It came as a big surprise to me to witness such a rich choice of different radishes and thriving production areas in the various sources. And in order to give you an idea about the information I’ve found in these books, I think the best thing is to jump straight into one of these texts:
"“The big radishes from Miyashige in Owari province are about 90 cm long. They reach a perimeter of about 45 cm and their weight can amount to 35 kg. Kikuchi in Higo province, Yoshino in Aki province, Tsu in Ise province, Kagoshima in Satsuma province, and Takeo in Hizen province, they all produce long and large radishes. The products of Musashi Edo province and the Kurahashi radish in Settsu province are delicious. The radishes in these provinces are [sold] in bundles of three or five or ten. Only the products of the provinces Hizen and Owari are [sold] as single radishes. Both Tenman Miya no mae radish from Settsu province and Hatano radish from Sagami province are long and narrow; they are about 60 cm long and about 4,5 cm in perimeter. Bottom and tip have the same size and look like white strings. They are made into pickles using sake lees or/and rice bran. Pickled Miya no mae radish is tender but pickled Hatano radish has a hard texture. Ibuki in Ōmi province and Kamakura in Sagami province both cultivate ‘mouse’ (nezumi) radishes. These radishes are short and have a tail; they are very pungent and much esteemed by people who eat noodles. The radishes from Kageyama in Shinshū province, from Kishiro in Settsu province, and from Nōmi in Tajima province are all pungent and [also] famous. The radishes in Fumotono and those grown on barren soil do generally have a hard texture and are pungent.” (Wakan sansei zue)
Many unfamiliar names.
The names in this quotation are old province names. And place names. Early modern Japan was divided into 68 provinces (Hokkaidō and the Ryūkyū Islands excluded); Japan now counts 47 prefectures.
This quotation does NOT give a full account of the production areas at that time. Yet, what it offers is a first impression of the many regions in which radish was produced alongside some information about their characteristics, shape and usage. And although these province names became obsolete today, many of them have survived up to this day. As part of the name of a traditional product in a specific region. Or as local dish. Echizen soba in Fukui prefecture, for example. The bowl’s main ingredients are soba noodles, and, who would have thought, (grated) radish.
In total, the sources I’ve checked mention about 28 different types of radishes in 14 provinces.
But it is likely that there was a much larger diversity. I guess that they were just not famous enough to make it into the sources.
Overview of the radish production areas in early modern Japan
- Satsuma Province (Western part of present-day Kagoshima Prefecture)
- Higo Province (present-day Kumamoto Prefecture)
- Hizen Province (present-day Saga and Nagasaki Prefectures)
- Settsu Province (Southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture and Northern part of Osaka Prefecture)
- Yamashiro Province (Southern part of present-day Kyoto Prefecture)
- Ōmi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture)
- Ise Province (most of present-day Mie Prefecture)
- Owari Province (Western part of present-day Aichi Prefecture)
- Sagami Province (Central and Western part of present-day Kanagawa Prefecture)
- Musashi Province (Tokyo, most of present-day Saitama Prefecture, and a small part of present-day Kanagawa Prefecture)
- Shimōsa Province (Northern part of present-day Chiba Prefecture and Southern part of present-day Ibaraki Prefecture)
- Tajima Province ( Northern part of present-day Hyōgō Prefecture)
- Shinano Province (present-day Nagano Prefecture)
- Dewa Province (present-day Yamagata Prefecture)