I’ve always been intrigued by the poetry of Japanese names for mushrooms. beyond the top five edibles I couldn’t find a detailed list in English. Here is my list of Japanese names for mushrooms focusing mainly on edible mushrooms and those also found in Scotland. The order is alphabetical by the binomial (scientific) name.
Edible mushrooms – Japan and Scotland
Shirooohakatake
Horse mushroom
Agaricus arvensis
Tsukuritake / Seiyou matsutake
Cultivated / garden mushroom
Agaricus bisporus (A. hortensis)
Haratake
Field mushroom
Agaricus campestris
Moriharatake
Scaly wood mushroom
Agaricus silvaticus
Moreharatake / Shiromorinokasa
Wood mushroom
Agaricus silvicola
Kikurage
Wood or jelly ear
Auricularia auricula
Yamadoritake
Penny bun, cep or porcini
Boletus edulis
Anzutake
Chanterelle
Cantharellus cibarius
Enokitake
Velvet shanks /Winter mushroom
Flammulina velutipes
Maitake
Hen of the woods
Grifola frondosa
Maitake translates as dancing mushroom (in Korean it is dancing butterflies)
Uramurasaki
Amethyst deceiver
Laccaria amethystina
Akahatsutake / Akamomitake
Saffron milk cap
Lactarius deliciosus (L. laeticolorus)
Chichitake
Tawny milk cap (fishy smell, mild taste)
Lactifluus volemus (Prev. Lactarius)
Aikawatake
Chicken of the woods
Laetiporus sulphureus
Murasakishimeji
Wood blewit
Lepista nuda
Amigasatake
Morel mushroom
Morchella esculenta
Hiratake
Oyster mushroom
Pleurotus ostreatus
Mukitake
Late oyster / Olive oysterling
Sarcomyxa serotina
(previously Panellus serotina)
Mushrooms popular in Japanese cuisine that are not native to Scotland include:
Matsutake
Pine mushroom
Tricholoma matsutake (T. nauseosum) Tricholoma magnivelare
The former grows in Sweden and Finland so there’s probably no reason why it couldn’t grow in Scotland.
Bakamatsutake
Tricholoma bakamatsutake
Matsutake species that grows under beech and oaks.
Buna-shimeji
Brown beech mushroom
Hypsizygus tessellatus
Found in Northern Europe.
Bunapi-shimeji
White beech mushroom
Hypsizygus tessellatus
White variant of above.
Shiitake (koshin, donko, danko)
Lentinula edodes
Eringi
King Oyster mushroom
Pleurotus eryngii
Tamojitake
Golden oyster mushroom
Pleurotus citrinopileatus
Native to Japan and cultivated. Related to the Branched Oyster Fungus (Pleurotus cornucopiae) found in Scotland.
Usuhiratake
Lung oyster mushroom
Pleurotus pulmonarius
Saketsubatake
Burgundy mushroom /King stropharia
Stropharia rugosoannulata
Nameko
Butterscotch mushroom
Pholiota microspora
Arage-kikurage
Cloud ear fungus
Auricularia polytricha
Closely related to the Wood ear aka Jelly ear fungus found in Scotland (Auricularia auricula-judae).
Shironumeriiguchi
Sticky bolete
Suillus viscidus
Found in same larch habitat as Larcch bolete (Suillus grevillei) found in Scotland.
Iwatake
Stone ear /Rock mushroom
Umbilicaria esculenta
Technically an edible lichen.
Fukurotake
Straw mushroom
Volvariella volvacea
Shirokikurage
Snow mushroom
Tremella fuciformis
Medicinal mushrooms
Meshimakobu
Black hoof fungus
Phellinus linteus
Related to the European Willow Bracket (Phellinus igniarius).
Tsuriganetake
Hoof /Tinder fungus
Fomes fomentarius
In Japanese this translates as the bell mushroom. Common to both Japan and Scotland.
Mannentake
Reishi mushroom
Ganoderma lucidum
Mannentake means the 10,000 year mushroom. Also called Kadodetake (the Departure mushroom), Hijiridake (the Sage mushroom) and Magoshakushi (the Grandchild Ladle). In Scotland, a very similar species is used. The Artists Conk Ganoderma applanatum and the Southern Conk G. australe.
Debated edibility/toxicity
Sugihiratake
Angel wings
Pleurocybella porrigens
Edible but with great caution. Toxins can cause fatal kidney damage especially in elderly people with a history of kidney problems. Common to Japan and Scotland.
Murasakifuusentake
Violet webcap
Cortinarius violaceus
Counted as an edible mushroom in Japan but rare in Britain and easily confused with deadly Cortinarius species.
Kuritake
Brickcap mushroom
Hypholoma sublateritium
Mixed views on edibility.
Karahatsutake
Woolly milk cap
Lactarius torminosus
Inedible mushrooms
Kenawatake
Parachute mushroom
Marasmius funalis
Found only in Japan. Other Marasmius species are found in Scotland.
Poisonous mushrooms
Benitengutake
Fly agaric
Amanita muscaria
Only edible when prepared correctly as otherwise it can make you extremely ill. Common to both Japan and Scotland.
Nigikuritake
Sulphur tuft
Hypholoma fasciculare
Common to both Japan and Scotland.
Nisekurohatsu
Brittlegill (unspecified)
Russula subnigricans
Found only in Japan, Taiwan and China.
Kakishimeji
Burnt knight
Tricholoma ustale
Found in Japan and the southern counties of England.
Kirinomitake
Devil’s cigar /Texas star
Chorioactis geaster
Found in Japan and Texas. Similar to Scottish earth star cup fungi.
Kokusaurabenitake
The wood pinkgill
Entoloma rhodopolium
Common to both Japan and Scotland.
Hikageshibiretake
Magic mushroom
Psilocybe subcaerulipes
Can cause anxiety, panic as well as altered states of consciousness. Native to Japan.
Tsukiyotake
A bioluminescent mushroom similar to Jack O Lantern. Native to Japan.
Omphalotus japonicus
Hi! Do you know the Japanese name for candycap lactarius mushrooms? (ex: L. helvius, L. camphoratus, L. fragilis, or L. rubidus). thanks!
No I’m afraid I don’t. Do they have the same species there?
No I’m afraid I don’t. I don’t even know if it’s native in Japan
Adding another is the yamadoritake 山鳥茸 – boletus edulis aka “porcini” or “penny bun”
Flammulina vetipes should be Flammulina velutipes
Quite right. Thanks for noticing
Great article. I was wondering if you have ever come across the japanese name for the group of mushrooms called “medicinal mushrooms” ? How do you say medicinal mushrooms in Japanese I wonder?
I’m not sure if that translates directly. If it does it is probably yakuso ( やくそう ) kinoko ( きのこ ). Literally medicinal herb mushroom. The translation of Paul Stamet’s book ‘Growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms’ is ‘Shokuyō oyobi yakuyō kinoko no saibai’.
I Mrs Wilde, I’m looking for information about a Japanese mushroom from the Polyporaceae family
which grows at the foot of bamboo. Its Japanese name is pronounced “raigan”. Do you know it? Thank you for your answer.
The Latin name is Omphalia lapidescens and in Chinese it is called lei wan. Traditionally the sclerotia – looking somewhat like brown truffles – in small pellets known as “thunder-balls”, were highly prized as an aphrodisiac. Modern lab studies confirm the effectiveness of the traditional Chinese medicine use of it to treat intestinal parasites (including tapeworm, roundworms, spirometra and ancylostomes). Some lab studies have also found it kills gastric cancer cells.
Monica- do you know the name for the agaricus lilaceps in Japan?
I’m afraid not. Is it native there? I haven’t seen it listed in any of the Japanese fungi collector websites.
I traded some agaricus lilaceps to a sushi chef about 15 years ago. He knew what they were and said that he had them in Japan. He may have been mistaken. I think Monterey Cypress grow on the east coast of Japan. No?
Quite possibly. It doesn’t appear to be widespread but could well be in certain niches.
The pink oyster mushroom commonly cultivated by mushroom farms is always referred to as japanese in origin but I cannot find any names or mention of pink ones anywhere. Would you know what they are called by chance?
Pleurotus djamor is the latin name
thanks regardless
In Japan Pleurotus djamor is known as Takiiro Hiratake