In recent years, there is a place that has received numerous gold medals in the “Rice and Taste Analysis Contest,” also known as the Olympics of rice, and is attracting attention for its delicious taste. Kofu Town, Hino-gun, Tottori Prefecture. In order to protect the town’s agriculture, rice farmers have united to establish the “Oku Daisen Premium Specially Cultivated Rice Study Group. This new initiative in the hometown of rice cultivation is attracting attention.
Kofu Town, Tottori Prefecture, at the foot of Daisen, ideal for rice cultivation.
Kofu Town, Hino-gun, is located in the southwestern part of Tottori Prefecture. Located at the foot of Daisen, the highest mountain in western Japan, Kofu Town is also known as “Oku Daisen” and is adjacent to Daisen Oki National Park. The town is famous for the delicious natural water that flows from the largest primeval beech forest in western Japan, so much so that several water factories have set up in the area. In addition, the black-bok soil created from the volcanic ash of Daisen has excellent water retention capacity, making the land suitable for growing crops.
Kofu Town has long been known as one of the best rice-growing areas in Tottori Prefecture.
Birth of Daisen Kofu Rice
However, since the 2000s, the number of aging farmers and the number of new farmers has been declining, and the future of rice farming in Kofu Town was in jeopardy. In addition, the decrease in the farming population has led to an increase in abandoned farmland, and the town’s rice production has become obsolete.
We want to protect the delicious rice of Kofu Town. The “Oku Daisen Premium Specially Cultivated Rice Study Group,” chaired by Isao Endo, was started out of this desire to “protect the delicious rice of Kofu Town and make it even more delicious. If the recognition of Oku Daisen Kofu Rice as a specialty product of Kofu Town increases, it will become a sought-after product throughout the country. If sales of rice are expanded, it will lead to higher incomes for farmers. This will lead to the development of local leaders and new farmers, and will help to protect the farmland of Kofu Town.
The abundant nature, the clear streams of Daisen, and the difference in temperature between day and night produce delicious rice. Kofu Town has inherited these blessings. With the philosophy of “protecting local agriculture and farmland in the community,” we want to preserve this town and its delicious rice for future generations. With this in mind, the rice farmers of Kofu Town, JA, and the local government joined hands to establish a study group in 2013.
Commitment to Specially Cultivated Rice
The research group pursues better tasting rice. The standard adopted for this purpose was “specially cultivated rice” as defined by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Compared to conventional rice cultivation, which uses pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers, special rice cultivation requires a reduction of pesticide use and nitrogen content of chemical fertilizers to less than 50% each.
Even a 50% reduction is a challenge, but Daisen Kofu rice is grown using 90% less chemical fertilizers than conventional rice cultivation. The chemical fertilizers are used only for seedling cultivation, not for the rice paddies.
There are two measures of rice taste: taste (shokumichi) and taste (midori). Shokumichi is a machine measure of the moisture, protein, amylose, and other components of brown rice, and visualizes the rice’s umami (flavor) components. In Japan, 65 to 75 points is considered the average value.
The taste value measures the degree of stickiness (water retention film) that forms when white rice is cooked, and is a quantification of the taste of the rice.
The highest score for both is 100, and the higher the score, the tastier the rice. Furthermore, the size of the grains is one of its characteristics. In Kofu Town, the mesh size when sifting brown rice is 1.9 mm.
Although the difference is only 0.1 mm, the 1.9 mm sieve reduces the proportion of immature grains, and the grains are more pleasant to the touch when chewed.
Kinumusume, the pride of Tottori Prefecture, and the starry sky dance
Mr. Endo grows three varieties of rice: Koshihikari, Kinumusume, and Hoshizoramai. Originally, Koshihikari was the main rice grown, but the recent rise in temperature has resulted in the harvesting of a cloudy white rice called unripe rice. The taste of unripe rice is not much different from that of regular rice, but when grading it, its rank is lowered due to its poor appearance.
In response, Tottori Prefecture began recommending two varieties of rice, Kinumusume and Hoshizoramai.
Kinumusume is a late maturing variety produced by combining Kinuhikari, which does not easily fall over, and Aichi 92, which is resistant to disease. Hoshizoramai, on the other hand, is a relatively new variety produced by crossing Sasanishiki, which is less sticky and has a refreshing taste, and Torikei, which has long been cultivated in Tottori. Named after the fact that Tottori Prefecture is the most starry prefecture in Japan, this variety is attracting a great deal of attention as “rice that shines like a star.
Kinumusume and Hoshizoramai are less likely to produce immature rice even at low elevations, so Mr. Endo’s farmers plant Koshihikari at high elevations, Hoshizoramai at intermediate elevations, and Kinumusume at low elevations in order to reduce the amount of immature rice.
The secret to deliciousness
In the study group, members compete with each other’s rice production techniques and confirm rules for cultivating special rice and safe methods of using pesticides.
The most important of all is daily water management. When the temperature is high, the depth of the water in the rice paddies is raised to maintain a constant water temperature.
The rice in Kofu Town is delicious because of the cold water from Daisen and the temperature difference between day and night. We do our best to make the most of it,” says Endo.
He has also asked Mr. Goichi Endo, a famous special rice farmer from Yamagata Prefecture, to give him advice on everything from soil preparation to harvesting methods. Mr. Goichi is a rice farmer who began organic cultivation in the 1980s, when pesticides and chemical fertilizers were the norm, and has frequently won gold medals in the “Rice and Food Taste Analysis Contest. He is a legendary rice farmer who is also known as “Japan’s No. 1 rice artisan.
Since the soil in Kofu Town is highly acidic in nature, he adds alkaline fertilizers, the mineral boron, and other fertilizers, mainly those instructed by Mr. Goichi, to his rice paddies. They also add bamboo charcoal and bamboo powder, which are specialties of the Kakihara area of Kofu Town, to improve the soil and eliminate weeds. By adding fertilizers of natural origin and maintaining a balance of soil components, the farmers are able to produce rice with a better taste.
I want people to eat good-tasting rice,” he said. We want people to eat good-tasting rice, and we want to cultivate in accordance with nature. That is why at Daisen Efu Rice, we try to use fertilizers that are derived from nature, not chemical fertilizers.
Received the highest gold medal at the Japan’s Best Rice Contest.
The rice produced by the members of the study group thus created has been highly acclaimed throughout the country.
At the “Rice Japan’s No. 1 Contest in Shizuoka,” held annually in Shizuoka Prefecture to compete for the best taste of rice, Kinumusume was awarded the “Highest Gold Prize,” second to the highest honor, in 2016 and 2018. Furthermore, Koshihikari and Kinumusume received gold medals in the “Rice and Taste Analysis Contest,” which analyzes and appraises the taste of rice as well as its grade, and their taste became well known nationwide.
Since then, the company has entered its rice in competitions every year, winning gold medals and top prizes. They continue to pursue even better tasting rice and aim to win prizes with their new rice variety, HOSHIKURI Mai.
We want to deliver safe, secure, and delicious rice
Daisen Efu Rice is grown with less use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The cultivation method of using naturally derived products and focusing on taste sometimes results in a reduced yield.
The yield is also reduced when we try to obtain the best taste,” he says. Even so, we want to produce a product that has both flavor and yield. To achieve this, we are researching what kind of cultivation methods we should use and what we should feed them,” says Endo.
The company also continues to aim for higher standards of taste. He aims to achieve a taste value of 90 or higher in both eating quality and taste quality, and he is currently striving to produce “tasty rice” that is highly evaluated in competitions.
Safer and tastier rice. The future of Daisen Kofu rice is approaching.
