Didn’t you notice its arrow shape? The Suita Kuwai Sculpture stands as a tribute to a unique local crop. This is no ordinary vegetable. The Suita Kuwai is a celebrated traditional crop of Suita City.
Do you know about Kuwai? This small vegetable is known for its distinctive shape. It is often used in osechi dishes for New Year’s. The vegetable symbolizes good luck because sprouts emerge from it.
The Suita Kuwai is smaller and sweeter than common Kuwai. Once you taste it you will not forget it. It is a rare vegetable recognized as a Naniwa traditional vegetable.
Once upon a time, these plants grew naturally. They thrived along riverbanks and in rice paddies. From the Edo to Meiji eras for nearly 200 years, it was presented to the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Unlike ordinary Kuwai, the Suita Kuwai evolved from the Japanese Omodaka plant. Dr. Yoichiro Makino a plant taxonomy expert gave it the academic name suitensis to signify its origin in Suita.
The Suita Kuwai population decreased because of housing development and herbicides. The Suita Kuwai Preservation Society farmers and citizens worked hard. Thanks to these efforts the cultivation volume is slowly increasing again.
The Suita Kuwai is an aquatic plant. It thrives in wetlands and rice paddies. Its stems are hollow and angled. They act like pipes drawing up large amounts of water. The leaves are arrow shaped. The upper part is pointed while the lower part splits into two pointed lobes. It grows up to 20 cm in size. In early summer a flower stalk extends from the lower part of the stem. It produces lovely white flowers. The upper flowers are male while the lower ones are female. Pollen falls from above enabling self pollination. Green spherical seeds form turning brown as they ripen.
The plant makes tubers underground. In autumn these tubers swell. Each plant produces 10 to 15 tubers. The sprouts are considered a delicacy. It symbolizes good fortune because it is called sprout-out vegetable. People valued it as a lucky food because it produces many tubers. These symbolize family prosperity.
Compared to common Kuwai the Suita Kuwai has a unique flavor. It has a slightly bitter taste with sweetness. People say once you taste it you will not forget it. It is also nutritious. It contains protein carbohydrates phosphorus calcium and potassium.
The ancestor of the Suita Kuwai is the Omodaka. It grew naturally in Japan for thousands of years. Over time the underground tubers evolved in the fertile soil. Rice paddies were an ideal growing place for the Suita Kuwai.
In the past the southern part of Suita was surrounded by rivers. Underground water from the Senri hills flowed there. The area had three famous water sources. These waters nurtured the Suita Kuwai.
Records of the Suita Kuwai date back 300 years to 1701. The Suita Kuwai is described in books as sweet. It tastes like chestnuts. A famous food connoisseur of the Edo period, Ota Nanpo praised the Suita Kuwai in a poem.
Initially the Suita Kuwai was considered a common variety from China. Dr. Yoichiro Makino classified it as a distinct species in 1935. This confirmed that the Suita Kuwai was unique to Japan. It evolved in the fertile soil and is native to Suita.
In 1965 Professor Ujimasa Sakamoto of Kyoto University noted its unique traits. He said it is a semi-cultivated plant. This makes it a valuable plant from a genetic perspective.
From 1683 until the Meiji Restoration the Suita Kuwai was presented to the Imperial Palace for nearly 200 years. The dedication procession was quite a sight. It conveyed the prestige of the Suita Kuwai.
Today Suita City promotes the cultivation of Suita Kuwai. They organize planting events and cooking classes. Local post offices even grow the vegetable to promote it.
So next time you see the Suita Kuwai Sculpture remember its story. It is a story of tradition preservation and local pride.