Development and Benefits of Saffron Cultivation Methods Invented in Taketa City-Investigation through literature and field study

Abstract

Taketa is a city in Oita, Japan, which is known as the major production area of saffron (the stigma of Crocus sativus L.) and where the “Taketa-Saffron Cultivation Method” was developed. This characteristic cultivation method was invented around 1910 in Taketa in order to produce high-quality saffron. This method involves blooming saffron indoors without soil and water in contrast to being cultivated and harvested outdoors in major saffron-producing countries such as Spain and Iran. Approximately 80% of domestic saffron is produced in Taketa, but the number of saffron producers is decreasing because of economic conditions and Japan’s aging society. 　In this study, we investigated the history of the saffron cultivation method development in Japan and clarify the benefits of the Taketa-Saffron Cultivation Method. We thoroughly surveyed various literature written about the saffron cultivation methods used in Japan and found that the essence of harvesting and processing skills─almost the same as current know-how such as “avoiding harvesting in rainy weather” and “removing the yellow and white part of the stigma”─were already recognized. However, most of the literature discussed outdoor cultivation methods, and the Taketa-Saffron Cultivation Method had not been published for more than 30 years after its invention. Our field study and interviews conducted in Taketa revealed that the inventor’s offspring made efforts to spread the seedlings. Additionally, we verified that experienced farmers formed a union to encourage and improve the Taketa-Saffron Cultivation Method. It is necessary to record and inherit this unique method, which was developed by the inventor’s offspring and local farmers to ensure a stable supply of domestic high-quality saffron.