According to the current chairman of the Iioka Melon Subcommittee, the cultivated area of melons has been declining nationwide in recent years, and it seems that planting is gradually decreasing here in the Iioka area as well. Considering that it is an issue that the production area is required to stop this decrease and at the same time not deteriorate the quality of melon, it is more efficient in the district by the experience of melon cultivation that has been continued for many years and the search for a new generation of new cultivation method. It seems that they are sharing information with the club members aiming for good cultivation and high quality melon. In addition, although it is a time when prices are soaring these days, all the producers diligent application so that customers who have nominated and purchased Iioka melon can continue to be a melon that is good to buy and delicious. Producing better and better produce. “Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture”, Yoshimasa KISO（19th descendant of General Asahi Yoshinaka KISO）, a Sengoku warrior who ruled the area after the fall of the Muromachi Shogunate. 開基 : 殿玉山 西徳院 東漸寺, 1593（Shingon STYLE Chizan-ha）. 懸仏: A three-dimensional statue of Buddha（旭市指定文化財）, 木曽義昌公遺跡（旭市指定文化財）. It is said that he had good politics and was loved by the lords. Takamasa Nonokuchi（Okuni）-Kyoto poet: Time has passed and he visited in 1852 and wrote a poem. “信濃よりいづる旭をしたひ来て東のくにに跡とどめけむ”, I remembered Yoshimasa. Full of vigor and vitality (like the rising sun) (vigour); It also comes from the desire to develop with momentum in the future. Located in the northeastern part of the prefecture. It is located within 50 km from Chiba City and 80 km from the city center. The southern part faces the beautiful bow-shaped Kujukuri beach. ‘干潟八万石（Approximately 5,100 hectares of farmland changed from sea due to reclamation in 1670: 辻内 刑部左衞門-井戸野と仁玉間の排水路工事; 新川が完成, 椿海の排水開始）’, In the north（Boso Peninsula）, a farm belt and a gentle hill zone, Hokso tableland, spread out. The surrounding area develops as an urban area. And the annual average temperature is 15 ℃, which is a warm climate. In industry: Institutional horticulture, livestock, rice farming, open-air vegetables, etc.Including active agriculture, fisheries, commerce, industry, etc., grow in a well-balanced manner. July 1, 2005: 旭市 / 海上町 / 飯岡町（Located at the northernmost tip of Kujukuri Beach, the fishing port was once crowded with sardines. It is fresh in my memory that the town was hit by the tsunami; tidal wave in the Great East Japan Earthquake and 16 people were killed. The birthplace of Sukegoro Iioka, a villain known for his Tenpo Suikoden, has its tomb at Kodaiji Temple（Jodo-shin sect）. At the nearby Jokei Temple（Shingon-shu Chizan SCHOOL）, there is the Sasagawa no Shigezo burial mound for severed heads. Iioka Station; Opened on June 1, 1897 Affiliation JR East Chiba Branch JNR Toki Chiba Railway Administration Bureau. Iioka Town, Unakami District, which has the same name as the station name, was in the south of the station, but Iioka Town also became Asahi City due to the merger and disappeared. The area around this station is the center of the old sea town, and the town is formed. In September 1997, a new station building called Unakami Town Fureai-kan was put into use. This is a so-called joint-building station building that doubles as a station office and a meeting place in the town. The platform of the station is a two-sided, two-line relative type, and some limited express trains stop there. Station operations seem to be outsourced. When the station opens, it will be in Omei Village, Kaijo District. The village enforced the town system as Unakami Town on March 31, 1954 due to the merger of the three villages (a part of Mikawa Village and Toyooka Village).） / Higata Town（Area 130.45 km2）, Born by merger. Expected to develop in the future as a nucleated city in the Toso region. 旧石器時代: 約25,000年前-桜井遺跡, 縄文時代前期: 約6,000年前-九十九里海岸低地の形成, 縄文時代中期/後期: 約4,500年前-仲島遺跡, 坊之場遺跡, 古墳時代後期: 6〜7世紀頃-東総地域最大の前方後円墳-御前鬼塚古墳, 鏑木古墳群等, 大化元645年: 房総-安房 / 上総 / 下総, 下総国-香取 / 海匝 / 海上, 鎌倉時代前期: 13世紀-東庄 / 三崎庄（千葉氏一族）, 建長年間1250年頃: 然阿良忠（Ryochu Nena; 記主禅師）- 海匝 / 印旛地域（浄土宗）平安-鎌倉時代中期: 木造伝聖観音立像 / 木造阿弥陀如来（立像 / 絹本著色釈迦涅槃図）etc. 1826年: 宮負定雄-平田篤胤, “農業要集”, 1838年: 大原幽学-先祖株組合 ≒ 農業協同組合 – 長部村で結成, 1871年: 新治県, 1873年: 千葉県誕生, 1888年: 石橋太郎兵衛, 千本松喜助-揚繰網開発, 1889年: パリの万国博覧会-濤川惣助（七宝家）-名誉大賞受賞, 1879年: 総武鉄道-成東銚子間開通, 1912年: 穴澤松五郎 – “穴澤式改良甘藷苗床; 改良増収穴沢式甘藷栽培法: 西ケ原刊行会, 1935”, etc. 国指定 : 有形文化財（歴史資料）, 大原幽学関係資料一括, 長部, 旭市, 平成3年6月21日, 国指定 : 記念物（史跡）, 大原幽学遺跡旧宅墓および宅地耕地地割, 長部, 旭市, 昭和27年10月11日, 県指定 : 有形文化財（建造物）, 玉崎神社本殿1棟, 飯岡, 玉崎神社, 昭和48年3月2日, 県指定 : 有形文化財（建造物）, 旧林家住宅1棟, 長部, 旭市, 昭和54年3月2日, 県指定 : 有形文化財（建造物）, 玉崎神社拝殿1棟, 飯岡, 玉崎神社（The deity enshrines PRINCE Tamayori as the main deity and enshrines Yamato Takeru no Mikoto. It is enshrined in Iioka and is loved as a very old shrine that is said to have been created in the 12th year of Emperor Keiko. Designated as a tangible designated cultural property of Chiba Prefecture, such as the front shrine, main shrine, child stone (child jewel), and a pair of ceramic foxes. In addition, it owns many cultural properties with historical value. In addition, there are Atsutane HIRATA（Born in Akita City today, 神霊能真柱大人; 白川伯王家より）, who studied national studies in the Edo period and the way of singing, and has written many books, and the monument of Sukegoro Iioka, the protagonist of Tenpo Suikoden. It is indispensable for praying for easy delivery, childbirth, maritime safety, big catch, academic achievement, and victory.）, 平成17年3月29日, 県指定 : 有形文化財（絵画）, 絹本著色釈迦涅槃図1幅, 琴田, 海宝寺, 平成11年3月30日, 県指定 : 有形文化財（彫刻）, 木造伝聖観音立像1躯, 溝原, 東栄寺, 昭和41年5月20日, 県指定 : 有形文化財（彫刻）, 木造阿弥陀如来立像1躯, 蛇園, 還来寺, 平成12年2月25日, 県指定 : 有形文化財（工芸品）, 古瀬戸狛犬1対, 飯岡, 玉崎神社, 平成2年3月16日, 県指定 : 無形民俗文化財, 水神社永代大御神楽, 後草（水神社）, 昭和29年3月31日, 県指定 : 無形民俗文化財, 鎌数の神楽, 鎌数（鎌数伊勢大神宮）, 鎌数伊勢大神宮神楽保存会, 昭和40年4月27日, 県指定 : 無形民俗文化財, 倉橋の弥勒三番叟, 倉橋, 倉橋弥勒三番叟保存会, 昭和42年3月7日, 県指定 : 無形民俗文化財, 熊野神社の神楽, 清和乙（熊野神社）, 鎌数伊勢大神宮神楽保存会, 昭和55年2月22日, 県指定 : 無形民俗文化財, 太田のエンヤーホー（At Yasaka Shrine, the Ota Gion Festival is held on July 26th and 27th every year, and when the portable shrine that parades around the area returns to the shrine around 8 pm on the night of the main festival on the 27th, a silent drama is dedicated on the temporary stage in the precincts.）, ニ, 太田八坂神社氏子会, 平成20年3月18日, 県指定 : 記念物（史跡）, 御前鬼塚古墳, 鏑木, 正賢寺（単立）, 昭和50年3月28日, 県指定 : 記念物（天然記念物）, 龍福寺の森, 岩井, 仙滝山 龍福寺（真言宗智山派）/ 旭市, 昭和54年3月2日. In 1979, “13 Iioka producers” started cultivating Melons. The following year, the Iioka Town Agricultural Cooperative Horticultural Department Melon Branch was established by centralized shipping. After that, the planted area increased and expanded to the whole town, replacing the watermelons up to that point and becoming a key item. In 1984, we introduced a roller lane, and in 1985, we used a part-timer to improve the shipping system and grow into a melon producing area that represents Chiba. In 1988, we started strict inspections so that melons that match the quality and shape required by consumers can be averaged and shipped, and we worked to improve the quality of melons produced in Iioka. I heard that the cultivation of Takami, which is the current representative variety of IIOKA MELON, began in Heisei. The first production of Takami Melon was epoch-making. The climate of Iioka, which is cool in summer and warm in winter, is a factor that makes it suitable for cultivating melons whose temperature is difficult to control. Meteorological conditions with an average temperature of 17 degrees Celsius throughout the year. It was announced in 1990 at the Horticultural Plant Breeding Research Institute (Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture). It is a green net-based house melon cultivated by crossing “Ams Melon”, “Earl’s Melon”, “Rocky Ford Melon”, and varieties introduced from Taiwan. A melon that has a F1 hybrid of melons with high storability as parents, has a high fragrance and sugar content, and has a long shelf life and a long-lasting eating time. After that, we started to grow red meat “Takami Red Melon” and blue meat “Orpheus,” so we promoted the branding of these three varieties collectively as Iioka melon. Having accumulated experience as the first cultivation area for Takami Melon, we have tried to differentiate ourselves from other production areas with our own cultivation standards and strict inspections. Regarding shipping, from the fields that have passed the sugar content test, each field is harvested while looking at the face of the melon, and carefully selected and shipped. As the stable quality was gradually recognized, I decided to brand it. In 2016, the logo mark as Iioka Melon, the catchphrase as Iioka agricultural products, and “Ohisama Energy” were registered as trademarks and used as proof. In this area, which has long daylight hours and is blessed with fertile land, it is a major production area where various crops such as radish, lettuce, and strawberries are cultivated all year round in addition to melon. An area that is prestigious as a production center where professional groups of agriculture who cultivate farmland inherited from ancestors gather. Since 2011, the Iioka Melon Subcommittee has contributed to the local community by freezing puree low-grade melons that have the same taste but cannot be shipped due to defects in appearance such as shape and net tension. Promotion of primary producers’ diversification into processing and distribution (sixth sector industrialization); Sold as ingredients for processing such as sweets and ice cream. It takes about half a year to grow each ball carefully in the land of Iioka where the sun shines brightly. The refreshing sweetness and freshness are soothing and full of happiness, and we are proud of the deliciousness that you can give and receive from the bottom of your heart. The logo mark featuring the symbol, the sun and the Iioka Lighthouse is a registered trademark (Registration No. 5837951) that proves that it is an Iioka melon that has passed strict inspections. As the catchphrase “Ohisama Energy (Registration No. 5682995)”, “Red”, the fertile earth “tea”, and the prefecture’s representative melon producing area, it will be a face for people to know the deliciousness of the whole country.
The logo mark featuring the Iioka symbol, the sun and the Iioka Lighthouse, is a registered trademark (Registration No. 5837751) that proves that it is an Iioka melon that has passed strict inspections. “Red”, which represents the catchphrase “Ohisama Energy (Registration No. 5682995)” of Iioka Melon, “Tea” of the fertile earth, and the character indicating the registered trademark are placed at the position of Iioka on the line that imaged Kujukuri. Takami Green Meat Melon is a net-based Green Meat Greenhouse Melon developed at the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Japan Horticultural Production Research Institute in 1990. It features a refreshing and noble sweetness. It is a juicy variety with solid flesh, and is widely known as “TAKAMI” because of its taste around Iioka, which was also the first cultivation area.
IIOKA melon seems to be harvested after the sugar content has risen sufficiently and the fruit is in a fully ripe state just before it naturally separates from the branches, but due to its characteristics, it seems to be hard enough to be eaten after about 5 days after harvesting. It gradually becomes softer and can be eaten deliciously for almost two weeks, giving the impression that it has a long eating period.
Delivered to you from the easternmost point of Kujukuri. It takes about half a year in Iioka, where the sun shines brightly, and a skilled farmer who inherits the fertile land from generation to generation carefully raises each ball and is full of deliciousness. It is widely loved by us as a delicious melon that is soothing and full of happiness with its refreshing sweetness and freshness.
