The 17th International Fragrant Rose Trial in Echigo Hillside Park, Nagaoka, Japan
Details of the result
The International Fragrant Rose Trials is held every year by inviting applications of new fragrant roses from rosebreeders not only in Japan but all around the world. All the applied nursery plants are planted and brought up for twoyears under exactly the same condition in the snowy and cold region of Japan. Then, examination session is held twice
every spring and autumn by the Judging Committee comprising of experts of roses and fragrances to decide the award
winning varieties.
The winning prizes are Gold Award, Silver Award and Bronze Award each for the specified four criteria. In addition,as special awards, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award is presented to the highest scorewinner among the Gold Award Winners, Niigata Prefectural Governor’s Award is presented to the highest score winner
in the fragrance section among the winners of Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards, and Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award ispresented to the most popular variety among the general guests to the park.

<< Prize Winner Details and Judges’ Comments >>Judging Committee Chairman :Yoshihiro Ueda (Visiting Professor, Gifu International Academy of Horticulture)
A total of 55 varieties of fragrant roses were exhibited at the 17th International Fragrant Rose Trials in Echigo
Hillside Park, including 21 varieties of the Hybrid Tea (HT) strain, 17 varieties of the Floribunda (F) strain, 14
varieties of the Shrub (S) strain and 3 varieties of the Miniature (Min) strain. The large number of entries in theHT category was a distinctive feature of the event. This year, spring flowering was earlier than in normal years,
but autumn flowering was delayed due to the abnormally high temperatures and prolonged lingering summer
heat and dry weather in August. This year’s autumn flowering was also affected by an abnormal outbreak of
insect pests. Among the roses cultivated under those difficult conditions, we selected one Gold, one Silver andone Bronze winner in each of the HT, F and S categories and one Silver and one Bronze winner in the Min
category. One rose selected from the S category was also awarded the Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award based on a
popular vote by visitors to the park.
aromu was the Gold Award winner in the S Category and also received the Minister of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism (MLIT) Award. This is vigorous variety which is characterized by distinctive light pinkblooms and somewhat darker back petals. As blooming progresses, it changes from a closely-packed bloom to acup-shaped bloom.
The Gold Award recipient in the HT Category, 15-16829-02, is a variety that has light pink rosettes. With thecharacteristic one-stem, one-flower form of the HT strain, it is a variety with the bloom like a bouquet over theentire rose.
Amenimomakezu North Ivory, which won the Gold Award in the F category, is rosettes with a fresh creamyyellow color that forms button eyes. This is a well-balanced variety.
The Silver Award recipient in the Min category, Konpeito, is a quarter-rosette flat bloom with a color thatchanges from pale pink to white. The entire flower of this variety has a gorgeous pom-pom blooming.
Robin in the S category was a double-prize winner, receiving both the Niigata Prefectural Governor’s Awardand the Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award. This is a flower with a round-petaled blossom that changes from apricotcolored to pale pink as the vermillion-red buds bloom. It is a variety with a strong, elegant fragrance andoverflowing vitality. Its fragrance and changing colors made it a favorite with visitors to the park, andseemed to have contributed to the award of the Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award.
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<< Prize Winner Details and Judges’ Comments >>Judging Committee Deputy Chairman : Yuji Ichikawa (Perfumer)
The entries exhibited at this year’s 17th International Fragrant Rose Trials included a total of 55 varieties fromJapan and overseas. Although 2023 was a difficult year for roses, with extreme heat approaching 40°C fromsummer into autumn and abnormal weather with little rainfall, it was possible to select a total of 11 prize-wining
flower (3 Gold, 4 Silver and 4 Bronze) in all four categories. The fragrance categories of the award-winningflowers selected this year covered a wide range, including 3 of the Damask-Modern type, 2 Damask-Classic, 3Tea, 1 Fruity, 1 Blue and 1 Myrrh.
The fragrance of the Gold Award winner in the Hybrid Tea category, the variety 15-16829-02, was the Myrrh
type, and was described as having “a fragrance that combines sharp notes of anise with a honey-like sweetness
and the elegant aroma of high-quality black tea leaves.”
The Gold Award recipient in the Floribunda Category, Amenimomakezu North Ivory, had a Tea type fragrance
that was described as “a combination of a gorgeous Darjeeling tea aroma and fresh lemon and violet flowers.”
The variety aromu won the Gold Award in the Shrub category and the Minister of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism Award, which is presented to the highest-scoring Gold Award winner. This rose had aDamask-Modern fragrance described as “a transparent fragrance, in which the honey-like sweetness of astragalus(Chinese milk vetch) can be felt in the expansive aroma of apples and apricots.”
Robin, which not only won the Silver Award in the Shrub category, but also the Niigata Prefectural
Governor’s Award for the highest scoring rose in the fragrance category and the Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award
based on the popular votes of visitors, was a “Fruity” type which was described as having “a bright, familiar
fragrance of the fruits apricots, apples and oranges permeating an elegant black tea leaf aroma.”
Although no Gold Award winner was selected in the Miniature category, the fragrance of the Silver Awardwinner Konpeito was the Tea type, with “a distinctive fragrance with notes of a honey-like sweetness and clovelike spice in a soft black tea leaf aroma.”2Category : HTs, Grandifloras
Gold Award
Entry No.13
Variety : 15-16829-02
Breeder : Georges Delbard - France
Flower : Light pink rosettes. Characteristic one-stem, one-flower form of the HT type.
Fragrance type : Myrrh
Fragrance that combines sharp notes of anise with honey-like sweetness and an elegant black tea
leaf aroma.

Silver Award
Entry No.9
Variety : Emphasis
Breeder : Toshio Tomiyoshi - Japan
Flower : Color changes from crimson to reddish-purple with the seasons. Blooms have peaked-petals.
Fragrance type : Damask-Modern
Strong fragrance with the sweetness of lychee, raspberry and apricot and the soft aroma of
hyacinth-green in harmony.

3Bronze Award
Entry No.11
Variety : Laugh Maker
Breeder : Fuminori Nukariya - Japan
Flower : Pink with a light purple tint, close-packed blooms of a large number of petals.
Fragrance type : Blue
Aromatic fragrance with honey-like sweetness and the fragrance of black tea leaves, in harmonywith a fresh lemon and apple fragrance.

Category : FGold Award
Entry No.27
Variety : Amenimomakezu North Ivory
Breeder : Teizo Yoshiike - Japan
Flower : Creamy-yellow color, button-eye rosette bloom.
Fragrance type : Tea
Fragrance combining a gorgeous Darjeeling tea aroma and fresh lemon and violet flowers.

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Silver Award
Entry No.34
Variety : Lila Tröpfchen
Breeder : W. KORDES' SÖHNE Rosenschulen GmbH & Co KG - Germany
Flower : Purple-pink color, cupped blossoms. Particularly abundant blossoms in spring.
Fragrance type : Damask-ModernDistinctive calm fragrance of fresh young leaves and a honey-like fragrance.

Bronze Award
Entry No.26
Variety : Les Grands Buffets
Breeder : Dorieux - France
Flower : Ruffled outer petals change from apricot to light peach color at round petals. Abundant,
refined rosette blooms.
Fragrance type : Tea
Fragrance with hints of young leaves and floral sweetness in a tranquil black tea leaf aroma.

5Category : S
Gold Award
Special prize : Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award
Entry No.43
Variety : aromu
Breeder : Hiroshi Mochizuki - Japan
Flower : Unique blooming with a light pink color, slightly darker back petals. Changes from close-packed
bloom to cups.
Fragrance type : Damask-Modern
Transparent fragrance in which the honey-like sweetness of milk vetch can be felt in the expansive
fragrance of apples and apricots.

Silver Award
Special prize :Niigata Prefectural Governor’s Award
Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award

Entry No.41
Variety : Robin
Breeder : Takunori Kimura - Japan
Flower : Color changes from apricot to light pink as the vermillion-red buds bloom. Closed-packed
blooms of round petals.
Fragrance type : Fruity
Fragrance in which the bright, familiar fruit fragrance of apricots, apples and oranges permeates
the elegant aroma of black tea leaves.

6Bronze Award
Entry No.51
Variety : Silas Marner（Ausraveloe）
Breeder : David Austin - U.K.
Flower : Flower with thin, almost-transparent petals on a red coral-colored stem, blooms from shallow
cups to rosettes.
Fragrance type : Damask-Classic
Fragrance with the softness of hyacinth-green and a gentle floral sweetness.

Category : Min
Silver Award
Entry No.55
Variety : Konpeito
Breeder : Makiko Kawamoto - Japan
Flower : Color changes from light pink to soft white. Flat quarter-rosettes that transition to clusters andthe entire flower of this variety has a gorgeous pom-pom blooming.
Fragrance type : Tea
Distinctive fragrance with notes of a honey-like sweetness and clove-like spice in a soft black
tea leaf aroma.

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Bronze Award
Entry No.54
Variety : Zakkronu
Breeder : Hiroshi Mochizuki - Japan
Flower : Purplish-pink color. Outer petals become peaked petals as blooming progresses; flowers becomerosettes when in full bloom.
Fragrance type : Damask-Classic
Fragrance with a harmonious blend of muscat and floral sweetness in a black tea leaf aroma.

8The 17th International Fragrant Rose Trial in Echigo Hillside Park, Nagaoka, Japan（Echigo-IFRT）◆Guidelines for Applications
1. Eligibility for Applications：Breeders both professional and amateur, in Japan and overseas.
2. Acceptable Rose Varieties:(1)Varieties that have never been on the market within or outside Japan, or varieties that were first made available forsale on or after January 1, 2018.
(2) Categories of Acceptable Rose Varieties:
Part 1: Large-flowered Roses (HTs, Grandifloras)
Part 2: Floribunda Roses (F) (Cluster-flowered)Part 3: Shrubs(S)Part 4: Miniature Roses, Mini-floras, Patio Roses, and Polyanthas(Min)
Climbers are excluded from all of the above categories.
(3) The Number of Entries: Limited to a total of four varieties per single breeder.
(4) The Number of Trees per Variety: Three trees per single variety.
Note: Includes grafted rootstock up to 3-yrs old. Excludes custom shaped or trained roses such as standard roses.
3. Entry Fee : Free of charge◆The Periods of Judging: June and October, 2023
◆Judging and Commendation:
Chairman: Yoshihiro Ueda（Visiting Professor, Gifu International Academy of Horticulture）
Deputy: Yuji Ichikawa（Perfumer）
Kokichi Komita（President of Niigata Rose Society）
Naoki Ishikawa（Honorary President of Niigata Rose Society）
Naoharu Watanabe（Professor Emeritus, Shizuoka University）
Yuki Mikanagi（Curator of Herbarium, Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba）
Hideko Ishiguro（Rose researcher, Director of Ishiguro Music Academy）
Minobu Maekawa（Garden Designer）
Naomi Okubo（Assistant leader, Materials Development Group at Institute of Vegetable and Floriculture Science, NARO ）Johji Nishio（WFRS International Judges Committee / President of Machida Rose Society）
Yushi Terazima（Perfumer）
Atsushi Joichi（Perfumer）
Toshihiko Watanabe（Director of Echigo Hillside National Government Park Office）◆Prizes: Gold, Silver, and Bronze Award for each category.
◆Special prizes: Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award (Top Award)
Niigata Prefectural Governor’s Award
Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award◇Breeders : 26breeders◇The number of varieties : 55Varieties (HTs-21, F-17, S-14, Min-3)◇Participating nation : Japan, Denmark, France ,U.K., Germany, Korea, U.S.A.

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