Motoo Hirata

Producer: Motoo Hirata
Production area: Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Main product: Rice
No pesticides used
No fertilizer used

"Powerful rice"

Hirata Motoo is a producer who was born into a farming family and has been growing rice without fertilizer or pesticides for over 35 years.

Kikuchi City has been known as a rice producing region since the Edo period.

The water quality and soil of a region have a major impact on the conditions for producing delicious rice.

Hirata's rice fields are located in the Sakoma River basin, a tributary of the Kikuchi River, where clear water flows. The water is rich in minerals and comes from the granite upstream, giving life to the rice fields.
The rice paddies are also made of sandy soil carved from granite, which has good drainage and is made of nutrient-rich soil, making them ideal for growing delicious rice.
The rice grown in Kikuchi has been famous since the Edo period and was called "the legendary Kikuchi rice."
"Kikuchi rice is really delicious!" Even people from outside the prefecture say this, as Kikuchi rice is so well known throughout the country.

Connecting with friends

Chikayoshi Tomita, a producer of Purely's naturally grown rice and chairman of the Kyushu Natural Farming Promotion Association, is one of the people working on naturally grown rice in Kikuchi City.
Mr. Tomita and other producers in Kikuchi city who are engaged in organic and natural farming came together to form the Kikuchi Environmental Conservation Agriculture Research Group.
In order to provide safe and secure food for future children and to preserve the natural environment, producers work closely together and exchange opinions on a daily basis.

Hirata is one of the members of the group, and he values ​​his connections with his colleagues as he works to grow rice without fertilizers or pesticides.
Not just delicious rice, but safe and secure rice grown without the use of pesticides or fertilizers...this idea is now being shared from Kikuchi to the world.

Delicious and powerful rice

"What is your commitment to growing rice?" I asked him.

"Because I don't use pesticides when I grow rice, it's really easy on the mind and body. Compared to regular rice, the yield is smaller and the grains are smaller, but I work hard because I want everyone to enjoy tasty, strong rice."

Hinohikari rice, suited to Kumamoto's climate

The variety that Hirata is working on is the third most widely planted variety in the country after Hinohikari, Koshihikari, and Hitomebore, and is used by many of Kumamoto's natural farming producers.
As the name suggests, it is derived from "hi" (sun), which represents Western Japan (Kyushu), and the way the cooked rice shines.The cooked rice is as beautiful as if bathed in sunlight, and even when it cools down it does not become too sticky or dry, making it delicious for making onigiri rice balls.
The rice is adapted to Kumamoto's hot and humid environment, and the seeds for the rice sold by Purely are harvested every year, so over the years the rice develops into the unique rice of the producer that is adapted to the land.
Of course, Mr. Hirata also collects seeds.
Hinohikari rice is grown in rice fields that have been fertilizer- and pesticide-free for over 35 years, and is harvested from seeds. Please give it a try!

Interview with Motoo Hirata