KAGOSHIMA, Japan >> A 66-pound Sakurajima daikon (radish) took a top award at an annual contest held in late January at the foot of the vegetable’s namesake volcano, Mount Sakurajima, in Kagoshima City.

Farmer Shunichi Hazemoto, 66, was responsible for growing the outsized radish, and it seems he passed on his grower’s talent. The runner-up daikon was grown by his son Shunta, 33.

“It was hard to grow daikon in the warm winter we had this year, because some developed hollow insides,” Shunichi Hazemoto said. “I’m glad because it’s rare for a father and son to win the top two spots.”

A specialty crop in Kagoshima prefecture, Sakurajima daikon was once certified by Guinness World Records as the heaviest radish, with one weighing 68-1/2 pounds.

Thicker than other varieties, Sakurajima daikon weigh 22 to 44 pounds on average. They have a mild flavor and usually maintain their firm texture even when boiled.

The daikon was once cultivated in bigger areas around Mount Sakurajima, but the number of growers has declined in recent years.

The competition was launched to motivate growers of the vegetable.

This year, the 24th edition of the contest, 56 daikon were submitted, including some cultivated by elementary school students. Judges examined the shape and surface of the daikon, while also tapping them with a bar to assess the interiors.