Hokumei ほくめい
Hokumei is a late-growing cultivar developed in Saitama Prefecture from a cross between Sayamamidori and Sai5507. Specifically bred for cold regions, it offers an exceptional cold resistance, strong disease resistance, and higher yields than Yabukita during the spring harvest. Named to represent hope for widespread cultivation at the northern limits of Japanese tea production, Hokumei is highly regarded for its aromatic characteristics. Making it suitable not only for sencha but also for withered tea, semi-oxidised tea, and black tea production in mountainous and cooler regions.
Lineage
History
Hokumei is a late-growing cultivar breed in Saitama, a prefecture that has bred successfully many resistant cultivars in terms of cold and pests. Hokumei is not a rare cultivar, more of an uncommon one; you can find it here and there. It was registered in 1992 as a crossing of Sayamamidori and Sai5507 with registration as cultivar No. 43[3].
Sayamamidori is a strain selected from a landrace, Zairai in Kyoto Prefecture, sometime in the late 1920s. It is a mid-late growing cultivar with a nice aroma and strong cold resistance. Sai5507 is a strain selected out of Yabukita seeds. Sai5507 is regarded for its strong cold tolerance and high yield. The development of Hokumei spans a period of more than 28 years from its initial crossing in 1965 to its registration in the MAFF[4] registry. Registered in 1992 and in the Seed and Seedlings Registry in 1995.
The original release paper cites that this crossing was performed on 400 flowers, from where finally 470 seeds were collected. It is one of those seeds that would later become Hokumei, starting with individual selection trials from 1967 to 1973. From 1972 and for a period of three years, it also underwent cold hardiness trials, and the initial harvest and quality trials were also done starting the same year for a period of two years. After this test and another round of selection, it was named under the strain name 65F1-95, showing promising characteristics, it underwent the next phase of testing. The results reported strong cold resistance, a late growing habit, and high quality; at this point, it was renamed as Saitama No. 31[5]. In 1984, they started parallel tests for regional adaptability in five different prefectures the same year, and another eight from 1985.
With favourable results on the above trials and others, the Saitama No. 31 strain was judged to be a good cultivar and was recommended for naming and registration. It was registered in 1992, with its publication in 1993 in the original MAFF registry, then again in 1994c in the seed and seedlings, published in 1995.[6]
Characteristics
Hokumei is a late-growing cultivar at around seven days for flushing and six for harvesting compared to Yabukita. This late tendency trends towards the mid-late in warmer southern regions. With the study showing three days for flushing and two days for harvesting in those regions. Its yields are comparable to those of Sayamakaori, another Saitama cultivar with similar cold resistance traits on the release paper, with good processing quality and a strong aromatic characteristic.
The Hokumei bush has an upright growth habit, with a good survival rate for the cuttings at a reported 71.3%, similar to Yabukita and interestingly Sayamakaori in the same study. During the first years, the growth is faster than Yabukita, both in terms of canopy formation and height. Its canopy growth and thickness slow down when mature, falling behind Sayamakaori in the report, which boasts a thick canopy with vigorous growth.
Its leaves are larger than Sayamakaori at a similar size to Yabukita. The growth of the shoots is good, with the 100 bud weight trending towards the heavier side at an average of 60.9g per 100 buds, more than the average weight of Okumidori, and slightly heavier than Sayamakaori. New leaves have a good growth habit with slightly oblong, glossy, medium-thickness new leaves. In contrast, mature leaves are more elliptical, larger, and with fewer surface wrinkles. In yield performance, it is reported a higher yield at 63% higher than Yabukita. Only slightly less yield compared to Sayamakaori at 73% averaged from growing data from 1987 to 1990 in Ibaraki, Mie, Kyoto, Kochi, and Kumamoto. The yield in summer harvest drops to an average of 59% higher than Yabukita and again, behind Sayamakaori.
As mentioned throughout the article Hokumei have an excellent resistance to cold weather comparable to Sayamakaori, which also is a strong resistant cultivar although with a similar harvesting date like Yabukita. Hokumei is resistant to red blight and quite resistant to blue blight, again with similar results to Sayamakaori. Anthracnose resistance is strong, even higher than Sayamakaori which has a somewhat strong resistance to it.
Its organoleptic characteristics are reported to be higher than Sayamakaori. In particular, it is highly regarded for its aroma, which can showcase some spice notes as well as yam or edamame. It also scored higher than Yabukita during the trials in the appearance of the processed leaves and liquor. Its highly aromatic characteristics make it a suitable cultivar for withered tea production and semi-oxidised tea production, giving a more floral aromatic profile. Black tea made with Hokumei exhibits good sweetness.
Hokumei is a cultivar suitable for cultivation in cooler regions of Kanto and Higashiyama; in particular, mountainous sites can benefit from its resistance to cold climate and pests. Its name showcases the hope that it will become a widespread cultivar around the northernmost limit of tea cultivation, somewhere between the imaginary line of Ibaraki, Saitama, and Niigata prefectures, thanks to its highly resilient traits.
References
“AgriKnowledgeシステム.” Affrc.go.jp, 2025, agriknowledge.affrc.go.jp/RN/4010001274. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
“AgriKnowledgeシステム.” Affrc.go.jp, 2025, agriknowledge.affrc.go.jp/RN/2010640934. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
“品種登録迅速化総合電子化システム.” Maff.go.jp, 2025, www.hinshu2.maff.go.jp/vips/cmm/apCMM112.aspx? TOUROKU_NO=4775&LANGUAGE=Japanese. Accessed 22 Apr. 2023.