“Over 500 or 600 years ago, near the location of this persimmon tree, there was a temple called Bikuni-dera, where local people would gather to listen to the Buddhist nuns’ chanting. One day, a nun noticed an unfamiliar man among the crowd. When she spoke to him, she realized that he seemed to be hearing-impaired, as he gazed up at her with eyes that seemed to want to say something. She followed the man as he left the temple, but he disappeared at the persimmon tree. ‘This must be the spirit of the persimmon tree, taking the form of a man to seek refuge in the Buddha,’ the nun thought. Feeling sympathy for his hearing loss, she prayed earnestly to the Buddha. Then, that autumn, small ears appeared on the persimmon fruit, and from that day on, the man never appeared at the temple again. The persimmon tree came to be called ‘Ear Persimmon’ thereafter.”
*Excerpt and summary from “Okumino Yomoyama Stories”
This is a rare mountain persimmon with an ear-like protrusion at the stem. Even when it grows larger, the fruit remains small enough to fit in one hand. Unfortunately, it is an astringent persimmon and cannot be eaten.