"Shiitake" appears in lord Arima's land survey records, who ruled Takachiho-go from 1614. The cultivation of Shiitake in Japan began in 1664, so Takachiho-go was the most suitable land for growing Shiitake, as plenty of them grew wild.

Shiitake cultivation began in Izu and Oita, where there is a documented record from 1664. This record of Shiitake being harvested in Takachiho-go is 50 years older than the beginning of cultivation. We can say that Takachiho-go is the most suitable place for Shiitake to grow, as there were plenty of Shiitake growing wild without cultivation.

Even today, the three prefectures of Oita, Miyazaki, and Kumamoto produce about 70% of Japan's dried Shiitake, and Takachiho-go is located in the center of the three prefectures.

DNA analysis at Harvard University has shown that shiitake mushrooms are native to Borneo, and have apparently spread through Japan by migratory birds and then to mainland China.

Shiitake mushrooms should already have been breeding in Japan by the time the present humans arrived in Japan.