[2023 New Rice Harvest - Up to 60,000 yen off!!!] Ueno Matsutoshi's Naturally Grown Rice "Hinohikari" Brown Rice 360kg

[2023 harvest] Ueno Matsutoshi's naturally grown rice "Hinohikari"

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Please rest assured that we will send you this year's new rice as soon as it arrives.
We also secure one year's supply of designated naturally grown rice.

Hinohikari rice from Ueno in Kikuchi City, the best rice producing region in Japan

50 years of rice farming

Matsutoshi Ueno is engaged in natural rice cultivation in Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture. Before entering the world of natural cultivation, he served as the head of an agricultural cooperative and practiced a variety of farming methods, including conventional, organic, and no-till cultivation.

Contributing to the advancement of environmentally friendly agriculture in Kikuchi City

Kikuchi City, Kumamoto Prefecture, is famous as one of the leading rice producing areas in Japan. Matsutoshi Ueno has been growing rice here for many years. Ueno has been growing organically grown rice since shortly after Purely was founded, and his rice has been well received by many customers.
He started growing rice in his 20s, and before he stepped into the world of natural farming 12 years ago, he served as the president of the Kikuchi Agricultural Cooperative. During his 30 years at the cooperative, he proposed reduced pesticide rice cultivation using EM fertilizer in 1994, and called on members at the time, with over 40 people starting to produce rice using special cultivation methods.

The beautiful water of Kikuchi flows through Ueno's rice fields. "At first, there was a lot of opposition. The agricultural cooperative, which is a comprehensive business, would not want to stop selling fertilizer. But I told people around me that if we use EM compost and have money left over from fertilizer, we can put it into savings," he says with a laugh. Over 20 years ago, he has been leading the way in establishing "food safety and security." As a result, it is no exaggeration to say that Kikuchi City has become famous nationwide as a region thriving in environmentally friendly agriculture.

Naturally grown rice continues to grow

Ueno-san has cultivated rice using various farming methods, including conventional, organic, and no-till farming. He was just about to start growing pesticide-free rice after retiring from the agricultural cooperative when he encountered Purely, and now he is engaged in natural farming without fertilizer or pesticides. Until then, he had been using a small amount of compost fertilizer, but since he didn't rely so much on fertilizer, he had no hesitation in switching to natural farming. When he first switched to natural farming on a trial basis, he felt that "this will be fine," and even now the harvest is stable. Meanwhile, Ueno-san says that the quality of the rice has clearly changed from before after so many years of natural farming.
When he was the head of the agricultural cooperative, he was bothered by the smell that came from the rice when it was kept warm in a rice cooker. It bothered him so much that he thought the rice cooker was the cause and asked the agricultural cooperative staff to find a rice cooker that didn't have an odor. "It wasn't a problem with the rice cooker, it was with the rice. I think the smell was caused by fertilizer (nitrogen)." No matter how much he searched at the time, he couldn't find a solution, but when he switched to growing rice without fertilizer, he says that the smell no longer bothered him. By not relying on excessive fertilizer and by letting the roots grow firmly, the rice's natural appearance and flavor are created.

Ears of rice with ripe fruit and drooping heads "Rice can only be grown once a year. The weather changes every year. That's why there are no amateurs or experts in rice farming; everyone is a first-year. Among them, what people who try natural farming can do is to make seedlings, plow the rice field to make it even, plant the rice, manage the water, and harvest." Rice farming is simpler because nothing is used. Among those, they simply perform the limited tasks with single-minded dedication. Because they do everything they can, I felt that natural farming teaches us how rice farming, as well as other crops, should be "the way it should be."

What is nature?

"Even if there are insects, we can't spray pesticides, so all we can do is watch. As a farmer, I feel like I have to do something, but in reality, it's better if I don't do anything. I realized that I don't understand what nature is. For an ordinary farmer, switching from conventional and organic farming that has been practiced for many years to natural farming that does not use any pesticides or fertilizers means changing their past habits, and it's not an easy step to take.
Normally, I would be very hesitant to not use pesticides, fearing the bugs and diseases that will come in September. At first, I was anxious and tried to rely on something, but I persevered. Now I know that I can grow rice without using fertilizer. The yield has stabilized and I no longer have to worry about anything. If you do anything for 10 years, you will see results. This year, the weather has been harsh, but it was worth the effort, and the rice has grown very well, so please enjoy it.
"Food is said to make people better, so I think that in the future, we should make food that makes people feel good when they eat it, and I will continue to work hard to achieve that." Ueno-san, who always remains humble, taught me a "beautiful way of life." He not only makes delicious rice, but also puts his heart into making people feel good by eating it, so we hope that his wish will be realized.