About 200 years ago, a samurai named Hikoemon Sugi brought to Hagi two
natsumikan plats from the Ohibi village on the Omi-jima Island in Nagano, and planted them in the courtyard of a friend. Since in Ohibi the
natsumikan fruits were used to prepare vinegar without being consumed, during the first years nobody tasted the fruits. But when they did, they found them so good that they even offered the fruits as gifts for the domain's lord, Mori Takachika.
After the Meiji Restoration, when the samurai remained without their stipends, they started cultivating
natsumikan in their gardens, selling the fruits. Today,
natsumikan is the flower of the Yamaguchi Prefecture, and together with the
famous walls of Hagi is represented on the artistic manhole covers in Hagi.
Manhole Cover, Hagi, Yamaguchi EXIF info:
Nikon Df
Lens: 24-70mm F/2.8G
Focal Length: 28mm
Aperture: F/5/6
Shutter Speed: 1/800s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 200