaweed, of which Yamagata accounts for over 90% of national production
• Yukina × Okitama — A winter leafy vegetable grown under the snow. Used in Yonezawa's local dish "yukina no fusube-zuke"

Yamagata's heirloom vegetables: main item list and seasonal calendar

Listing all 86 items would be vast, so here we organize 30 items centered on the representative items of the four regions. The full item list is onthe Japan Heirloom Vegetable Promotion Association's database.

Quick reference table of 30 main items

#	Item	Category	Region	Season
1	Dadacha-mame	Edamame	Shonai	July–September
2	Atsumi turnip	Turnip	Shonai	October–December
3	Minden eggplant	Eggplant	Shonai	July–October
4	Hirata red negi	Negi	Shonai	November–December
5	Usukawa marunasu	Eggplant	Okitama	July–October
6	Yukina	Leafy green	Okitama	Garden pea
7	Ukogi	Wild edible plant	Okitama	Mid-January–late February
8	Onogawa bean sprouts	Bean sprouts	Okitama	Year-round
9	Okahijiki	Leafy green	Murayama	April–July
10	Yamagata akane spinach	Leafy green	Murayama	December to February
11	Akudo imo	Taro	Murayama	September to November
12	Yamagata seisai (mustard greens)	Pickling greens	Murayama	October–November
13	Mottenohoka (edible chrysanthemum)	Edible chrysanthemum	Murayama	October–November
14	Jingoemon-imo	Taro	Mogami	September to November
15	Kanjiro cucumber	Cucumber	Mogami	July–September
16	Mogami red garlic	Garlic	Mogami	June–July
17	Hijiori turnip	Turnip	Mogami	October–November
18	Yukiwarina	Leafy green	Mogami	March to April
19	Sannai carrot	Taro	Mogami/Shonai	September to November
20	Tonojima cucumber	Cucumber	Shonai	July–September
21	Sakata cucumber	Cucumber	Shonai	July–September
22	Kubota eggplant	Eggplant	Okitama	July–October
23	Beni-daizu (red soybean)	Legume	Okitama	October–November
24	Hanatsukuri daikon	Daikon	Okitama	October–November
25	Kanaya gobo	Burdock	Murayama	October–November
26	Zao kabocha	Squash	Murayama	September to November
27	Fujisawa turnip	Turnip	Shonai	October–December
28	Tagawa turnip	Turnip	Shonai	October–November
29	Murasaki orina	Pickling greens	Shonai	October–November
30	Kohime imo	Taro	Murayama	September to November

Yam (yamanoimo)

Month	Main items coming into season
Garden pea	Yukina, Yamagata akane spinach
March to April	Yukiwarina, ukogi, okahijiki
January–February	Okahijiki, Mogami red garlic
July–August	Dadacha-mame, Minden eggplant, Usukawa marunasu, Kanjiro cucumber, Tonojima cucumber
September–October	Akudo imo, Jingoemon-imo, karatori imo, Atsumi turnip, Yamagata seisai, mottenohoka
November–December	Atsumi turnip, Hirata red negi, Zao kabocha, beni-daizu, Hanatsukuri daikon

Yamagata's heirloom vegetables have a two-peak structure of summer and autumn–winter. In July–August, summer vegetables like dadacha-mame, eggplants, and cucumbers peak, and from September onward taro, turnips, and pickling greens all come into season together. Even in January–February there are winter vegetables like yukina and akane spinach, soHokkaidoandIwatecompared with, it's characterized by a well-balanced item count throughout the year.

Characteristics and how to eat 7 representative Yamagata heirloom vegetables

From among the 86 items, we take up seven representatives combining nationally famous items (dadacha-mame, okahijiki, etc.) with rare varieties embodying Yamagata's food culture (Jingoemon-imo, Atsumi turnip, etc.).

Dadacha-mame — the representative edamame cultivar Shonai boasts

Season	Late July–early September
Growing region	Tsuruoka City (Shonai region)
Well-suited dishes	Salt-boiled, zunda mochi, mixed rice, tempura

Dadacha-mame is a native edamame grown only around Tsuruoka City, prized as the "representative edamame cultivar" for its distinctive sweetness and toasty flavor. "Dadacha" means "father" in the Shonai dialect. The name is said to come from a Shonai domain lord in the Edo period asking, "Is this the bean that dadacha grew?"

The harvest season shifts among cultivars from late July to early September, with multiple lineages such as "Hakusan," "Kanro," and "Oura." Eaten fresh from the boil, it spreads a corn-like aroma not found in ordinary edamame, and the depth of flavor in each bean stands out.

Atsumi turnip — a Shonai red turnip grown by slash-and-burn

Season	October to December
Growing region	Atsumi district, Tsuruoka City (former Atsumi Town)
Well-suited dishes	Sweet-vinegar pickles, senmaizuke-style, salad

Atsumi turnip is a red turnip grown by slash-and-burn farming in the mountainous Atsumi district of Tsuruoka City. The traditional method of sowing seed using ash from burning mountain slopes as fertilizer has over 400 years of history. The vivid red-purple skin contrasts beautifully with the white flesh, and when made into sweet-vinegar pickles the liquid turns pink.

Slash-and-burn is labor-intensive with low yields, and securing successors is a challenge, but it's said to produce a flavor no other method can, and farmers in the Atsumi district keep the tradition alive.

Usukawa marunasu — a bite-size eggplant made for pickling

Season	July–October
Growing region	Okitama region (Yonezawa, Nanyo, Nagai)
Well-suited dishes	Quick pickles, mustard pickles, overnight pickles, whole-grilled

Usukawa marunasu is a small eggplant of about 20–30g per fruit, characterized as its name suggests by thin, soft skin. Pickling it whole is Okitama's food culture, and made into mustard pickles or quick pickles you can enjoy a crisp, skin-on texture.

Yamagata Prefecture is among the nation's top in pickle consumption, and usukawa marunasu is indispensable at the summer table. Alongside Shonai's Minden eggplant, it's known as a representative native eggplant cultivar of Yamagata.

Jingoemon-imo — a phantom taro preserved in Mogami's hinterland

Season	September–November
Growing region	Mamurogawa Town (Mogami region)
Well-suited dishes	Imoni, simmered dishes, oden

Jingoemon-imo is a native taro passed down for generations by the Sato family of Mamurogawa Town—a rare case where a personal name became the cultivar name directly. It's characterized by strong stickiness yet a texture that resists breaking down while melting in the mouth, and used in Yamagata's imoni gathering, the dashi-soaked taro takes on an exceptional flavor.

The seed tubers are strictly managed by the Sato family, and supply is limited—the reason it's called the "phantom taro." It can sometimes be obtained at farm stands in Mamurogawa Town or via hometown tax gifts.

Okahijiki — a land seaweed of which Yamagata accounts for over 90% of national production

Season	April–July
Growing region	Yamagata City, Nanyo City, and others
Well-suited dishes	Ohitashi, dressed dishes, salad, tempura

Okahijiki is an annual of the Amaranthaceae family, a land vegetable named for its resemblance to the seaweed hijiki. Its crisp texture and mild flavor are characteristic, and the classic way to eat it is to blanch it quickly for ohitashi or salad. Yamagata Prefecture accounts for over 90% of national production.

Originally a wild plant that grew naturally on coastal sandy soil and was domesticated, it's rich in minerals. Greenhouse cultivation ships it stably from spring to summer, making it a relatively easy-to-obtain item among heirloom vegetables.

Yamagata akane spinach — a winter native variety that grows sweeter under snow

Season	December–February
Growing region	Around Yamagata City (Murayama region)
Well-suited dishes	Ohitashi, saute, gratin, miso soup

Yamagata akane spinach is a winter native variety whose root base and leaf joints take on a vivid red color. Each plant grows to a large 200–300g, with thick leaves, little bitterness, and strong sweetness.

It has the property of rising in sugar content the colder it gets, and plants that overwinter under snow become the sweetest. Only about half of sown seed can be successfully harvested—a cultivation difficulty—so the amount on the market is limited. If you visit Yamagata in winter, look for it at farm stands.

Hirata red negi — Shonai's red thick negi

Season	November–December
Growing region	Hirata district, Sakata City (Shonai region)
Well-suited dishes	Grilled negi, hot pot, gratin, stir-fry

Hirata red negi is a thick negi with red-purple outer skin, and heating brings out a melting sweetness.Sendai magari-negi of MiyagiandYokosawa magari-negi of AkitaLike, it's part of Tohoku's thick-negi culture, but the red-purple outer skin is a feature unique to Hirata red negi.

Because sweetness increases when exposed to frost, it's tastiest from November onward after the first frost. Indispensable to Shonai's winter hot pots, when grilled its red outer color stands out and adds visual appeal to the table.

Regional character—Murayama, Mogami, Okitama, Shonai

Yamagata's four regions each differ in climate, topography, and food culture, and their heirloom vegetable lineups clearly reflect distinct characters.

Murayama region — native varieties supporting the table of the prefectural capital, Yamagata City

• Yamagata akane spinach — A large-plant winter spinach that grows sweeter under snow
• Okahijiki — Over 90% of national production. A crisp land seaweed
• Akudo imo — The star of imoni. A sticky-textured native taro
• Yamagata seisai (mustard greens) — A pickling green representative of Yamagata. The ingredient for omi-zuke
• Mottenohoka — An edible chrysanthemum. The name comes from "mottenohoka umai" (unexpectedly delicious)
• Zao kabocha — A strongly sweet native kabocha
• Kanaya gobo — A strongly aromatic thick gobo

Mogami region — a treasure house of turnips and taro

• Jingoemon-imo — The phantom taro the Sato family of Mamurogawa Town preserves
• Kanjiro cucumber — A thick, short native cucumber
• Mogami turnip group — Multiple turnip cultivars preserved at the settlement level, such as Hijiori, Nagao, Tsunokawa, and Nishimata
• Sannai carrot — A taro grown to eat its stalks (zuiki)
• Yukiwarina — A wild-plant-like leafy green that heralds spring
• Mogami red garlic — A garlic with reddish outer skin

Okitama region — native varieties tied to Yonezawa's food culture

• Usukawa marunasu — A bite-size eggplant made for pickling
• Yukina — A winter leafy green grown under snow. Used in fusube-zuke
• Ukogi — A wild plant the Yonezawa domain planted as hedges. Originating in Uesugi Yozan's frugality
• Onogawa bean sprouts — Bean sprouts grown with hot-spring heat.Aomori's Owani onsen bean sproutsresemble this hot-spring cultivation
• Beni-daizu (red soybean) — A native soybean with red pigment. For tofu and simmered beans
• Kubota eggplant — A pickling eggplant larger than usukawa marunasu

Shonai region — the bounty of the Sea of Japan and the home of dadacha-mame

• Dadacha-mame — Tsuruoka City's native edamame. A national brand
• Atsumi turnip — A slash-and-burn red turnip. Sweet-vinegar pickles are the specialty
• Minden eggplant — A small pickling eggplant. Mustard pickles are Shonai's summer flavor
• Hirata red negi — A red-purple thick negi. Melting sweetness when heated
• Tonojima cucumber — Shonai's native cucumber
• Fujisawa turnip / Tagawa turnip — Shonai's native turnips. For pickling

How to buy Yamagata's heirloom vegetables and storage tips

Of the 86 items, only dadacha-mame and okahijiki or so are routinely obtainable outside the prefecture. For the rest, it's realistic to use farm stands in the producing areas, mail order, and hometown tax gifts. Since distribution circumstances differ greatly by item, the key is to check the sales period in advance before buying.

Prefectural farm stands and direct-from-farm markets

Item	Main sources	Timing
Dadacha-mame	JA farm stands within Tsuruoka City, Sanchoku Aguri	July–September
Atsumi turnip	Farm stands around Atsumi Onsen, Roadside Station Atsumi	October–December
Usukawa marunasu	Farm stands in Yonezawa, Nanyo, Nagai	July–October
Yamagata akane spinach	Farm stands within Yamagata City (winter only)	December to February
Jingoemon-imo	Mamurogawa Town farm stands (limited quantity)	September to November
Okahijiki	Supermarkets and farm stands within the prefecture	April–July
Mottenohoka	Supermarkets and farm stands within Yamagata City	October–November

Mail order / hometown tax to outside the prefecture

• Dadacha-mame — JA and individual farmers in Tsuruoka City sell online. Reservation-based as a rule, with orders opening around July
• Atsumi turnip sweet-vinegar pickles — Purchasable year-round as a processed product. Also circulates as a souvenir
• Okahijiki — Greenhouse-grown product circulates to supermarkets nationwide. Relatively easy to obtain
• Hometown tax donation — Tsuruoka City (dadacha-mame), Mamurogawa Town (Jingoemon-imo), Sakata City (Hirata red negi), and others

Storage methods by item

Item	Short-term storage	Long-term storage
Dadacha-mame	Best on harvest day. 1–2 days refrigerated	Salt-boil firm and freeze (1 month)
Atsumi turnip	Wrap in newspaper and refrigerate for 1 week	Sweet-vinegar pickles (3 months)
Usukawa marunasu	Wrap in plastic and store 3 days in the vegetable drawer	Asazuke or mustard pickles (1 to 2 weeks)
Okahijiki	Refrigerate 2 days in dampened paper towel	Boil quickly and freeze (2 weeks)
Yamagata seisai	Refrigerate 3 days	Omi-zuke / salt pickles (2–3 months)
Mottenohoka	Loosen the petals, boil in vinegared water, refrigerate 3 days	Dried chrysanthemum (6 months or more)

Dadacha-mame loses freshness extremely fast—it's said sweetness halves within 24 hours of harvest. Eating it in the producing area is ideal, but when ordering by mail, the iron rule is to boil and freeze it as soon as it arrives.

Efforts to protect Yamagata's heirloom vegetables

Behind the ability to maintain 86 native varieties are preservation activities linking three parties: the prefecture, universities, and farmers.

Activities of the Yamagata Native Crop Study Group and Yamagata University

Activity	Details
Building a native-variety database	Centered on Yamagata University's Faculty of Agriculture, surveying and recording over 160 native crops in the prefecture
Seed preservation	The Yamagata Prefecture Agricultural Experiment Station collects and stores seeds of native varieties. Preventing loss
Food cultural-property registration	Positioning native crops as cultural properties under Yamagata's own "food cultural property" system
Farm-stand / restaurant partnerships	Local restaurants actively put heirloom vegetables on their menus. Al-ché-cciano (Tsuruoka City) is a pioneer

In particular, chef Masayuki Okuda of the Italian restaurant "Al-ché-cciano" drew nationwide attention with dishes using Shonai's native varieties, greatly boosting awareness of Yamagata's heirloom vegetables. Chefs rediscover the value of native varieties and deliver them to consumers—this "protect by eating" cycle functions in Yamagata.

Carrying on slash-and-burn farming—the case of Atsumi turnip

Era	Event
Edo period–	Slash-and-burn turnip cultivation begins in the mountainous Atsumi district. Over 400 years of history
Late Showa	Cultivation area shrinks due to the labor of slash-and-burn and a shortage of successors
2000s	Branded as "Yakihata Atsumi Kabu." The slash-and-burn story becomes added value
2012	The "Yakihata Atsumi Kabu Brand Enhancement Council" is established

Atsumi turnip's slash-and-burn is a prime example of a cultivar and farming method passed down as a set. Ash from burning mountain slopes supplies minerals and produces its distinctive flavor, so growing it on flat fields won't yield the same taste. The farming method itself determines the cultivar's character—this relationship is valued as a slash-and-burn culture over 400 years old.

FAQ

Summary

Yamagata has 86 heirloom vegetables (as of March 2024), distributed across the four regions of Murayama, Mogami, Okitama, and Shonai. The aroma of dadacha-mame, Atsumi turnip's 400-year slash-and-burn farming, usukawa marunasu pickles, Jingoemon-imo's phantom melting texture—each item has a story of place and food, alive at the everyday table. That is Yamagata's distinctive character.

Imoni gatherings, pickles, edamame—Yamagata's food culture itself creates a cycle supporting the consumption of native varieties, and it's a prefecture where the "protect by eating" mechanism works. A journey visiting seasonal heirloom vegetables—dadacha-mame in summer, imoni in autumn, akane spinach in winter—is one way to enjoy Yamagata.

References / information sources

• Japan Heirloom Vegetable Promotion Association, "Yamagata Prefecture's heirloom vegetables" — Full item database
• Yamagata Agri Net, "Yamagata's native crops" — Yamagata Prefecture Agricultural Information Site
• Oishii Yamagata, "Yamagata Heirloom Vegetables" — Item introductions by season
• Yamagata Prefectural Government, "Yamagata vegetables (Murayama region)" — Official information on Murayama heirloom vegetables

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