Kamisho taro

The name Kamisho Satoimo is tied to the Kamisho district of Ono City. The taro is grown from the Ono Zairai line and is known for dense, firm flesh with a chewy texture after cooking. Its production boundary is concrete: Ono Zairai taro grown in the Kamisho district, with producer standards used to maintain quality at shipment.

The growing area lies in northeastern Fukui, surrounded by mountains including Hakusan and Arashimadake. Soil carried down from the mountains formed fan-shaped land with sandy loam fields and good drainage. River water from systems such as the Kuzuryu and Managawa supports irrigation in dry summer weather, while the basin's wide day-night temperature difference from April to November helps starch accumulate in the tubers.

The continuity of Ono Zairai is described through farm practice rather than a single origin tale. Local households had grown and passed down mixed lines of taro for home use. Beginning in 1972, the Okuetsu Agricultural Extension Center led three years of line selection in the Kamisho district, and farms have continued selecting seed taro to preserve the traits associated with Kamisho Satoimo.

The field calendar starts around April, when child tubers are planted about 30 centimeters apart. Soil is hilled in late June to early July, side shoots are cut in mid to late July, and water is run between ridges during dry summer spells. Harvest and shipment run from October to December; after digging, plants are dried for several hours, child and grandchild tubers are separated, and the crop is sorted by hand for quality and by machine for size.

Kamisho Satoimo is valued for flesh that is dense, firm, and resistant to breaking down during simmering. That quality matters in koroni, a local preparation in which washed taro is often simmered with soy sauce and sugar, sometimes with the thin skin left on. The result keeps the tuber as a distinct piece in the bowl rather than dissolving into the cooking liquid.

Before fresh shipment, producers remove taro with insufficient drying, damage, rot, disease, or other nonconformity. Taro that does not meet fresh standards but is not badly damaged or rotten can be directed to processing. A JA Fukui publication also refers to the Kamisho Satoimo producers' association chair and JA staff speaking about the harvest volume and appeal of the crop, showing a producer community around the taro.