Born in Minoh, Osaka.
A research-and-development farm growing the Earth’s memory.
Located in Minoh City, Osaka, MUGEN FARM is our experimental farm, where we pursue hydroponic research to archive the seeds of vegetables cherished in Japan since ancient times.
Our research subject:
“wasabi,” beloved in Japan since ancient times.
(01 Why wasabi?)
Wasabi (Eutrema japonicum) is a plant endemic to Japan. It is thought to have diverged from its closest continental relatives about five million years ago*1, with a history reaching back to the Asuka period. Its cultivation, too, began in this land—which made it, we felt, the most fitting “memory of the Earth” to face first under our concept of “inheriting seeds.”*3
(02 A flavor born of a delicate environment)
Wasabi is extremely sensitive to water quality and temperature, requiring the stable, cool water of clear streams—around 13°C. It therefore feels the effects of warming directly, and production is trending downward*2. The aroma of real wasabi, once taken for granted, is slowly slipping away from our tables.
(03 What MUGEN FARM is taking on)
Our goal is not merely to prove that cultivation is possible. It is to achieve quality on par with the true flavor of stream-grown wasabi—and to uncover new possibilities for wasabi that only hydroponics can unlock. We have now begun the research to pass it on to the next generation.
*2 MAFF, “Statistical Survey on the Production of Special Forest Products”
*3 Kyoko Yamane, ‘A Japanese History of Wasabi’