The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, compiled in the 700s, were the first books in Japan to describe citrus fruits. The Nihon Shoki states that a man named Tajimamori brought back citrus fruits from the Tokoyo no kuni (常世の国, Land of immortality) on the orders of Emperor Suinin, which is thought to refer to the tachibana orange that grows wild in Japan. The Man'yōshū, a collection of poems from the same period, contains many poems about tachibana orange, and because of its strong acidity at the time, it was dried and used for medicinal and ornamental purposes rather than for food. The Kokin Wakashū, compiled in the 900s, mentions that tachibana orange was burned and used as incense to give a nice fragrance to kimonos. In Japan, tachibana orange is a symbol of eternity and is the motif for the Order of Culture.[1][2]
- ^ 日本の柑橘史 その1 (in Japanese). Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, Nishiuwa. 6 June 2019. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ 日本の柑橘史 その2 (in Japanese). Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, Nishiuwa. 16 June 2019. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2023.