〈 Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture 〉 Kaoru Inamoto
★ [2023 Rice] Kaoru Inamoto Naturally Grown Rice Inamoto No. 1
★ [2023 Rice] Kaoru Inamoto Naturally Grown Rice Inamoto No. 1
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[2023 Harvest] Kaoru Inamoto, Naturally Grown Rice, Inamoto No. 1
Inamoto No. 1 Inehikari: Unsustainable against salt damage and abnormal weather
Yatsushiro is a region famous for producing rush grass, with lush, green rice paddies spreading out across it. Here, you will find Kaoru Inamoto, a master of naturally grown rice and one of Yatsushiro's leading farmers. He has been farming without fertilizer or pesticides for over 35 years. He is a passionate producer who always talks about how "I want to purify the earth by producing naturally grown rice." Inamoto has been serialized in the Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun for 35 times, and has published a book titled "Growing naturally grown rice, no pesticides needed from the first year," which has attracted attention from all over.
Earth's Mischief
The Kumamoto earthquake struck Kumamoto in 2016. In a rice field in a reclaimed land area facing the Yatsushiro Sea, groundwater was pumped up instead of water from an irrigation channel and allowed to flow overnight. Even though it was the season when the rice grains would normally ripen and the ears of rice would droop, the rice remained standing upright and the ears of rice were gradually turning black. This was salt damage. It seems that salt had seeped into the groundwater that had been allowed to flow overnight due to the earthquake. Salt damage can occur even with such a small amount of salt that a person would not be able to detect it even if they licked it.
An eccentric person discovers a "unique grain"
Among the gradually withering Akitakomachi and Hinohikari rice fields, scattered here and there were rice plants that were a little taller than the surrounding rice, ripe and ready to be harvested. Until now, slightly taller rice plants, or "unusual ears," had been found, but they had been harvested together with the other rice plants. However, Inamoto sensed potential in this rice that had survived the salt damage. He harvested and gathered only the Akitakomachi and Hinohikari plants that had survived the salt damage, and cultivated them in small rice fields the following year.
In Inamoto's diverse natural rice fields, giant snails and Japanese snails coexist. When he tasted the rice he harvested the following year, he said it tasted just as good as the Akitakomachi and Hinohikari he had been growing himself. He felt that his own opinion alone was not convincing, so he shared it with his acquaintances, who also gave it to him to try, and it was well received. In particular, when cooked as brown rice, he was told that it had a clean taste and was easy to eat compared to previous rice. Inamoto's own thoughts on why this was the case were that the brown rice of Inamoto No. 1 is lighter in color and more transparent than regular Akitakomachi. He says that this is because the layer of rice bran is thinner. He says that this affects the taste when eaten as brown rice.
A gift from nature
In 2016, the expected profit from these salt-damaged rice fields was over 1 million yen. That profit was gone, but Inamoto received "Inamoto No. 1," rice that can withstand salt damage and abnormal weather, as a gift from nature. The rice plants withering from salt damage must have been a tragic sight. However, the fact that he was able to find new rice plants among them was a gift that Inamoto was able to receive precisely because he is a natural farmer who harvests his own seeds every year and is constantly observing nature.
Varieties
Varieties
Inamoto No. 1
Producer
Producer
Kaoru Inamoto
Producing area
Producing area
Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Farming method
Farming method
More than 15 years of organic cultivation More than 35 years of pesticide-free cultivation
Species Information
Species Information
5th year since Inamoto No. 1 was started
Size and Capacity
Size and Capacity
3kg and 5kg
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Special Packaging-Kraft Paper Rice Bag
For customers who have chemical sensitivities or are concerned about odor transfer, we offer special packaging (for a fee).
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[Special packaging] Inner and outer plastic bag packaging, no newspaper used (craft paper and air packing used)
Regular price ¥660Regular priceUnit price / per -
[Special packaging] No cellophane tape or back sealing tape used + inner and outer plastic bag packaging, no newspaper used (craft paper and air packing used)
Regular price ¥990Regular priceUnit price / per