Food · Fermented foods

Komatsuna (Japanese Mustard Spinach)

こまつな (Komatsuna)

Also known as: Komatsuna, Japanese mustard spinach, Brassica rapa var. perviridis, 小松菜

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At a glance

Category	Food
Japanese labeling name	こまつな
Common Japanese notations	こまつな, 小松菜, コマツナ
Origin	Japanese mustard spinach (Brassica rapa var. perviridis); originating in Tokyo Komatsugawa area in Edo period (giving the name 'komatsu-na'); modern domestic production widespread, with Saitama, Tokyo, Ibaraki, Chiba as major regions; year-round availability with substantial retail volume
Typical functions	Universal Japanese leafy green — soup, ohitashi, sauteed dishes, smoothies, School lunch (kyu-shoku) staple, Functional health-positioning (calcium-rich leafy green), Volume retail vegetable
Regulatory status in Japan	Standard agricultural product labeling. Saitama, Tokyo, Ibaraki, Chiba major production regions. Year-round availability. Not a designated allergen.

Komatsuna (こまつな / 小松菜) is one of Japan's most widely consumed leafy green vegetables, originating in the Edo-period Komatsugawa area of Tokyo (hence the name) and now produced at substantial scale across Saitama, Tokyo, Ibaraki, and Chiba. The OEM positioning is universal household and foodservice volume vegetable: as a soup ingredient (komatsuna miso-shiru is a daily Japanese staple), as ohitashi and sauteed dishes, as a smoothie and salad ingredient (modern usage), as a school lunch program staple, and with growing functional health positioning leveraging notably high calcium content (170mg/100g — exceeds many other leafy greens). Year-round availability and stable volume supply make this a reliable OEM category for household and foodservice retail.

Classification

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Product applications

Functions

Flavoring

Regulatory tags

Culinary ingredient

Origin

Plant-derived

Used in (typical product categories)

Finished-product categories that commonly include this ingredient in Japanese-market formulations.

Fresh komatsuna retail (year-round)
Pre-cut komatsuna (convenience format)
Frozen komatsuna (foodservice and processed-food ingredient)

What it is

Komatsuna is Brassica rapa var. perviridis, originally cultivated in the Komatsugawa area of Tokyo in the Edo period. The plant is a leafy mustard cousin of bok choy and napa cabbage, with smooth dark-green leaves and tender stems.

Nutritionally, fresh komatsuna per 100g provides 13 kcal, 1.5g protein, 0.2g fat, 2.4g carbohydrates with 1.9g dietary fiber. Notably high calcium content 170mg per 100g (exceeds many other leafy greens — comparable to milk on a per-100g basis). Vitamin C 39mg, K 280μg per 100g.

Production: Saitama, Tokyo, Ibaraki, Chiba are major regions. Year-round greenhouse and field production.

Typical uses in Japanese products

Universal leafy green — komatsuna miso-shiru (soup), ohitashi, sauteed dishes, casseroles.

School lunch staple — major component of kyu-shoku menu.

Smoothie and green-juice ingredient — modern usage growing.

Functional positioning — high-calcium leafy green.

For OEM: fresh komatsuna retail (year-round), pre-cut convenience format, frozen for foodservice and processed-food ingredient supply.

Regulatory classification in Japan

Standard food labeling. Major production regions for premium positioning. Not a designated allergen.

Regulatory classification in other markets

EU	Imported as Japanese mustard spinach. Niche specialty positioning.
USA	Niche specialty in Japanese-cuisine and Asian channels.
China	Niche specialty positioning.
Korea	Niche specialty positioning.

Example products

Example finished products will be added after verification of regional origin.

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Related ingredients

Karashina (Japanese Mustard Greens)

Used in similar product applications

Other ingredients commonly used in the same finished-product families.

Sharing similar functions

Ingredients that overlap on functional benefit tags.

From the same origin

Other ingredients that share an origin classification.

References

MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition — こまつな

Last updated: 2026-04-28. Ingredient entries are reviewed at least annually against current regulatory listings.