In 1960, a young agricultural engineer assigned to Kito, a cold village in the deep mountains of Tokushima Prefecture, embarked on an astonishing challenge to protect the livelihood of the villagers.

He cleared a densely planted cedar forest, which had been left untended and abandoned, and began to cultivate Yuzu citrons. Producing Yuzu citrons is such a difficult undertaking that there is a saying that it takes three years for peaches and chestnuts, eight years for persimmons, and 18 years for the great fool of yuzu. While everyone else is wary of him, he gradually gained friends through persistent persuasion, and his hopes and dreams eventually bore fruit in the form of the "Kito Yuzu" brand.

However, the harsh reality of constructing a dam strikes the villagers who have just begun to look forward to a brighter future, and an unexpected tragedy ensues.

Depopulation, an aging population, industrial collapse, and the destruction of nature… Finally, the long-awaited novelization of this inspiring true story, set in the beautiful nature of Shikoku, is about to critically change the future of rural society!

Japanese description

昭和35年。徳島県の山深き寒村・木頭に赴任した一人の青年農業技師が、村人の暮らしを守るために驚愕の挑戦に着手した。植えっぱなしで見捨てられた杉の密植林を開墾し、柚子の栽培を始めたのである。桃栗三年、柿八年、柚子の大馬鹿十八年と言われるほど困難な事業であった。誰もが白眼視するなか、粘り強い説得で少しずつ仲間も増え、一筋の希望はやがて「木頭柚子」というブランドに結実していく。

しかし、明るい未来に手をかけたばかりの村人をダム建設という過酷な現実が襲い、予想もしなかった悲劇が……。

過疎高齢化、産業崩壊、自然破壊。四国の美しい自然を舞台に、地方社会の危機的未来を塗り変える感動の実話が、ついに待望の小説化！