[Inheriting a Cut Branch Production Area] A lucky charm that turns misfortune into good fortune: The story of inheriting a "Nanten" farm.

A nandina field cherished for 50 years, entrusted to us with the words, "If you'll take it over."

SiKiTO cultivates branches in Toyooka Village, Nagano Prefecture.

Nandina has been actively cultivated here for 70 to 80 years, as the sunny, sloped land suits its growing conditions.

Due to the pun "nan o tenjiru" (to turn misfortune around), it's a popular staple for New Year's decorations. However, in recent years, the number of producers in Toyooka Village has been decreasing due to population decline and an aging workforce.

Amidst this, some individuals have chosen to entrust their carefully managed fields to Hasegawa, the youngest branch producer in the region, rather than simply letting them go.

This time, we spoke with Ms. Yukie Karasawa, who passed on her approximately 500m² nandina field to Hasegawa this year. Starting at the age of 30, she has dedicated over 50 years to farming, handling nandina since she began. She currently also cultivates persimmons and rice. Recently, her hobbies include fitness and mallet golf, making her quite active.

The field, converted from a mulberry field almost entirely by hand, has about 200 nandina plants.

Nandina is easy to grow as it doesn't require much disinfectant or fertilizer, but its slow growth means it takes three years from seeding to the first shipment.

Weeding four to five times a year is particularly heavy labor. Ms. Karasawa's husband has a job, and her children, living in urban areas, couldn't take over the field. She was considering quitting nandina when Hasegawa approached her, and she offered to pass on the field to him.

Thanks to this, it seems we'll be able to ship many nandina with berries from this field in 2025.

She also shared many detailed stories about nandina cultivation.

There are two types of shipping methods. Not only do they look different, but the labor involved in shipping also varies greatly.

Bunches can be roughly bundled and shipped in 5kg units, but branches must be cut to a specified size, immediately placed in water, and then boxed in dozens of pieces. Once branches are shipped, it takes three years for them to bear fruit again, so careful planning is essential.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for bunches, which are easy to use for New Year's decorations. Ms. Karasawa, who manages the field alone, ships mostly in bunches.

Another characteristic is the very short shipping period for New Year's floral materials.

In the Toyooka Village area, bunches are shipped for about 10 days, from around November 30th to December 10th, and branches for about one week, from around December 15th to 23rd!

During the short days, harvesting hard nandina branches is limited to about 150-200 branches per person per day.

Furthermore, December overlaps with the processing period for Ichida persimmons, a specialty of Shinshu, making the village extremely busy.

She says she has managed to balance both with the help of relatives and neighbors.

When I hear that more people are focusing on persimmons, which can be worked on indoors, rather than harvesting nandina in the cold, the nandina that only appears in stores at the end of the year feels all the more special.

In fact, Ms. Karasawa is not the only one who has handed over her branch fields in Toyooka Village. Last year, we were able to ship about 100 nandina branches from a field inherited from another person.

As Hasegawa says, "The fields handed over by veteran seniors are always meticulously maintained. Their advice, based on years of experience, is invaluable to a newcomer like me." Indeed, during the interview, Ms. Karasawa even shared tips on when to prune nandina.

The language of nandina flowers includes "bringing good fortune," "a good home," and "my love grows ever stronger."

Nandina branches from Toyooka Village may also be delivered through our year-end branch subscription service.
SiKiTO will continue to do what it can from 2026 onwards to help connect nandina cultivation in Southern Shinshu to the future.