Why Did Shodoshima Become the Island of Olives? The story of an olive-growing project that began on Shodoshima 118 years - Michi-no-Eki Shodoshima Olive Park (小豆岛町) - Michi-no-Eki Shodoshima Olive Park - 446条旅客点评与比价

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Why Did Shodoshima Become the Island of Olives? The story of an olive-growing project that began on Shodoshima 118 years

Michi-no-Eki Shodoshima Olive Park的点评

2026年10月14日发布于: 海外

点评：Shodoshima is known throughout
Japan as the “Island of Olives.”
Today, olives are deeply rooted in everyday
life on the island̶not only as the basis of
local industries producing food, cosmetics,
and other products, but also as part of the
landscape itself. Olive groves overlooking
the Seto Inland Sea have become one of
Shodoshima’s defining sights.
In 2023, Shozu District̶comprising
Shodoshima Town and Tonosho Town̶
harvested approximately 418 tons of olives,
making the island one of Japan’s leading
olive-producing regions.
Yet the olive is not native to Japan.
Who brought it to this island, and for what
purpose?
And why, among all the places where olive
cultivation was attempted in Japan, did
Shodoshima alone come to be known as the
“Island of Olives”?
In this feature, we turn back the clock to
trace the story to its very beginning.

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The year was 1877, in Tokyo.

Seeking to introduce Western crops
and agricultural techniques, the Meiji
government established the Tokyo Mita
Experimental Farm, where imported fruits
and vegetables were tested for cultivation
across Japan.
Among them was the olive.
To test the crop in a warmer climate,
the government opened an experimental
garden near present-day Yamamoto-dori
in Kobe and planted 550 olive seedlings,
reportedly brought from Paris by Masana
Maeda, a senior Meiji government official.
By 1882, olive oil was being pressed and
preserved olives produced. In 1884, the
site became the Kobe Olive Garden, where
horticulturalist Hayato Fukuba and others
helped expand cultivation to more than
1,000 trees.
But the project did not take root. Budget
cuts, changes in management, poor
maintenance, and land sales eventually led
to the orchard’s decline. By 1908, olive
cultivation in Kobe had been abandoned.
Meanwhile, after the Russo-Japanese War,
Japan faced an urgent need to secure stable
food supplies. Olive oil was considered
useful for preserving large quantities of
seafood in cans, prompting the government
to seek domestic production.
On July 1, 1907, the Ministry of Agriculture
and Commerce commissioned Mie, Kagawa,
and Kagoshima prefectures to conduct new
cultivation trials.
The required conditions were clear: warm
climate, south-facing slopes, good sunlight,
direct sea breezes, gravelly soil, proximity
to the coast, and sufficient land.
Japan’s olive-growing experiment had
nearly come to an end.
Instead, the thread continued̶and soon
reached Shodoshima.

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“So, Where Should We Plant Them?”

That became the next question for the
Kagawa Agricultural Experiment
Station. Leading the search was Umetaro
Fuke, then director of the Takamatsu
Experiment Station. After surveying sites
across the prefecture, he crossed over to
Shodoshima. For three days and nights, he
is said to have walked the island’s slopes̶
digging into the soil, checking sunlight, and
studying drainage.
Eventually, he stopped at a hillside in
Nishimura, near today’s Shodoshima Olive
Park.
Just ten months after the government
commissioned the cultivation trials, the site
had been chosen.
It is tempting to imagine olives suddenly
arriving on a poor rural island. But
Shodoshima in 1908 was already
economically active. Its population was
around 40,000̶roughly twice today’s
figure̶and salt, somen noodles, and soy
sauce were major industries.
With little flat farmland, the island had
developed a culture of adding value through
processing: wheat into somen, sesame into
sesame oil, and soybeans, wheat, and salt
into soy sauce. Quality control, technical
development, and larger-scale production
were already taking shape. Shodoshima
was in the midst of a transition toward
modern industry.
So was the island chosen simply because
its climate and terrain matched the
government’s requirements?
Probably not.
Fuke was not only an agricultural
administrator, but also active in the
Anthropological Society of Tokyo during
the formative years of anthropology in
Japan. His surveys would have exposed
him not only to the island’s soil and
climate, but also to its people, industries,
and everyday life.
Shodoshima had long survived by accepting
ideas from outside, adapting them, and
making them its own. It is reasonable to
think that Fuke recognized this spirit as
another reason the island offered a strong
chance of success.
He chose Shodoshima.More than a century
later, the olive-covered landscape before us
shows just how consequential that decision
became.
Fuke himself never lived to see the olives
bear fruit. He died on March 10, 1909, at
the age of 49.

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118 Years in the Making:
The Island of Olives.

April 22, 1908. The number was 519.
That day, 519 olive trees were planted
on a trial site in Nishimura, Shodoshima,
covering about 1.2 hectares̶roughly two
soccer fields. This was the beginning of the
island’s olive story.
The project could not have started without
local support. A monument near today’s
Shodoshima Olive Park records that the
trial succeeded “with the cooperation of
Kunijiro Mizuno and other local residents.”
Mizuno, then in his mid-thirties, was a
local leader who had returned to the island
after studying engineering and working
away from Shodoshima. He later became
president of Shimizu Shoyu and head of the
local soy sauce manufacturers’ association.
When Umetaro Fuke brought him the stilluntested
idea of olive cultivation, Mizuno
provided land and helped bring local people
into the project. In modern terms, he was
something like its producer.
The seedlings likely crossed the Seto Inland
Sea by steamship before being carried
overland to the trial field.
The person who took charge of the actual
cultivation was Takematsu Muneyasu,
Mizuno’s cousin and a local farmer.
For him, this was a true startup. Olives
were still an unfamiliar crop in Japan.
Cultivation techniques were not established,
there were few successful examples, and no
one knew whether the project would work.
Yet the experiment began̶with 519 trees
as its prototypes.
Muneyasu cared for the trees by hand,
carrying water, removing pests, and
observing each tree closely. From 1908 until
his death in 1926, he continued working at
the experimental orchard for 18 years.
Government and prefectural officials were
not stationed on the island, so much of the
day-to-day judgment was left to the people
on site.
Then, in 1910, the trees flowered and bore
fruit.
Muneyasu is said to have wept with joy.
The trials in Mie and Kagoshima failed.
Shodoshima alone succeeded.
The project had been launched by
government, but its success depended on
local initiative. Mizuno provided leadership
and connections. Muneyasu supplied the
daily labor, judgment, and persistence.
Seen today, the Shodoshima olive project
was less a government plantation than
a local startup supported by public
institutions.
The experiment had finally taken root.

Following the success of the
experimental planting, Kagawa
Prefecture distributed 1,220 olive seedlings
in 1917, opening the way for private
cultivation.
The earlier Kobe Olive Garden had
declined after being transferred to private
management. Would Shodoshima be
different?
The answer lay in continuity.
Zenichiro Muneyasu, Takematsu’s sonin-
law, worked alongside him while also
managing the new Shimamura Olive
Garden. The knowledge gained through the
prefectural experiment was passed directly
into private enterprise.
In 1919, Suzumushi Koyu Shoten, today’s
Shimamura Co., Ltd., opened the garden
beside the experimental field. What had
begun as a trial was becoming a local
industry.
The site survives today as the Olive
Garden, next to Michi-no-eki Shodoshima
Olive Park, and one of the original trees
planted there still remains.
The olives took root̶and spread.
Today, olive cultivation extends across
Shodoshima over an area equivalent to
more than 200 soccer fields.
The people who worked here more than a
century ago could hardly have imagined
that their island would one day be known
as the “Island of Olives.” Yet it was their
work that created the landscape we see
today.
The original experimental site is now
Michi-no-eki Shodoshima Olive Park. Beside
it stands the island’s first private olive
garden.
This is where it all began in 1908, on land
roughly the size of just two soccer fields.
And the story came full circle in 2013.
Exactly 105 years after the first 519 trees
were planted, Shodoshima sent a single
olive tree back to Kobe̶the “Kobe‒
Shodoshima Friendship Olive Tree.”
Today, it stands in Kobe’s Kitano district,
in front of the historic Weathercock House.
More than a century later, one tree carried
the story back to where it began.

翻译：小豆岛在日本全国以“橄榄之岛”而闻名。如今，橄榄已深深扎根于岛上的日常生活——它不仅是当地食品、化妆品及其他产品产业的基础，也成为了岛上景观的一部分。俯瞰着濑户内海的橄榄园，已然成为小豆岛的标志性景观之一。2023年，由小豆岛町和土庄町组成的庄内地区共收获了约418吨橄榄。这使得该岛成为日本主要的橄榄产地之一。
然而，橄榄并非原产于日本。
是谁将它带到这座岛上？目的又是什么呢？
为何在日本众多尝试种植橄榄的地区中，唯有小豆岛被誉为“橄榄之岛”呢？
在本篇中，我们将溯回时光，探寻这段历史的起源。

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时间回到1877年，东京。

当时的人们正试图引入西方的农作物与农业技术。明治政府设立了东京三田实验农场，用于试种从国外引进的各种水果和蔬菜。橄榄便是其中之一。为了在气候更温暖的地区测试橄榄的种植效果，政府在如今神户的山本通附近开辟了一处实验园，并栽种了550株橄榄苗。据说这些幼苗是由明治政府高级官员前田正名从巴黎带回来的。到了1882年，这里已经开始榨取橄榄油并加工腌制橄榄。1884年，该地后来成为了“神户橄榄园”，园艺家福久原隼人等人协助将橄榄树种植规模扩大到了1000多棵。
然而，这一项目并未成功延续下去。预算削减、管理层变动、养护不善以及土地出售等因素最终导致果园逐渐衰败。到了1908年，神户的橄榄种植便已彻底废弃。
与此同时，日俄战争之后，日本亟需确保稳定的粮食供应。橄榄油被认为有助于大量海鲜的罐装保存，这一特性促使政府着手推动其本土生产。1907年7月1日，农林水产省委托三重县、香川县和鹿儿岛县开展新的橄榄种植试验。所需条件十分明确：温暖的气候、朝南的坡地、充足的阳光、直接吹拂的海风、多砾石的土壤、靠近海岸的位置以及足够的土地资源。日本的橄榄种植试验几乎要宣告结束了。
然而，这一尝试却得以延续——很快便扩展到了小豆岛。

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“那么，我们该把橄榄树种在哪里呢？”

这便成了香川县农业试验站面临的下一个问题。
当时，高松试验站站长梅太郎·福家负责主导这项选址工作。他在全县范围内考察了多个地点后，最终来到了小豆岛。一连三天三夜……据说他曾走遍全岛的山坡——挖掘土壤、观察日照情况并研究排水状况。最终，他在西村地区的一处山坡上停下了脚步，那里正是如今的小豆岛橄榄公园所在地。就在政府下令开展种植试验仅十个月后，种植地点便被选定了。人们很容易想象橄榄树突然出现在一个贫穷的偏远岛屿上。但实际上，1908年的小豆岛早已有着活跃的经济活动。当时岛上的人口约为40,000——这一数值大约是当前水平的两倍——当时，盐、素面以及酱油都是当地的主要产业。由于平坦的耕地稀少，这座岛屿逐渐形成了通过加工来提升产品价值的文化：将小麦制成素面，芝麻提炼成芝麻油，而大豆、小麦和盐则被用来酿造酱油。质量控制、技术进步以及规模化生产也早已初见雏形。此时的小豆岛正处在向现代工业转型的过程中。这座岛屿被选中，仅仅是因为其气候与地形符合政府的要求吗？
大概并非如此。
福井不仅是一名农业行政人员，在日本人类学发展的初期，他还在东京人类学协会中十分活跃。他的调查不仅让他了解了该岛的土壤与气候，也让他接触到了当地的居民、产业以及日常生活。
小豆岛长久以来一直依靠吸收外来思想并加以改造而得以发展。并将其据为己有。可以合理地认为，藤惠正是认识到了这种精神，才觉得该岛极有可能取得成功。
他选择了小豆岛。一个多世纪后，眼前这片橄榄树遍布的景象，充分显示了这一决定的重要性。
藤惠本人没能亲眼看到橄榄树结果。他于1909年3月10日去世，享年49岁。

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历经118年才成就：
橄榄之岛。

1908年4月22日。数量为519棵。那天，在小豆岛西村的一个试验田里，人们种下了519棵橄榄树，种植面积约为1.2公顷——大致相当于两个足球场的大小。这便是这座岛屿橄榄种植历史的开端。
没有当地居民的支持，这个项目根本无法启动。如今位于小豆岛橄榄公园附近的一座纪念碑上记载着：这项试验“在水野邦次郎及其他当地居民的协助下”取得了成功。当时，水野邦次郎三十多岁。他是一位当地领袖，曾在外地学习工程学并工作过，之后返回了岛上。后来他担任了清水酱油公司的社长以及当地酱油制造商协会的会长。当福井梅太郎向他提出尚未经过验证的种植橄榄的想法时，水野提供了土地，并协助动员当地民众参与到这个项目中。用现代的说法，他可以说是该项目的发起人/制作人。这些幼苗很可能是先通过轮船穿越濑户内海，然后再经陆路被运送到试验田中。负责实际种植工作的人是竹松宗康——水野的表弟，也是当地的一位农民。对他而言，这堪称一次真正的创业尝试。当时，橄榄在日本仍是一种鲜为人知的作物：种植技术尚未成熟，成功的案例也寥寥无几，没人能确定这个项目能否成功。然而，试验还是开始了——以519棵橄榄树作为试验样本。宗永亲手照料这些树木：担水浇灌、除虫，还仔细观察每一棵树。从1908年起，直到1926年去世，他在这片试验果园中辛勤工作了18年。由于岛上没有政府或县府的官员驻守，许多日常决策便由现场的工作人员自行决定。1910年，这些树木终于开花结果。据说宗永喜极而泣。三重县和鹿儿岛的试验均告失败，唯有小豆岛取得了成功。该项目虽由政府发起，但其成功与否取决于当地人的积极性。水野发挥了领导作用并协助建立了各种联系；宗康则承担了日常的劳作，并凭借敏锐的判断力与坚韧的毅力推动了项目进展。如今回顾，小豆岛的橄榄种植项目与其说是政府的种植计划，不如说是由公共机构支持下的地方创业项目。这项尝试最终生根发芽了。

在试验性种植取得成功后，香川县于1917年又发放了1,220株橄榄苗。为私人栽培铺平了道路。
早先的神户橄榄园在转由私人经营后便走向衰落。小豆岛的情况会有所不同吗？
答案就在于延续性。
武松的女婿宗一郎宗安与武松并肩工作，同时也负责管理新成立的岛村橄榄园。通过县里实验所获得的经验知识便直接被运用于私营企业之中。
1919年，铃虫小油商店诞生，即如今的岛村株式会社。他开辟了试验田旁的花园。起初只是一项试验，后来却逐渐发展成为当地的产业。
如今，这片地方仍以“橄榄园”之名存在，就在“小豆岛橄榄公园”旁的“道之驿”附近；当年栽种的树木中，仍有一棵存活至今。
橄榄树生根发芽，并逐渐蔓延开来。如今，小豆岛上种植橄榄的面积已相当于200多个足球场大小。一个多世纪前在此工作的人们，恐怕怎么也想不到他们的岛屿日后会被誉为“橄榄之岛”。然而，正是他们的辛勤劳动塑造了如今我们所看到的这片地貌。
最初的试验基地如今已成为“小豆岛橄榄公园”及路边休息站。在其旁侧，则是岛上第一片私人橄榄园。
一切始于1908年，那片土地的面积仅相当于两个足球场大小。而这段历程在2013年画上了圆满的句号。在首批519棵树被种下整整105年后，小豆岛将一棵橄榄树送回神户——这便是“神户-小豆岛友谊橄榄树”。如今，它矗立在神户的北野地区，就在历史悠久的风向标屋前。一个多世纪后，这棵树将这段故事重新带回了它的起点。

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