FARMER

Hachijojima's representative ornamental plant, Phoenix roebelenii, commonly known as "Robe," is a palm plant native to the warm tropics (Laos). It is a very popular houseplant. Although it is a tropical tree, it is resistant to both heat and cold, and can be easily grown in urban areas.

Hachijojima is famous as a major producer of Phoenix roebelenii (it is said to account for 90% of the domestic market share), and there several Phoenix roebelenii planting farms on the island. Azumaen is one of them.

History of Azumaen and Robe (Phoenix roebelenii)

Azumaen was founded about 60 to 70 years ago as a houseplant farm, and now it is run by Tomonori Muraguchi, who continues his late father`s will.

It was about 10 years ago that Tomonori, who had been working as a company employee in Tokyo, returned to the island and took over the farm. He heard that a classmate from Hachijojima was returning to the island to work as a farmer, and he decided that around age 40 would be his last chance to change his occupation.

The cultivation of Robe (Phoenix roebelenii) started on Hachijojima about 100 years ago.
It was first introduced to Japan in 1903 when a company called "Yokohama Ueki" brought the Robe (Phoenix roebelenii) from Bangkok, Thailand. It was popular in Europe and the United States as an indoor ornamental plant. Later, due to the warm climate and soil, the plant took root on Hachijojima and became a major industry on the island, where it has remained to this day. There are two types of Phoenix roebelenii products: only the stems, or the entire tree and the pot itself.

At its peak, production of stems alone was worth over 1.5 billion yen, but this figure has now shrunk to about around half that amount. Many of the producers are aging and decreasing in number, and changes in and sluggish domestic demand are also said to be the cause.

Growing and shipping of Robe (Phoenix roebelenii)

When we visited the Azumaen, we learned that it is necessary to grow the plant from seeds, which are harvested once a year. It takes about two years for a small leaf to emerge from the seed. Then the seedlings are finally ready to be planted in the open field.

It takes more than a decade from the time it is planted in the open field to the time it can be shipped as a potted plant. In the meantime, the stems can be cut and shipped. In this way, the plants grow large with a lot of care and attention.

For a long time, farmers on Hachijojima mainly shipped the stems of the plant, and when the plant reached a certain size, they would become too big to ship the leaves, and they would sometimes be left to grow wild. When you drive around Hachijojima island, you can see many Robe fields and mountains, but you could say that this is a legacy of those times. When the Robe plants grow up, they become very large and heavy. It takes a lot of effort to dispose them. When you think about it like that, it's probably inevitable that older farmers can't handle them anymore.

When the pot Robe is large enough to be shipped, it is moved to a net house designed to allow wind to flow through it. The pots are buried in the field inside the house. This is because, in addition to the fact that Hachijojima is hit by very strong typhoons every year, it is always very windy on the island. As the net house allows air to flow through, if you are not careful, the pots can be overturned. This is a secret method to prevent this and to keep the Robe (Phoenix roebelenii) themselves looking beautiful.

At first I had a very strange feeling when I saw the pots buried in the soil, but this explanation made perfect sense. Furthermore, it was surprising to hear that they replant the trees in pots and wait for 1-2 years until the roots of the Robe have taken hold in the pots. What a long journey it is until they are ready to be shipped. In the first place, Robe only grows a few centimeters in a year.

Mr. Muraguchi says that he had no interest in plants at all in the past, but that he has come to love them at once since starting this job. He always feels the vitality of plants. He says that it is interesting that plants that have grown in harsh places are still alive today, it is something in common with people.

New Challenges, Schefflera

Recently, he has also become fascinated by schefflera, which he often sees planted in gardens in Hachijojima as a measure against strong winds. Schefflera has a characteristic of stretching its branches towards the sun, and sometimes takes on a unique and exotic shape. Finding such a tree and deciding where to make the cut is where Mr. Muraguchi's skill really comes into its own. Listening to him, I coudn't help but think that there is something about this that is also connected to art.

The intimidation the work that needs to be done each season becomes smoother as you gain experience over the years, and you become more creative. To prevent damage to the plants from salt carried by typhoons and sea breezes, each plant is carefully washed with water.
With plenty of sunshine and wind, and a huge amount of time and effort, the Robe and Schefflera successfully grow on Hachijojima.

The unique houseplants that take a huge amount of time to grow may be the ultimate art created by nature and people. It's fun to look at each pot while thinking about things like that, and it makes the world seem bigger.