Why The Shimizu Hakuto Peach Is The Queen of the Fruit Kingdom

While there are many types of peaches cultivated in Japan, this superior variety that is only grown here can fetch over 5,000 yen for a single fruit. To find out more about the Shimizu Hakuto, we must venture to Okayama, a prefecture facing the Seto Inland Sea that prides itself on being the ‘Fruit Kingdom’ and home to an ever-evolving range of peach varieties.

The peach and its place in Japanese history

Peaches are said to have originated in China and in that part of the world, are claimed to ward off evil spirits and are symbols of longevity. Japan also has had a long relationship with the peach; it is mentioned in a fable contained in the Kojiki, the oldest surviving historical record in Japan (compiled in 712), where creator deity Izanagi-no-Mikoto successfully repels his ogress pursuers by deftly throwing three peaches at them.

Since ancient times, peach trees have been much beloved in Japan not so much for their fruit, but for their exquisite blossom. Countless waka poems have been written through the ages extoling the beauty of the peach blossom. It was not until the latter part of the Edo Period (1603-1868) that the Japanese started to also associate peach trees with the fruit that grow on them. However, peaches at the time were hard, sour, and highly astringent — not something people were eager to eat.

The emergence of Okayama’s Hakuto

So, how did the peach go from something largely inedible to the sweet and juicy delicacy we see today? The story starts in 1875 when two superior varieties of peach, the Tianjin honey peach and the Shanghai honey peach, were brought to Japan and began to be cultivated in Okayama.

The true turning point for peach growing in Japan was the creation of the sweet and soft-textured Hakuto. The new variety, developed by Okayama fruit researcher Jugoro Okubo in 1899 using Shanghai honey peach seedlings, became popular throughout Japan for its rich sweetness and beautiful pinkish, milky white skin. It was from this first white peach that so many other hybrids were created in Okayama.

During the Second World War, fruit was regarded as a “non-essential luxury” — it was a dark time that saw swathes of peach trees felled in Okayama as a result. With the end of the war, the populace longed for the sweet taste of fruit and Okayama’s peaches again became much sought-after as Japan rebuilt itself.

The peach that reigns supreme

The Shimizu Hakuto is considered to be the highest quality variety of white peach grown in Okayama. The Shimizu was a chance discovery made in 1932 and garnering the nickname ‘the ultimate peach’ thanks to its highly regarded sweet taste and fragrance together with its soft texture, it has at times been sold for as much as 30,000 yen for a box of five.

The role of fruit in Japan’s gift-giving culture

One of the reasons for the Shimizu Hakuto’s popularity can be found in the very short period it is available. Unlike other fruits, peaches in general have a short season, with some only available for around ten days of the year. The Shimizu Hakuto’s season (from late July to early August) happens to coincide with the traditional ochugen summer gift-giving period.

The custom of ochugen goes back many centuries in Japan, but the tradition of giving fruit as a gift emerged during the Edo Period. At the time, fruit were called mizugashi (‘water sweets’) — they were regarded as a special dessert. For the longest time, fruit was something Japanese ate only on celebratory occasions. They also have a history as a luxury indulgence and premium-grade fruit carefully enclosed in paulownia boxes are very popular as presents. The Shimizu Hakuto is therefore much sought-after as a deluxe fruit gift as it comes into season during ochugen.

Okayama, the City of Fruit Parfaits

Okayama Prefecture has a variety of fruit in season at any given time of the year and there are always new ways of enjoying them being devised. As a way of showcasing the prefecture’s fruity bounty to the general public, the Okayama Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2009 began the ‘Okayama: City of Fruit Parfaits’ project. One of the many participants in this initiative is the Lobby Lounge Lumiere in the Hotel Granvia Okayama, adjacent to the JR Okayama Station. The Lumiere serves up stunning seasonal parfaits featuring locally-grown fruit such as melon, Muscat grape, peaches, strawberries, and Japanese persimmon.

One of the most popular parfaits on the menu features white peach. “It’s a parfait designed to highlight the superb taste of the peach,” explains Shigemitsu Mitsuhata, pâtissier at the Granvia.

“The white peach parfait is centered around fresh peach and includes rare cheese cream, black tea jelly, and sorbet. We approached the creation of our parfaits with the aim to come up with a dessert that turns up the delicious sweetness of the fruit. Okayama has an abundance of peach varieties and we use the most delectable ones that are in season at any given time. Among them, though, you can’t go past the Shimizu Hakuto for its delicate sweetness and fragrance.” (The peach parfaits are available this year (2020) from July)

Following the will of the peach tree

Shimizu Hakuto can be divided into four ranks based on their sweetness and appearance. The highest rank is known as ‘Royal’ and refers to peaches with a sugar content of 12 or more on the Brix scale. Meanwhile, a ‘King’ has a sugar content of over 11 and an ‘Ace’ is over 10; anything under that is used for processed peach products. In a good year, ‘Royals’ can comprise about 50% of Shimizu Hakuto that are harvested; some years only see about 10% of peaches graded at the highest rank.

Muroyama is a pioneer in cultivating peaches using this natural method, one that first spread among growers in the Asahara district of Kurashiki City where he hails from and later became popular in other growing areas of Okayama Prefecture.

“When I was quite young, my grandmother would let me eat a whole peach. The catch was, she would say I had to strip my clothes off! The juice would make them all soaked and sticky — Okayama peaches are THAT juicy!” he grins.

The Shimizu Hakuto: the delicious result of over 100 years of peach-growing endeavor. With ongoing research and new varieties always emerging in Okayama, the Fruit Kingdom will no doubt continue to give rise to peaches that will delight our taste buds into the future.