Nature
Harmony with nature
Our wines and fruits are not products of human control over nature.
Rather, they are the culmination of a "dialogue with nature" that has continuously cultivated the soil and listened to the voices of the trees in the Hida Valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides, since 1725.
It all began under a tree.
1725
The history of the Kidoaki family begins in 1725 when the first Kinosha Shichibei, who passed away in that year (Kyoho 10), retired from the main family and established his residence on this ichirizuka (milestone mound).
At that time, the "Old Buri Kaido" (Yellowtail Road), which transported seafood from Toyama to Hida, was in its heyday. In front of the house was an ichirizuka, maintained by order of Ieyasu, where a large hackberry tree ("Ooenoki") spread its branches, offering travelers a place to rest. Our origin literally lies in watching over travelers "under that tree" and beginning to cultivate the land.
To Kidowaki, walking alongside the local deity
1875 (Meiji 8)
Time passed, and the Meiji era dawned.
The great hackberry tree, once revered by the villagers as a sacred tree, was no longer there, and in its place stood a weathered shrine.
By the village entrance (kido), the family who had protected this land for generations officially adopted the surname "Kadowaki," named after "Kadowaki Shrine," which had been the center of local worship.
In 1881 (Meiji 14), the 6th generation head, Ji'uemon (later Shichibei), received a dream revelation from the gods and rebuilt the shrine on his property. Since then, we have cultivated crops and sustained life alongside the guardian deity of this land.
My encounter with the apple
1954 (Showa 29)
The history of fruit cultivation at our family farm began with a single decision by the 10th generation head, Susumu Kidowaki.
He attended a fruit tree cultivation outreach course as a second-term student at the Gifu Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station Hida Branch (now the Gifu Prefectural Agricultural Research Institute for Mountainous Areas). With the knowledge and passion he gained there, he planted apple saplings in our family's garden, marking the definitive first step of "Kidowaki Orchard."
Enduring Hida's harsh winds and snow, that apple tree, which became one of Hida's oldest, lived vigorously and watched over our family as a symbol of our orchard for nearly 70 years.
In August 2022, the final photograph taken with that great tree, which had fulfilled its long purpose, reminds us that the predecessors' love for fruit trees is continuously inherited by the current "ORCHARD HOUSE."
Expansion of grape cultivation and private winemaking
Around 1970 (Showa 45)
We began cultivating table grapes in earnest. At its peak, before being damaged by the "Goro Heavy Snowfall" of 1981 (Showa 56), the scale of cultivation had expanded to 5 tan (0.5 ha).
In addition to Kyoho grapes, we also cultivated many European and American hybrid varieties such as "White Early." At that time, there's a surviving anecdote that the previous generation secretly enjoyed "home brewing" using the high-quality grapes. The spirit of inquiry as a fruit farmer has been passed down continuously since then.
Subheading
1983 (Showa 58)
11th generation, Yasushi Kidoaki, after graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture, Nagoya University, trained at Orville Farm in Washington State, USA, through the Japan Agricultural Exchange Council (JAEC). There, he met the "father" of America's Granny Smith apples.
Auvil Fruit Co, Inc.Kadowaki Orchard
1985 (Showa 60)
Upon returning to Japan, he officially established Kadowaki Fruit Farm, opening a 2-hectare apple orchard and introducing electronic techniques.
Introducing ORCHARD HOUSE
1998 (Heisei 10)
Displaying a hand-carved sign for Kadowaki Orchard ORCHARD HOUSE.
The Origins of Winemaking
2019 (Reiwa 1)
The 12th generation owner, Shohei Kidowaki, studied at the Chikuma River Wine Academy in Tomi City, Nagano Prefecture, as a fifth-term student. In the same year, he established a 0.2-hectare trellised vineyard. This marked the beginning of full-scale winemaking (using wine-specific grape varieties) in Hida.
That year, apples were harvested and custom-fermented, and the cider was released as the prefecture's first estate-grown cider. Titled "Cider Hida," the label, designed by calligrapher Seison Mozumi, known for his Reiwa-era calligraphy, became a talking point.
Link - Hida Cider
Orchard House completed
2024 (Reiwa 6)
Once upon a time, the "Old Yellowtail Road" transported the bounty of the sea from Toyama to Hida.
In this historic location, where milestones marked by large hackberry trees offered shade to travelers, "ORCHARD HOUSE" was born.
The building is gently enveloped by trees harvested from a forest carefully nurtured by generations of ancestors. Combining Hida's proud traditional woodworking techniques with the best of modern architecture, we have created a comfortable space where history and innovation intersect.
Through time and change, this place where the shade of hackberry trees once soothed travelers has been reborn as a "fruit cafe," once again bustling with conversation and warm activity.
Embrace the aroma of wood imbued with 300 years of memories and enjoy Hida's abundant harvest.
A New Beginning
2025 (Reiwa 7)
Exactly 300 years have passed since our founder first settled here.
On March 10, 2025, we took a new step forward as Orchard House Co., Ltd.
In Hida Kokufu, with its dramatic temperature differences between day and night.
In this place where our ancestors loved the soil "under the trees" and preserved traditions "beside the wooden gate," we will continue to cultivate abundant harvests for the next 100 years.
ORCHARD HOUSE as a vessel
The Vessel of ORCHARD HOUSE
Harmony with nature, a pursuit of unadorned essence.
This is the philosophy we've cultivated over 300 years in the Hida Valley,
our "ORCHARD HOUSE" philosophy.
We've embodied this invisible concept
in the form of "Kifune."