VOL.211 JANUARY 2026
JAPAN AND UME
The Reiwa Dazaifu Ume Project: Ancient Traditions Move into the Future in Dazaifu, the City of the Japanese Apricot
Japanese apricot trees in bloom at Dazaifu Tenmangu
Photo: Dazaifu City
Since ancient times, ume or Japanese apricots have been a special local feature of Dazaifu, a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture in northern Kyushu, and they have become closely intertwined with the lives of local residents. We spoke with an officer of the Dazaifu Industrial Promotion Section, to learn more about the Reiwa Dazaifu Ume Project, which is working to turn Dazaifu’s Japanese apricots into a regional brand by carrying out tree-planting activities and developing products that use Japanese apricots in the city.
Dazaifu was established as the administrative headquarters for governing Kyushu approximately 1,300 years ago. Currently, the city is famous as the home of Dazaifu Tenmangu. This shrine honors Sugawara Michizane,1 known as god of learning. After serving many years in the court, Sugawara Michizane was banished from Kyoto, the ancient capital, to Dazaifu. In a famous Japanese legend, a Japanese apricot tree in Kyoto that Sugawara had particularly admired rose out of the ground and flew all the way to Dazaifu in a single night, in order to follow him. Today, this tree — the tobi-ume or “flying Japanese apricot tree” — is a symbol of Dazaifu itself.
Around 200 varieties of Japanese apricot trees are planted in the precincts of Dazaifu Tenmangu, with approximately 600 trees in total growing in the various historic sites across Dazaifu. Japanese Apricot motifs are incorporated into the design of bridges and sidewalks throughout the city, making the town itself feel as though it lives alongside the Japanese apricot. It is against this historical and cultural backdrop that the city has brought the Reiwa Dazaifu Ume Project into action as a full-fledged initiative. According to URAZUKA Masashi of the Dazaifu Industrial Promotion Section, the city was previously not permitted to make commercial use of the Japanese apricots that grew on historic sites managed by the city, due to the provisions of the Act on Cultural Property Protection. However, after a series of discussions held between the city and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the regulations were relaxed to allow pruned branches, harvested fruits and other resources to be used for the purposes of regional revitalization. This was the starting point for the Reiwa Dazaifu Ume Project. The project aims to create some unique products using Dazaifu’s Japanese apricots, thus revitalizing the local economy while passing on the city’s traditional culture as well. As URAZUKA puts it, “This was a good opportunity to make use of them in some new ways.”
To date, 24 companies inside and outside Dazaifu have taken part in the project, creating around 40 products. A wide variety of products taking advantage of the flavor of these Japanese apricots have made their debut, including not only umeshu (Japanese apricot liqueur ) and craft beer, but also Dazaifu Ume Cider, an apricot-based non-alcoholic sparkling drink created jointly between a local high school and a local company.
Photo: ISHIZAWA Yoji
Photo: ISHIZAWA Yoji
Photo: ISHIZAWA Yoji
Photo: ISHIZAWA Yoji
In addition, the Dazaifu Ume no Ichi market was held for the first time in March 2025. Featuring not only Japanese apricot-related products created by local Dazaifu companies, but also other goods from Tokyo using Japanese apricots, this market has provided a major publicity boost for the vision of Dazaifu as the city of Japanese apricots.
Photo: Dazaifu City
Meanwhile, the city aims to promote long-term environmental conservation and lay the foundation for local industries by advancing the planting and proper management of Japanese apricot trees. “Most of the Japanese apricot trees are now old, so stepping up management of the trees — pruning, clearing away weeds and so on — is essential. Going forward, as we prepare ground for cultivation of these trees, we hope to work with tourism companies, education institutes and manufactuary firms, to strengthen partnerships with them focusing on Japanese apricots.
As part of this initiative, the city is currently planning some education programs involving cooperation with local high schools and universities. By giving students the opportunity to learn about the culture and processing techniques of Japanese apricots. We hope it will help them foster a sense of local pride in this region.
“I do feel that the increased number of Japanese apricot-related products in recent years has helped to spread awareness of Dazaifu as the ‘city of Japanese apricots’ compared to before, among local residents,” says URAZUKA. While the city’s annual Japanese apricot crop is still low, at around two tons a year, the rarity of “Dazaifu Japanese apricots” is creating a new brand value for this produce.
“The blooming of the Japanese apricot trees in the still-cold early spring, turns entire streets into a glorious sight. We intend to take care of these Japanese apricot trees, the symbol of Dazaifu, and pass them down to future generations,” says URAZUKA, expressing his hopes for the revitalization of the town that the Reiwa Dazaifu Ume Project is expected to bring about.
The “Reiwa City”: Dazaifu
Shoshun no reigetsu ni shite, ki yoku kaze yawaragi,
Ume wa kyozen no ko wo hiraki
Ran wa haigo no ko wo kaorasu
In early spring, in the most auspicious month, the air feels refreshing with a gentle breeze,
Japanese apricot blossoms bloom, as white as powder before a mirror,
While orchids are full of perfume-like fragrance
This poem, composed by Otomo no Tabito,2 governor-general of Dazaifu during the Nara Period (around the 8th century), describes the scene at a Japanese apricot blossom banquet (a poetry gathering held under the Japanese apricot blossoms). Japan uses two systems to designate years: the western system and the gengo system,3 which assigns an era name to each period. The name of the current era, “Reiwa,” which commenced in 2019, is taken from the preface to a collection of poems on Japanese apricot blossoms which includes the verses quoted above. The word “Reiwa” thus embodies the meaning of culture coming into being and flourishing when people bring their hearts and minds together in a beautiful manner. Due to its connection with these poems, Dazaifu is sometimes called “the birthplace of Reiwa.”
The poem was composed by Tabito, at a time referred to in the poem as reigetsu, which means “auspicious month”; meanwhile, ki yoku kaze yawaragi describes the clean, refreshing air and the gentle breeze that are found at the banquet. This is therefore a verse which praises harmony between people and nature. The revival of this vision of “the beauty of coexistence between people and nature” in this poem, composed around 1,300 years ago, lies in the background of the Reiwa Dazaifu Ume Project.
Photo: ISHIZAWA Yoji
- 1. Born in 845 and died in 903. Born into a family which valued learning, he worked hard in his studies from an early age. He was also active as a politician.
- 2. Born in 665 and died in 731. As well as serving as a government official, he is also renowned as a poet. He left a wealth of poetry for the Manyoshu (“Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves”), Japan’s first anthology of poems.
- 3. The gengo system, which started in the year 645, assigns years to different eras, with a unique name given to each era. The Act on Era Names, enacted in 1979, stipulates that “Era names are altered only when there has been a succession to the Imperial Throne.”
By YANAGISAWA Miho
Photo: ISHIZAWA Yoji; Dazaifu City
