Yatsufusa Pepper Seeds

Yatsufusa (Japanese Togarashi) pepper seeds grow into upright, erect plants reaching 19–24 in, bearing red fruit about 2-3 in long. Heat category: Hot. It is especially suited to stir-fries, curries, soups, drying, shichimi togarashi, hot sauces, and seed saving. Maturity is 80-89 Days.

About Yatsufusa (Japanese Togarashi)

Yatsufusa (Japanese Togarashi) is a hot chile pepper grown as Capsicum annuum L. Plants have an upright, erect habit and reach 19–24 in; support is listed as stake. The principal mature or market color is Red, with fruit described as about 2-3 in long. Reproductive classification: Open-Pollinated (OP). Maturity: 80-89 Days. Names associated with this variety include Yatsufusa, Cluster Pepper, Pepper Seeds - Hot - Yatsufusa (Japanese Togarashi).

• Scientific name:Capsicum annuum L.
• Life cycle:Annual
• Planting season:Spring
• Growth habit:Upright/Erect
• Plant height:19–24 in
• Sunlight:Full sun
• Seed depth:1/4 in
• Germination:7–14 Days at 75–90 °F
• Spacing:18 in between plants; 24 in between rows
• Soil:Loamy; pH 6.0–6.5
• Water:Moderate
• Support:Stake
• Reproductive type:Open-Pollinated (OP)
• Fruit:Red; About 2-3 in long
• Heat:Hot; 30,000-50,000 SHU

History and seedkeeping context

The NMSU Chile Pepper Institute identifies Yatsufusa as a hot specialty pepper originating in Japan and notes the alias Chile Japones. Cornell independently records it as a Japanese hot pepper with upright clusters of narrow fruit about 2 to 3 inches long. Tōgarashi is a Japanese word used broadly for chile pepper and chile seasoning; it does not prove that every product carrying the word is the same cultivar.

This listing keeps Yatsufusa as the cultivar identity and treats Japanese Togarashi as a descriptive market phrase. The available sources do not establish a named person’s tribal identity. Institutional descriptions differ: Cornell lists 60 days, while the NMSU Chile Pepper Institute lists approximately 70 to 80 days.

The values fall in different catalog ranges, so the structured maturity field is intentionally blank.

Fruit, flavor, and kitchen use

The upright narrow pods suit fresh seasoning, stir-fries, soups, noodle dishes, sauces, and drying for flakes or powder. Use ripe red pods for the most developed color and dry storage. Hot chile profile; NMSU compares its flavor to cayenne or Thai peppers. Pungency varies with genetics, temperature, water stress, fruit position, and ripeness; any heat figure is a range, not a promise for every pod. Yatsufusa (Japanese Togarashi) is especially useful for stir-fries, curries, soups, drying, shichimi togarashi, hot sauces, and seed saving. Flavor and eating quality are described as hot chile profile; NMSU compares its flavor to cayenne or Thai peppers. Pungency varies with genetics, temperature, water stress, fruit position, and ripeness; any heat figure is a range, not a promise for every pod. Heat classification: Hot; listed range: 30,000-50,000 SHU. Pungency can shift with genetics, weather, water stress, and ripeness.

How to grow Yatsufusa (Japanese Togarashi)

Start Yatsufusa (Japanese Togarashi) indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before the last expected frost. Sow 1/4 in deep in a warm, evenly moist seed-starting mix; expect 7–14 Days near 75–90 °F. Provide strong light as soon as seedlings emerge, pot up before roots become crowded, and harden plants gradually before transplanting after nights are reliably warm.

Plant in full sun with loamy soil near pH 6.0–6.5. Space plants 18 in apart and rows 24 in apart. Maintain moderate moisture, mulch after the soil warms, and avoid excessive nitrogen. Install stake early where the upright, erect plant or fruit load warrants it. Mature height is 19–24 in.

Season care

• Warmth matters most during germination; keep Yatsufusa (Japanese Togarashi) seed warm without leaving the medium saturated. • Harden seedlings gradually and wait for warm nights before transplanting, because cold soil and wind can stall peppers for weeks. • Install stake before branches carry a heavy crop, and keep moisture even while fruit is setting. • Harvest at the color stage suited to the recipe, but leave fruit fully mature on selected plants when saving seed. • Use 80-89 Days as a planning range rather than a guaranteed calendar date; weather and transplant stress can shift first harvest.

Harvest and maturity

80-89 Days from transplant to first representative harvest; the same value is used in every description. Peppers can often be used at an immature green or transitional color, but fully ripe color is required for mature seed.

Saving seed

Peppers are largely self-pollinating but insect movement can produce crosses. To save Yatsufusa (Japanese Togarashi) true to type, grow several healthy representative plants, isolate them from compatible pepper varieties or use blossom bags or cages, and remove clear off-types before flowering. Allow selected fruit to reach full biological color, handle hot fruit with gloves, remove the seed, dry it in a thin labeled layer until fully hard and dry, then store it cool, dark, and dry. Keep the harvest year, source, isolation method, and selection notes with the lot.

Common questions