The 10th International Fragrant Rose Trial in Echigo Hillside Park, Nagaoka, Japan(Echigo-IFRT)
Details of the result
The International Fragrant Rose Trials is held every year by inviting applications of new fragrant roses fromrose breeders not only in Japan but all around the world. All the applied nursery plants are planted andbrought up for two years 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 expertsof 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. Inaddition, as special awards, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award is presented tothe highest score winner among the Gold Award Winners, Niigata Prefectural Governor’s Award ispresented to the highest score winner in the fragrance section among the winners of Gold, Silver and BronzeAwards, and Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award is presented to the most popular variety among the general
guests to the park.
*The Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award is decided by popular vote from visitors to the park. This year, twovarieties won the award after receiving the same number of votes.
<< Prize Winner Details and Judges’ Comments >>Judging Committee Chairman:
Yoshihiro Ueda, Principal of Gifu International Academy of Horticulture
We received 50 entries in the 10th International Fragrant Rose Trials in total, with the 25 Hybrid Tea
entries (including Grandiflora varieties) making up half of all the entries. There were also 15 Floribunda
entries, 9 Shrub entries, and 1 entry in the Miniature category.
This year there was a period of high temperatures lasting until the end of August. This was then followed
by heavy rains and a lack of sunshine in September. As a result, we observed that although vegetative
growth was abundant, many varieties failed to bloom when autumn came. Despite these unusual weather
conditions, we were able to award three awards per category, a bronze, a silver and a gold, in the HybridTea, Floribunda, and Shrub categories. We also awarded one bronze award in the Miniature category.
This year there were also two recipients of the Nagaoka City Mayor's Award, giving twelve award
winners in total after all.
Zipangu was the Gold Award winner in the Shrub category and also the recipient of the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award and the Niigata Prefectural Governor's Award. It is avery well-balanced variety with beautiful golden centers on cupped blooms. It received high marks for
all characteristics, and in particular it was awarded highest points for fragrance and bloom beauty.
Gille de Brisac, Gold Award winner in the Hybrid Tea category, has a pale pink cupped bloom with dark
autumn foliage. This contrast makes the blooms stand out beautifully. An abundant flowerer, it scoredhighly for all characteristics.
Gold Award winner in the Floribunda category, KO 08/2024-06, has well-balanced stems of dark
magenta colored cupped blooms with round petals. It scored highly for its vigor and fragrance.
ZENpalilac, the sole award winner in the Miniature category, blooms with a multitude of shallow cupped
blooms that transition from pale pink to white as they bloom. It is a hardy and vigorous fragrantminiature rose.
The joint winners of the Nagaoka City Mayor's Award, COCA and LIWA both bloom prolifically inclusters and we believe it is this opulence that made them a favorite among park visitors and thus earningthem the Nagaoka City Mayor's Award.
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<< Prize Winner Details and Judges’ Comments >>Judging Committee Deputy Chairman:
Yuji Ichikawa, Perfumer
We received a total of 50 entries from Japan and overseas for the 10th International Fragrant Rose Trials.
With intense heat from early spring followed by heavy rains and the lack of sunshine in Autumn, thisyear the climate was particularly harsh on the trial roses. Despite these conditions, many roses scoredhighly and we were able to award the same number of awards as last year, with three Gold Awards, three
Silver Awards, four Bronze Awards and two winners of the Nagaoka City Mayor's Award.
The highest overall score was awarded to triple award winning variety, Zipangu, Gold Award winner in
the Shrub category, winner of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award andwinner of the Niigata Prefectural Governor's Award. It has a tea fragrance described as “a complex yet
well-balanced fragrance with fruity notes of bergamot orange, apple and peach blended with the herbal
scent of rose geranium.”Gille de Brisac was the Gold Award winner in the Hybrid Tea category and has a fruity fragrance
described as being “a charming luxurious fragrance that marries the fruitiness of apple and strawberry
notes with the spiciness of cloves.”
KO 08/2024-06, Gold Award winner in the Floribunda category, has a modern damask fragrance
described as “a gentle fragrance with the sweetness of honey and vanilla essence.”
COCA and LIWA were joint winners of the Nagaoka City Mayor's Award which is chosen by popular
vote by visitors to the park. COCA has a modern damask fragrance that is “a rich and expansive
fragrance with a sweet honey-like scent.” LIWA has a tea fragrance that is “a pleasant fragrance withfresh citrus notes of lemon and orange.”

Category : HTs, Grandifloras
Gold Award
Entry No.21
Variety : Gille de Brisac
Breeder : Dorieux - France
Flower : A pale pink cupped bloom. A charming strong-flowering rose. Beautiful dark autumn foliagethat provides stunning contrast for the blooms.
Fragrance type : Fruity
A charming luxurious fragrance that marries the fruitiness of apple and strawberry notes with thespiciness of cloves.

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Silver Award
Entry No.38
Variety : Lady Karen
Breeder : Wataru Sato - Japan
Flower : Dark pink with a purple hue. Has full globular blooms which open into quartered blooms.
Fragrance type : Fruity
A multilayered fragrance which blends a honey-like sweetness with fruity notes of peach andapricot.

Bronze Award
Entry No.40
Variety : Odin
Breeder : Tamotsu Tomokage - Japan
Flower : A light pink high-centered bloom with hints of purple. Large single blooms on each stem.
Fragrance type : Tea
A strong refreshing fragrance with a well-balanced blend of fresh young leaves and hyacinth
flowers together with the distinctive scent of anise.

3Category : FGold Award
Entry No.30
Variety : KO 08/2024-06
Breeder : W. Kordes' Söhne Rosenschulen GmbH & Co KG – Germany
Flower : A dark magenta colored rounded cupped bloom. Well-balanced stem.
Fragrance type : Damask Modern
A gentle fragrance with the sweetness of honey and vanilla essence.

Silver Award
Entry No.37
Variety : Campanella
Breeder : Teizo Yoshiike - Japan
Flower : A loose apricot yellow rosette bloom. Blooms prolifically showing off its opulence.
Fragrance type : Tea
A rich sweet candy-like fragrance with a fruity ripe apricot scent.

4Bronze Award
Entry No.36
Variety : Yukiwatari
Breeder : Teizo Yoshiike - Japan
Flower : Transitions from a pink-centered teacup bloom to a rosette bloom. Flowers abundantly.
Fragrance type : Fruity
An extraordinary fragrance with red wine notes on a fruity peach and apple base blended with thedistinctive scent of anise.

Special prize : Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award
Entry No.35
Variety : COCA
Breeder : Poulsen Roser A/S - Denmark
Flower : Flowers abundantly in pink clusters. Has a rounded flat bloom and beautiful stems.
Fragrance type : Damask Modern
A rich and expansive fragrance with a sweet honey-like scent.

*The Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award is decided by popular vote from visitors to the park. This year, two varieties won theaward after receiving the same number of votes.

5Category : SGold Award
Special prize : Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award

Niigata Prefectural Governor’s Award
Entry No.49
Variety : Zipangu
Breeder : Tamotsu Tomokage - Japan
Flower : Loose cupped blooms with beautiful golden centers and a distinctive edging on the petals.
Fragrance type : Tea
A complex yet well-balanced fragrance with fruity notes of bergamot orange, apple and peach
blended with the herbal scent of rose geranium.

Silver Award
Entry No.50
Variety : Remi ChangBreeder : Atsuya Iwashita - Japan
Flower : A pink cupped bloom with delightful falling petals. The bloom head is narrow and there are few
thorns on the stems.
Fragrance type : Damask ModernA strong elegant fragrance with a honey-like sweetness blended with the fresh scent of hyacinthflowers.

6Bronze Award
Entry No.46
Variety : Calypso
Breeder : Takunori Kimura - Japan
Flower : Shallow cupped blooms with a gorgeous gradation in color from apricot yellow to orange.
Fragrance type : Damask Modern
An expansive fragrance with the aroma of ripe apricot blended with a honey-like sweetness.
.

Special prize : Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award
Entry No.43
Variety : LIWA
Breeder : Poulsen Roser A/S - Denmark
Flower : Clusters of rounded flat blooms in striking orange.
Fragrance type : Tea
A pleasant fragrance with fresh citrus notes of lemon and orange.

*The Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award is decided by popular vote from visitors to the park. This year, two varieties won theaward after receiving the same number of votes.

7Category : MinBronze Award
Entry No.41
Variety : ZENpalilac
Breeder : Takashi Kawai - Japan
Flower : Shallow pink cupped blooms on flowering, these become white pompon blooms as flowering
progresses. A gorgeous variety which flowers abundantly and has flowers on all stems.
Fragrance type : Tea
A harmonious blend of the refreshing scent of citrus lemon and the soft aroma of milk tea.

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The 10th 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, 2011.
(2) Categories of Acceptable Rose Varieties:
Part 1: Large-flowered Roses (HTs, Grandifloras)
Part 2: Floribunda Roses (F) (to be the family of "cluster-flowered roses")
Part 3: Shrubs(S)Part 4: Miniature Roses, Mini-floras, Patio Roses, and Polyanthas(Min)
Climbers are excluded from any 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:For each variety, three 2-to-3-year-old bare-root trees, either budded, grafted, or self-rooted.
3. Entry Fee : Free of charge◆The Periods of Judging: June and October, 2016
◆Judging and Commendation:
Chairman:Yoshihiro Ueda（Principal of Gifu International Academy of Horticulture）
Deputy:Yuji Ichikawa（Perfumer）
Naoki Ishikawa（President of Niigata Rose Society）
Naoharu Watanabe（Specially Appointed Prfessor, at Graduate School of Science and Technology Shizuoka University）
Yuki Mikanagi（Curator of Herbarium, Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba）
Kazuko Nomura（Vice President of Rose Culture Institute）
Kin-ichi Moriai（Perfumer）
Yutaka Abe（Honorary President of Saitama Rose Society）
Hideko Ishiguro（Rose researcher, Director of Ishiguro Music Academy）
Ayako Takagi（Gardening Lecturer for Japan Broadcasting Corporation）
Minobu Maekawa（Garden Designer）
Naomi Okubo（Leader, Quality Control Unit at Institute of Vegetable and Floriculture Science, NARO）
Junko Nagano（Takasago International Corporation Fragrance Creation Center Senior Perfumer）
Masakazu Kawamura（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 : 22breeders◇The number of varieties : 50Varieties (HTs-25, F-15, S-9, Min-1)◇Participating nation : Japan, Denmark, France, Germany, U.K., U.S.A.

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