Reviving the Popularity of Local Chili Peppers: Ohtawara’s Famous Tochigi Santaka

Yoshioka Shokuhin Kogyo is a local chili pepper producer who started farming in Ohtawara in the 1950s. The company founder, Genshiro Yoshioka, originally produced and sold chili peppers in Tokyo as an ingredient for curry and sauces. Later, he moved his business to Ohtawara, aiming to increase production and enhance quality.

Wishing to create even better chili peppers, Mr. Yoshioka started experimenting with breeding. That’s how the “Tochigi Kairyo Santaka” peppers, or “Tochigi Santaka” for short, came to be created by separating from a variety known as Yatsufusa peppers. Tochigi Santaka peppers are characterized by a deep red color, even shape, a good level of spiciness, and a rich aroma. In addition to its outstanding flavor and appearance, the crop is plentiful and can be stored for a long time, which makes it a variety that is fairly easy for farmers to grow.

The birth of the Tochigi Santaka variety spurred a dramatic growth of the chili pepper farming industry in Ohtawara. It became so impressive that the city became the number one producer of chili peppers in Japan in 1963. At that time, most of the crop was exported overseas. Currently, the majority of chili peppers consumed in Japan come from China. However, it is believed that the variety originated from Ohtawara’s Tochigi Santaka, which was exported to China.

The booming chili pepper industry in Ohtawara came to a halt due to social changes and the strong yen. It finally came back into the spotlight in 2003. According to Mr. Ryo Ohshima of the Ohtawara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, “Ohtawara is not one of the most popular cities among tourists coming to Tochigi Prefecture. Our search for something that could attract more people ultimately led us to chili peppers, which were closely connected to our city’s history.”

To make the city known as the “mecca for chili peppers,” the Council for the Promotion of Ohtawara Chili Pepper Village Development was established in 2006 under the lead of the Ohtawara Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the city’s Tourism Association. Yoshioka Shokuhin Kogyo, which developed Tochigi Santaka and preserved some of the seeds, joined the initiative. The Council began by undertaking activities to promote the farming of chili peppers in Ohtawara. They set up booths at local events, held information sessions for up-and-coming farmers, and offered hands-on workshops on making shichimi (“seven spices” in Japanese). On top of that, the Domestic Production Team of Yoshioka Shokuhin Kogyo is responsible for providing farmers with guidance on farming Tochigi Santaka.

As for the initiatives aimed at consumers, Ohtawara offers a variety of local cuisine using Tochigi Santaka. Within the city, the restaurants and shops serve Santaka fried chicken, ramen, gyoza, croquettes, gelato, and many other dishes featuring chili peppers.

On a side note, Tochigi Santaka is known to be spicy but flavorful, so even people who can’t handle exceptionally spicy food can enjoy it without worries. Also, the seasoning made of ground dried chiles known as Tetsugama Shichimi and Testugama Ichimi, produced by Yoshioka Shokuhin Kogyo, are popular souvenir choices. They roast Tochigi Santaka in a big iron pot (or “tetsugama” in Japanese). The aroma of chili peppers that fills the air during that process is said to be surprisingly rich. This company has plans to release other souvenir items featuring shichimi and ichimi, including potato chips.

Another important initiative of the Council is dietary education activities, which are carried out as part of its Instructor Program. That involves planting seedlings of Tochigi Santaka in local elementary and middle schools and then teaching kids how to make homemade shichimi and chili oil using the chili peppers that they have grown themselves.
“Dietary education is a crucial business that helps us raise potential future consumers and farmers. Eating something that you have grown and prepared yourself is a memorable experience, and we really want kids to learn more about the local industry.”

The regional revitalization centered around chili peppers gained the approval of the prefecture. In 2023, the Council was awarded the Grand Prize in the “Farming Community Revitalization” category of the Tochigi Prefecture Agriculture Award. “I hope that one day, Tochigi Santaka will become the next famous specialty of our prefecture, following strawberries and gyoza,” Mr. Ohshima adds with conviction.

Ms. Michiko Kinoshita is a farmer who joined the project when the Council for the Promotion of Ohtawara Chili Pepper Village Development was first established. She was kind enough to show us her farm. We visited her in late October when you typically see red fields of chili peppers. However, this year’s crop hasn’t been too great due to damage caused by a nationwide outbreak of stink bugs. Luckily, the second buds developed into chili peppers that are starting to turn red, although later than usual.

Chili peppers grow large in the summer heat. They are dried and shipped after harvest, so the climate in Ohtawara, with high summer temperatures and dry fall season, is suitable for growing chili peppers. The plants with peppers are harvested through October and November and left to dry for about two months. After that time, chili peppers are hand-picked one by one from the dried plant. Ms. Kinoshita says that the sight of everyone at home hand-picking chili peppers from dried bunches is nostalgic to anyone who remembers the past.

“Hand-picking chili peppers was a popular winter side job for many women in their 80s living around here. Kids would help out with sorting the peppers by color. Now that chili pepper farming has made a comeback, that familiar sight can be seen again.”

Once chili peppers are dried out, they are sorted by shape, color, and condition into Grade 1, Grade 2, or “Reject.” Chili peppers with a deep red hue, tinged with black, are a signature of Tochigi Santaka. Yoshioka Shokuhin Kogyo buys almost all of the harvested chili peppers, which is a great deal for farmers.

Visiting farmers as part of the Domestic Production Team of Yoshioka Shokuhin Kogyo, Mr. Soichiro Tashiro says, “Our job depends on the farmers growing Tochigi Santaka. We purchase the entire harvest whenever we can. At the same time, we provide guidance on farming and work on enhancing the value of our brand.”

Building a brand of chili peppers that farmers can be proud of is another important mission of the Council.

An increasing number of people are turning to safe and reliable domestic ingredients. In recent years, Tochigi Santaka has been attracting attention from other prefectures as a good-quality domestic chili pepper. To meet this growing demand, Yoshioka Shokuhin Kogyo has been working on developing technologies with the aim of improving production efficiency.

“We’re working together with a university on developing a variety that’s easier to harvest. We’re also looking to automate the color sorting that’s currently done by visual inspection. The idea is to reduce the workload to raise the number of farmers and increase the yield,” says Mr. Tashiro.

Mr. Ohshima from the Council for the Promotion of Ohtawara Chili Pepper Village Development has also devised a dream-like plan to create a theme park in Ohtawara to promote Tochigi Santaka.

“The plan is still in the very early stages, but we would like to build a facility offering hands-on harvest experience and dishes using chili peppers. The red fields of chili peppers in the harvest season are genuinely breathtaking, and we receive many inquiries about pictures. We would like people from all around the country to come and visit Ohtawara.”

Tochigi Santaka is a local specialty that was revived thanks to the combined efforts of the city and the farmers. We will undoubtedly hear more about these spicy little chili peppers in the future.