Here in the Takinoiri district of Moroyama, Saitama Prefecture, the sparsely marked Yuzu no Sanpomichi walkway threads into the forest, passing quiet yuzu groves. The ascending trail, which takes me past half-century-old yuzu trees that cling to treacherous slopes, leads to Katsuragi Kannon, a temple perched 300 meters above sea level.
The area was named Katsuragi by Gyoki, a priest of the Nara Period (710-94), who believed the mountain resembled Mount Katsuragi in Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture). The local citrus, known as Katsuragi yuzu, takes its name from this region.
In the yuzu groves, aging farmers tend to the thorny trees by hand. Wearing thick gloves and boots to protect herself from the spikes, second-generation Katsuragi yuzu farmer Aiko Ikebe, 78, tells me it’s important to thin out the branches properly.
