Thirteen strains or crosses of Lentinus edodes obtained from home and abroad were compared for their mycelial characteristics on artificial media. Eleven of them were selected and inoculated on logs in order to study for their productivity, and the morphological characteristics of the mushrooms were investigated. 1) Seven strains, i. e., 11001, 12001, 13005, 13012, 13015, 12004 and 20101 were grown well on the sawdust medium. 2) The best mycelial growth and establish­ment of infection on logs were obtained from strains 20101 and 11001. 3) The highest yield of the mushrooms on logs during the six year periods were obtained from strains 11001, 12001 and 20101. 4) The highest yield of the mushrooms usually was obtained on the fourth year after inoculation. 5) The fruit body productivity in terms of dry weight recovery was the highest in strains 13005 and 20101. 6) The most productive period of the mushrooms during the years depended on strains. Most prevalent types of the strains were summer and autumn growing types, and more mushrooms were produced during these periods. 7) Morphological characteristics of the mushroom were more or less dependent on environmental conditions. 8) Thicker fruit bodies and relatively uniform shapes of the mushroom were produced by strain 20101.