Special sale!! [2022 harvest] Hinohikari rice grown naturally by Yusei Koike

[2022 harvest] Hinohikari rice grown naturally by Yusei Koike

Sticking to his beliefs in rice-producing Kikuchi

Shichijo-cho, Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture. This area is famous nationwide as one of the leading rice-producing areas in Kumamoto, and Mr. Koike grows rice and fields using natural farming methods. He has been growing rice using natural farming methods for 38 years, since his father's generation. In mid-October, as this year's rice harvest was about to begin, I visited Mr. Koike's rice field.

Natural cultivation inherited from "Higo Mokkosu"

Mr. Koike is engaged in natural farming near the famous "Melon Dome" in Shichijo-cho, Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture. Mr. Koike is from a family of farmers who have been in this area for generations. The Koike family first started natural farming 38 years ago.
When Koike's father was still growing rice, an acquaintance asked him if he could grow rice without the use of fertilizer or pesticides. "My father was also instructing other farmers on conventional rice cultivation, but he received requests from customers, and one day he began growing rice without the use of fertilizer or pesticides." The Koike family began growing rice naturally on an initial plot of land of about 20m x 100m.
Since then, they have gradually expanded the area of ​​their rice paddies, switching to naturally grown rice for their own consumption, and now all of their paddy fields are grown naturally, covering an area of ​​3 cho 2 tan (approximately 320m x 100m). His father, who was a rice cultivation instructor in the area, had an extraordinary passion for rice farming and continued to be an active rice farmer at the forefront until he was 80 years old.
Koike-san says that until he took over the rice farming business 10 years ago, he was only allowed to support his father. "I had wanted to start growing organically grown rice seriously back then, but it wasn't that easy (laughs). I was also a bit of a stubborn person (a Kumamoto dialect word for stubborn), so I studied a lot about organic farming so that I wouldn't lose to my father."
Mr. Koike never received any technical training from his father and initially learned natural farming on his own. However, he says, "There was a lot I could learn just by watching my father's dedication to rice farming." His father's presence was huge in Mr. Koike's efforts in natural farming.

The best rice in the world: Sanda rice

Shichijo-cho, Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture, is one of Japan's leading rice-producing areas. Within Shichijo-cho, the rice fields in the Sanda area, sandwiched between the Kikuchi River and the Hazama River, are known as "Sandamai." Sandamai has been called "the best rice in the world" since the Edo period, and has a history of being presented to the Shogun family and the Imperial family.
The Sanda area is characterized by its unique soil (sandy loam) that is mixed with sand created by the flow of the river. Sandy loam is said to be a terrain that is less able to store nutrients in the soil than other rice fields. Therefore, although it generally appears to be a bad condition for growing rice, the rice desperately spreads its roots deeper and in all directions in order to absorb nutrients on its own.
In addition, the sandy loam soil, which has a layer of pebbles in it, contains plenty of granite minerals that are ideal for growing rice. The combination of these elements makes Shichijocho Sandamai rice stronger than regular rice, and it is said to produce delicious rice that is full of vitality.
"Because the soil is sandy, the yield is not that high, but I'm grateful to be able to grow rice here because it's so delicious." Environmentally friendly agriculture is popular in Kikuchi City even on a national level. Mr. Koike, who has incorporated natural farming into his lifestyle, is also the chairman of the Kikuchi Environmentally Friendly Agricultural Technology Research Association.
Producers who practice environmental conservation-oriented agriculture, mainly natural and organic farming, work together in the region to regularly exchange techniques, inspect farm fields, and hold social gatherings. Thanks to the daily efforts of Mr. Koike and others, there are now more people practicing environmental conservation-oriented agriculture in Kikuchi than in the rest of the country.
"The number of rice fields using natural farming methods is gradually increasing in Kikuchi City. I am very grateful for this. I hope that not only I, but the whole community, will come together and environmentally friendly agriculture will become more widespread."

A thank you note

This year in Kumamoto Prefecture, there was plenty of sunshine and no major damage from typhoons, making the weather perfect for growing rice. The rice is growing well, and the region as a whole is said to have a higher harvest than last year. At the end of the interview, we asked him about his commitment to rice farming and his comments for customers.
"This year the ears are full and the rice grains are beautiful. It's not a big deal, but I put up strips of paper with 'gratitude' written on them at the water outlet of the rice paddies and say 'thank you' every day when I make my rounds. By doing this, I feel like the water is getting cleaner because I see it every day, and it also feels like the rice is responding to my encouragement and growing healthily. All I do is cut the grass thoroughly, which is a very small thing in the context of nature. I feel like I'm just watching over the rice growing freely."
"I am extremely grateful to the rice that was grown, to the people who distribute and sell it, and to the customers who eat it. I grow rice every day in the hope that people will find even a little happiness by eating this rice."
Mr. Koike said that the more he faces nature, the more he feels how small humans are. Mr. Koike, who is a very humble person, headed to the rice waiting to be harvested after the interview.