Collection: Kenji Osugi

Producer: Kenji Osugi
Production area: Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Main product: Chestnuts
No pesticides used
Fertilizer use: None

Kamotocho, Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture.

Yamaga has long flourished as a hot spring town, and still retains its good old streetscape.
This area has long flourished as a rice-producing region, and Osugi's naturally cultivated chestnut grove is located on the middle slopes of Mt. Aira.
As the harvest is approaching again this year, we decided to visit Osugi's chestnut grove!

A week before our visit, Typhoon No. 9 had approached Kyushu, and several branches had been broken by the strong winds.
However, the remaining trees still bore many large chestnuts.

Mr. Osugi was not originally a farmer.
While working at the city hall, he gradually began renting farmland and decided to become a farmer.
Then, in 2011, we rented the current Ritsurin Forest.
Although we started growing chestnuts naturally, weeding in the summer was really hard work.
In natural cultivation, no fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides are used.
As a result, during the summer he says, "Every day was a battle with the grass."

In addition, Osugi's naturally cultivated chestnut grove is located on the steep slopes of Mount Sagara.
Mowing, pruning, harvesting, and other tasks while going up and down steep slopes are extremely hard work.
Even so, Osugi works hard every day with a smile, saying, "I want to continue producing naturally grown chestnuts for the people who look forward to them."
September 2019