神炊館神社（おたきやじんじゃ） - 建弥依米命, 石背国造神社（いわせくにつこじんじゃ） , 白方神社
It is held every year on July 14th. It is said that if you offer two cucumbers, a local specialty of Sukagawa, take home another cucumber as a talisman, and eat it, you will not get sick for a year. The deity enshrined is said to be Toyotarihiko（豊足彦）, the 17th kuni no miyatsuko of Ishibe Province. According to ancient records, he was enshrined in Asahigaoka and called Iwase Tenno for his virtue in life, and he also came to be called "Kuuri Tenno-sama" (Cucumber Tenno) because he had a large cucumber field in life. One year, an epidemic spread through this region, and people thought it must be the worship of the god, so they welcomed his spirit from Asahigaoka, held a ceremony, and offered cucumbers, and the epidemic dissipated, and it is said that no one was ever infected with the epidemic after that. Since then, once a year, a temporary hut is built in the square, two cucumbers are offered, and if you take one of the cucumbers that has been offered and eat it, it is said that you will not get sick. This is a traditional event: Sukagawa City Minami Town, Oma Town, Taimatsu Street.
【Product name】
IWASE cucumbers
【Type】
Cucumis sativus L.
【Production and wholesale location】
Okubo Muronuki, Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture (Shirae area)
【Origin oe name】
"Hu" of cucumber is another name for different races in ancient China. It has been cultivated since the Heian period via China. “木瓜”, “黄瓜” It was named because it turns yellow when ripe. The name of the area that has been produced in Iwase, Sukagawa for generations.
【Main features】
It seems that the 75th Prefectural Fire Fighting Convention was held in Sukagawa City on June 4, 2022, where firefighters in Fukushima Prefecture gathered together to renew their pledge to fire and disaster prevention in the area. As a measure against the new coronavirus infectious disease, the number of participants was limited to about 400, but it seems that the firefighters who gathered at the tournament for the first time in three years confirmed their high aspirations to ensure the safety and security of the area. Chairman Yoshida of the Fukushima Prefecture Fire Fighting Association, who sponsored the event, said, There is a strong need to respond to large-scale and complicated disasters. Must be. “Sukagawa City” is located in the center of Fukushima Prefecture. The official report was announced on January 18, 2005 regarding the abolition of Sukagawa City and Iwase Village on April 1, 2005, which had been applied to the Governor of Fukushima Prefecture on November 12, 2004. Similarly, the official report of Sukagawa City and Naganuma Town was also announced, and the merger of Sukagawa City, Naganuma Town and Iwase Village was officially approved, and the merger of cities, towns and villages created a city with a population of more than 80,000. Fukushima Airport is located in the eastern part, and the Tohoku Expressway is located in the central part. Surrounded by the Abukuma Mountains and the Ou Mountains, the central part has a flat terrain and is a green area with the Abukuma River and the Shakado River. The average annual temperature is 12 degrees Celsius, and the annual rainfall is 1,300 mm, which is relatively warm and has little snowfall. It is one of the leading summer and autumn vegetable producing areas in Japan where many items such as cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, and green beans are cultivated. Due to the relatively high temperature and summer weather in July and August with the rainy season in between, and the autumn weather, which is relatively unaffected by the cold wind from the northwest, the area is suitable for growing cucumbers, and the yield of summer and autumn cucumbers is high. It is the best in the whole country. Every July, there is a cucumber festival “Kiuri Tenno Matsuri”, which can be called a “cucumber town”. The “Kiuri Tenno Festival” is held every year on July 14th in the center of Sukagawa City. It is said that if you bring two cucumbers, which is a special product of Sukagawa, and bring back another cucumber instead of an amulet, you will not get sick for a year if you eat it. The deity is said to be Miyatuko Hotarahiko, the 17th generation of I wase no Kuni. According to the old record, due to his virtue during his lifetime, he was enshrined in Asahigaoka and was called Iwase Tenno, and since he had a large cucumber field during his lifetime, he became known as “Kiuri Tenno-sama”. One year, a plague spread to this region, and people thought that it was the worship of Tenno Iwase. It seems that no one is suffering from the plague. Then, once a year, a temporary store is built in the open space, and two cucumbers are raised and one cucumber is offered to return home. It is a traditional event that it is said that eating it will not cause illness. In Sukagawa City, cucumber cultivation began in 1954, and under climatic conditions suitable for cultivation, the efficiency of shipping was improved as the movement to form housing estates intensified. It has been designated and has formed the largest summer and autumn cucumber producing area in Japan from 1970 to the present. Since 1970, the cultivation method has been improved rapidly, grafting cultivation and house cultivation, which are now common, have become widespread, and the varieties of agricultural cooperatives in the jurisdiction have been unified. In 1992, the rationalization of shipping standards progressed, but due to the impact of the collapse of the bubble economy, the sales amount, which had been steadily increasing until then, seems to have been sluggish. However, in 1993, winter and spring cucumbers became designated as vegetable production areas, and can be shipped throughout the year. In 1994, an automatic fruit sorting facility went into operation to consolidate the fruit sorting work of each grower. Since then, we have been actively promoting cost reduction, but the problems such as the recent price slump and the aging of growers are issues. As a general cultivation method for summer and autumn cucumbers in the area, open-field cultivation (open-field ordinary cultivation) has been adopted. Although it is greatly affected by weather conditions, it requires less materials and is used by about 80% of growers (at that time: about 60 hectares). Cucumbers dislike over-humidity and poor ventilation in the soil, so it seems important to take measures against drainage in the fields. Specifically, since there are many fields that have been converted from paddy fields in the region, drainage ditches will be dug deeper around the fields and the ridges will be raised so that moisture can be easily managed. A dark pipe with a diameter of 50 to 60 cm for drainage is embedded between the ridges, and a tube or pipe is installed in the ridge in case of drought to enable watering. It is said that high-yielding growers in the area plow soil compost or rye in the fall and winter. Soil compost is made by burying rice straw in the soil to compost it, and uses 2000 kg of rice straw, 100 kg of lime nitrogen, and 60 kg of yorin; Phosphoric acid, silicic acid, magnesium, lime（Molten fertilizer）per 10 ares of field. Sprinkle rice straw cut into small pieces of about 10 cm on the field, sprinkle water, sprinkle lime chisso and yorin, and then reverse plow. Lime chisso and yorin are used for the purpose of promoting the decomposition of rice straw in order to prevent growth disorders that occur when compost is immature. On the other hand, for rye plow, 6 to 10 kg of rye is seeded per 10 ares to make green manure, covered with soil very shallowly, and then compost, bitter lime, yorin, etc. are sprayed in late April of the following spring. It is then cultivated and is done to avoid continuous cropping obstacles. When the true leaves begin to appear 10 to 12 days after sowing, seedlings are “grafted” to make up for the weaknesses of weak cucumbers. In the district, for cucumber varieties, if a certain amount of labor can be secured, varieties with vigorous lateral leaf development and high yield are selected. In this case, be careful not to delay the defoliation. On the other hand, if there is a shortage of labor, labor-saving varieties are selected. Also, if certain diseases are likely to occur in the field, disease-resistant varieties may be selected. Similarly, the variety of rootstock (lower plant: pumpkin seedling) that is grafted with the scion (upper plant: cucumber seedling) is also selected in consideration of the field condition and compatibility with the scion. Seedlings produced by grafting are often infected with viruses during the seedling raising period, so when raising seedlings in a house, cover the openings with an insect repellent net to prevent the invasion of pests. In this case, the air permeability will deteriorate, so thorough control should be taken to prevent diseases caused by over-humidity such as “downy mildew: Pseudoperonospora cubensis”. I heard that the seedling raising period in the house is about one month. Fertilize and mulch the ridges at least 1 month before planting. Mulch aims to secure soil moisture in addition to suppressing the growth of weeds. When 3 to 4 true leaves appear, the quality of rooting greatly affects the subsequent growth, so it is said that they will be planted on a calm and warm day. Immediately before planting, it is important to soak the seedlings in liquid fertilizer and thoroughly water them, and as a countermeasure against pests, the chemicals are mixed with the soil in advance. In the jurisdiction, about 30 days from planting to the start of harvesting is considered appropriate, and for rooting, which is the most important after planting, watering the plant roots (planted seedlings) about 3 times in 10 days after planting is performed. It promotes the vertical growth of roots and produces strong seedlings that are not affected by changes in weather conditions. Yield is said to be related to the “grass appearance” that is determined by the management of female flowers until flowering. The ideal grass shape is that the side branches are well developed, and in addition to that, daily checks such as whether the tendrils are thick and energetic, the leaf color is glossy, and the flowers are facing upward are important, and it grows. Depending on the situation, watering, leaf thinning, fruit thinning and topdressing are performed, and the harvest is reached 2 months after seeding. JA Yume Minami (formerly JA Sugakawa Iwase) has been promoting the cultivation of summer and autumn cucumbers with an insect repellent net (about 1 mm) since 2003. It was introduced as a countermeasure against abnormal weather such as high temperature and cold summer with reference to the efforts of the Aizu region, but it also has the effect of reducing the outbreak of diseases by preventing the invasion of pests, and stable production compared to normal open-field cultivation. It has become possible. Specific merits are not only heat retention effect and avoidance of high temperature, but also reduction of acute wilt disease (Phomopsis black root rot of cucurbit; viral disease in which roots rot and die rapidly) due to pests, and roots after planting because they are not easily affected by wind. The tension is good and hail can be completely prevented. In addition, the number of times of spraying pesticides such as pesticides is reduced by about 30%, and pesticide-reduced cultivation becomes possible. It is important to note that the dew on the leaves dries slowly, so it is necessary to control “downy mildew; Pseudoperonospora cubensis” and “brown spot disease; Corynespora cassiicola (Berkeley and Curtis) Wei” caused by insufficient ventilation. In this case, it is important to maintain a field with sufficient drainage measures and to widen the space between the insect repellent net and the columns to improve ventilation. In addition, since honeybees are released in the net, it is required to use pesticides that have little effect on bees, and since the wind weakens and humidity is secured, the occurrence of side branches becomes vigorous, so diligent defoliation Is required. Although there are some precautions, the growth is promoted and the grass vigor is stable, so the yield and A-grade product rate are higher than in normal open-field cultivation, and the harvest period is extended, which improves the income of growers. Is also connected. The number of farmers cultivating insect repellent nets was 24 (about 3 hectares) in 2003, but increased to 114 (about 20 hectares), which is about 10% of the total, in 2006. The standard facility cost is about 1 million yen per 10 ares, and JA Sugakawa Iwase at that time planned to expand the number of cultivated farmers to about 30% by utilizing subsidy projects in Fukushima Prefecture and other areas. Pollination by releasing honeybees in the net: At the former JA Sugakawa Iwase, in March 1996, in order to save labor in shipping work, a large automatic fruit sorting facility “Kyurinkan” with a daily processing capacity of 90 tons was opened. Started operation. A large facility with a total area of 57,138 km2 (about 1.2 Tokyo Domes), about 40% of the cucumbers harvested in the jurisdiction are sorted and shipped. With the completion of the facility, many farmers were pleased with the fact that they were freed from the fruit sorting and boxing work that they had done so far, and that they had more time to spend with their families and reduced chronic fatigue. At peak times, the entrances are lined up: Looking at the specific flow to shipment, first of all, farmers pack the harvested cucumbers in a dedicated container equipped with a bar code production control system, and at the entrance on the first floor of the facility. I brought it in. After the container is automatically cooled in the pre-cooler, it is transported to the fruit sorting line on the second floor, and each one is checked for size and shape with a dedicated camera, and eight types of standards are used at a speed of three per second. Was sorted out. After that, the boxes are automatically packed in two stages (48 in total) of 24 in a shipping box assembled by a machine in the facility, and after being visually confirmed by the workers, two are added manually and one box is added. It seems that a total of 50 bottles were shipped. Dedicated container for barcode management, cucumbers are sorted one by one, size and shape are determined by a dedicated camera, and two cucumbers are added at the final confirmation. In addition, in order to prevent dandruff (a phenomenon in which the tip expands significantly due to high temperatures), the quality is maintained by a unique initiative of covering the box with moisture-absorbing paper. In addition, bar code management has created a mechanism (traceability system) that allows each box to identify “who brought in the cucumbers at what time”, and has endeavored to improve quality. Moisturizing moisture-absorbing paper, quality maintenance is the first shipment, and before and after “Marine Day” in late July, when the shipment of open-field cucumbers peaked, 100 people are selected and shipped instead of 70 people. , Mainly shipped to Keihin and Kansai areas. Every year, one out of every two cucumbers distributed in the Keihin area from July to August is said to be from Sukagawa. The farmer's market "Hatakenbo", which is a direct sales office, sells fresh vegetables and fruits and handmade processed products. For fruits and vegetables, the producer sets the price himself and handles everything from bagging to delivery. At the time of sale, the “name of the producer” is clearly stated, and it is possible to see at a glance who produced it, and many farmers are participating, saying “I am glad that you can buy it directly.” The operation is completely separated from JA Sugakawa Iwase at that time, and the abundant ideas unique to the direct sales office are utilized in the sales strategy. “Hatakenbo” with the catchphrase “Second rice field and field” : Staff with “food education sommelier” qualifications are stationed at the direct sales office and propose delicious ways to eat to consumers. Introducing the locally popular “cucumber miso soup” and recently the deeply seasoned “cucumber tsukudani”. In addition, many products using cucumber, such as dressings and alcohol, are gaining popularity. Light green noodles called "Kyumenbo", which is made by kneading fresh cucumber juice and blending locally produced Koshihikari rice flour to increase the chewy texture, are on sale. When you put it in your mouth, the refreshing aroma of cucumber spreads, and in addition to the commercially available noodle soup, there is also a “special miso sauce” developed for this product, and a variety of ways to eat it originates from Sukagawa, the home of cucumber. Has been done. These products are made from non-standard cucumbers, which have no problem in taste and nutrition but are bent, which contributes to the effective use of resources. Voices of local producers: Due to normal open-field cultivation, they have been plagued by pest-derived diseases such as aphids for many years. Since it was possible to receive administrative support, insect repellent nets are now being introduced in all fields. Insect repellent net cultivation increased the yield by about 30% and the rate of A-class products. In the past, the harvest season was until mid-October, but it is now possible to harvest until late October. The factor is that the stress on the cucumber is reduced and the life is extended. Not only pests but also wind, rain, sunlight and temperature difference, the insect repellent net has the effect of reducing stress. Cucumber is a vegetable that takes time to harvest. As the insect repellent net improves the growth, it is essential to remove the leaves to improve ventilation, and in the case of the intense heat like this year, the cucumbers get tired from the heat, so use liquid fertilizer containing amino acids, etc. I will spare no effort. Since “the yield cannot be expected without much effort,” the number of cultivated plants was reduced in order to actually balance the working hours. Even so, it seems that the same yield as before is secured by cultivating insect repellent nets. In addition, it seems that they have been working on the cultivation of bloomless cucumbers that do not produce white powder (bloom) on the surface from early on. Use bees for pollination. Cucumber fruits are more pollinated by bees, and it is said that the work of bees is indispensable for the production of good products. Organic fertilizers are used extensively in Sukagawa's proud summer and autumn cucumber cultivation, which boasts the highest production in Japan, and it has an excellent balance of well-balanced moisture and firmness, crisp texture and sweetness. City-designated tangible cultural property building: Iwase Ranch Tamaki Maize Reservoir（Iwase Bokujo corn Chozosho）: In 1880, in the wilderness area called Rokukenbara from Kagamida Village to Maedagawa Village in Iwase District, a cultivated land directly managed by the Imperial Household Ministry of the Imperial Household was set up, and livestock farming equipment and dairy cows were imported directly from the Netherlands. European-style farm management has started. It is a thatched-roof warehouse with a stilt lattice wall that was built at this time. Currently, there are two remaining buildings, with a floor area of 33 km2 on the east side and 59.433 m2 on the west side. Since it is a stilt type with a floor height of 90 cm, it is possible to protect things inside the refrigerator from moisture and small animals, and moderate air enters and exits from the grid-like wall surface, and it seems that it was suitable for storage and storage of food and the like.
Cucumber cultivation began in earnest in Sukagawa City in 1954, and under climatic conditions suitable for cultivation, the efficiency of shipping was improved as the movement to form a housing complex intensified, and in 1966, vegetables for summer and autumn cucumbers. It has been designated as a designated production area and has formed the largest summer and autumn cucumber production area in Japan from 1970 to the present. Since 1970, the cultivation method has been improved rapidly, and grafted cultivation and greenhouse cultivation, which are now common, have become widespread, and it seems that the varieties of the agricultural cooperatives in the jurisdiction have been unified.
It seems that it is cultivated for a long time from March to December by combining open field cultivation and green house cultivation. The cucumbers produced by the rich soil and delicious air are fresh. The original taste of cucumber is tightly packed. Although it is the time of year, greenhouse cultivation starts in late March and ends in mid-December. Open-field cultivation starts in late June, peaks in mid-August, and ends in mid-October.
"Iwase Cucumber", which was designated as a production area in 1966, is crispy due to the summer weather around July to August, which is relatively hot and the rainy season, and the autumn weather, which is relatively unaffected by the cold wind from the northwest. It produces a fresh and fresh taste. In addition, in order to produce this excellent agricultural product, it is important to take measures against drainage in the field because it dislikes over-humidity and poor ventilation of the soil. Specifically, since there are many fields that have been converted from paddy fields in the region, drainage ditches will be dug deeper around the fields and the ridges will be raised to facilitate water management. It seems that a dark pipe with a diameter of 50 to 60 cm for drainage is embedded between the ridges, and a tube or pipe is installed in the ridges in preparation for drought to enable irrigation.
