The Mutsu (陸奥 ムツ) originated across the Pacific in Japan, at the Aomori Apple Experimental Station. It is a cross between the Golden Delicious and the Indo, a seedling of the White Winter Pearmain, which is grown primary in Japan and China. The Mutsu was first cultivated in the 1930s, but did not receive it's name until almost two decades later. After being exported to England it was renamed the Crispin in 1968. However, in most places other than the British Isles, it is still known as Mutsu. The apple was named after the Mutsu province of Japan (see map), where it is believed to have first been grown.
The Mutsu is one of the last apples to be picked, needing cold nights to sweeten and develop it's blushing cheek. Probably one of my favorite apples to eat while picking, one never goes hungry when there are Mutsus in the picking bucket; more than can be said for the Red Delicious. One of the Mutsu's downfalls, for the picker and grower alike, is it's tendency to bear a light crop the year after an especially heavy one. This was true for one of the blocks at Moose Hill, where some trees held less than a bushel of apples and a trip up the ladder felt hardly worth the energy expended.