Gotosaboten

Gotosaboten (後藤サボテン) is a Japanese cactus cultivation and sales company based in Momoyama-cho, Kasugai City, Aichi Prefecture. The business traces its origins to the aftermath of the 1959 Ise Bay Typhoon, when Takeo Goto, an apple farmer in the Momoyama area, lost his orchard and turned to cactus growing, which was beginning to spread in the region. He built a semi-underground greenhouse that used geothermal heat and began seed-grown (misho) cactus cultivation. His son, Nobuharu Goto, continued the work, training at a cactus farm in Hamamatsu and later studying floriculture in the United States. After returning to Japan in 1976, he built greenhouses with trolley systems and automatic irrigation and expanded into grafted cacti for export. When oil shocks halted exports, the farm shifted to domestic sales, producing potted plants for flower markets. After Nobuharu's death in 1987, his wife took over the greenhouses to preserve his legacy, maintaining community ties through school visits and cactus fairs. In 2003, the limited company Gotosaboten was established. The current representative, Yasumitsu Goto, the second generation, took over from his mother in 2015 and has expanded into online retail, edible cactus cultivation, and new products. Today the farm handles more than 300 varieties of cacti and succulents, selling wholesale to florists and variety stores, operating a retail greenhouse, and running an online store. It also produces nopal (edible prickly pear cactus) as a local specialty vegetable for Kasugai. The company is known for its contribution to the local cactus industry and its efforts to keep the region's seed-grown cactus techniques alive.

The history of Gotosaboten begins with Takeo Goto, an apple farmer in the Momoyama area of Kasugai City, Aichi Prefecture. In 1959, the Ise Bay Typhoon caused severe damage to his orchard, and a typhoon the following year destroyed it completely. Seeking an alternative crop, he noticed that cactus cultivation was gaining momentum in the Momoyama area. With guidance from neighboring farmers, he built a semi-underground greenhouse that utilized geothermal heat and began seed-grown (misho) cactus cultivation. His son, Nobuharu Goto, grew up watching his father's dedication to cacti and also entered the field. After gaining experience at a cactus farm in Hamamatsu, he traveled to the West Coast of the United States for agricultural training. There he observed large-scale floriculture that relied on mechanization rather than manual labor. Returning to Japan in 1976 after a year of training, he built greenhouses equipped with trolley systems and automatic irrigation and expanded the business, including producing grafted cacti for export. Soon after the greenhouses were built, the oil shock halted exports, so the farm shifted its focus to domestic sales, producing potted plants and shipping them to flower markets. In 1987, Nobuharu passed away due to illness. His wife, left with three young sons, decided to take over the greenhouses after learning of her son's wish to preserve his father's cacti. She maintained the business while valuing connections with the local community, hosting school excursions and cactus fairs. As the children grew up and entered the workforce, the eldest and second sons began helping with the family business. In 2015, the second son, Yasumitsu Goto, succeeded his mother as representative. In addition to the existing retail and wholesale operations, he has actively pursued new ventures such as running an online shop and cultivating edible cactus. The company was formally established as a limited company (yugen-gaisha) in 2003. Currently, the farm handles more than 300 varieties of cacti, each unique and interesting, with various ways to enjoy them. The company aims to widely communicate the deep appeal of cacti. Cactus cultivation spread in the Momoyama area after the Ise Bay Typhoon, and at its peak there were over 50 farms, with the area boasting the highest shipment volume in Japan for seed-grown cacti. In recent years, the number of cactus farmers has decreased due to lack of successors, but Gotosaboten hopes to preserve the advanced seed-grown techniques established in Momoyama and pass them on to the next generation. Together with like-minded local people, they strive to further energize 'Kasugai, the town of cacti'.

• 2015

  Yasumitsu Goto succeeds his mother as representative.

• 2003

  Gotosaboten is established as a limited company (yugen-gaisha).

• 1987

  Nobuharu Goto passes away; his wife takes over the greenhouses.

• 1976

  Nobuharu Goto returns from agricultural training in the U.S. and builds greenhouses with trolley systems and automatic irrigation.

• 1960

  A subsequent typhoon destroys the orchard; Takeo Goto begins seed-grown cactus cultivation in a semi-underground greenhouse.

• 1959

  Ise Bay Typhoon damages Takeo Goto's apple orchard, prompting a shift to cactus cultivation.

Specialist grower and retailer of cacti and succulents, combining traditional seed-grown cultivation with modern online retail and edible cactus production.

• Seed-grown cacti (misho)

  Cacti grown from seed, a specialty of the Momoyama area.

• Nopal (edible cactus)

  Edible prickly pear cactus produced in dedicated greenhouses as a local specialty vegetable.

• Potted cacti and succulents

  Potted plants for flower markets and retail.

• Grafted cacti

  Grafted cacti produced for export and domestic sale.

1. 1後藤サボテン公式サイトsabo.co.jp
2. 2私たちの歴史 | 後藤サボテンsabo.co.jp
3. 3後藤サボテン - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
4. 4Gotosaboten - Wikidatawikidata.org