Industry (Foodstuff)

Together with oysters are Hiroshima's mixed pickles (Nazuke) a representative special product of Hiroshima.
The vivid color and crispness bring about an undescribable taste.
Raw material of Hiroshima Nazuke are said to have been introduced in the year Keichou 2 (1597). During the Edo period when the feudal lords spent their alternate-year-residence in Edo their accompanying poets of the Kannon village in Aki (present day Hiroshima city, Nishi-ku, Kannon) visited the Kyoto-Hongan temple on their way back and there obtained seeds they later started to cultivate after their return.
Because these were brought from Kyoto, elderly still call them "Kyosai", which means about 'vegetables from Kyoto'. The modern habit of eating these vegetables as low salt pickles began after the war. In the old days they were soaked in salt until they discolored before they were eaten.
The spread of the Hiroshima Nazuke fame is largely due to "oyster" ships, because these pickles are ingredients that blend well with the oyster-rice dishes.
After the war they have been cherished as presents and their cultivation spread even beyond the Hiroshima city limits, so that they are now an important native product. Various forms of these pickles have long been cherished.