2022 Sake rice "Comet" harvested & first shipment of new rice "Comet" to be shipped to Ryujin Sake Brewery (Tatebayashi City, Gunma Prefecture), etc.

Thursday, September 15, 2022

On Sunday, September 11, rice harvesting for sake rice was held in the Kosaku district.

Under a refreshing autumn sky, four combine harvesters were in full operation, vigorously harvesting golden rice one after another.

In Hokuryu Town, four farmers, including Yasunori Watanabe, grow the sake rice "Comet. This year's rice is doing well, and we can expect the same yield as last year," says Yasunori Watanabe.

On Tuesday, September 13, the first shipment of new 2022 rice (Uruchi and glutinous rice) was held at the JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu branch office and agricultural products collection and shipping facility.

Sake rice "Comet" harvested

Golden rice harvest

Golden rice harvest
Golden rice harvest

Powerful combine harvester spitting out rice straw

Combine spitting out rice straw and moving with great energy
Combine spitting out rice straw and moving with great energy

Under a clear blue sky.

Under a clear blue sky.
Under a clear blue sky.

Harvested rice is loaded onto a truck for transport.

Harvested rice is loaded onto a truck for transport.
Harvested rice is loaded onto a truck for transport.

Basking in the sun....

Basking in the sun....
Basking in the sun....

ears of rice glistening with gold

ears of rice glistening with gold
ears of rice glistening with gold

First shipment (JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Branch Office)

Two days later, on Tuesday, September 13, the first shipment of the new 2022 crop of Sunflower Rice (glutinous and Uruchi rice) was held at JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Branch (Branch Manager Kimitoshi Washio).

JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Branch Office, Agricultural Products Collection and Shipping Facility

JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Branch Office, Agricultural Products Collection and Shipping Facility
JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Branch Office, Agricultural Products Collection and Shipping Facility

New rice loaded in containers and shipped to JA

New rice shipped to JA
New rice shipped to JA

grain of rice in good condition

grain of rice in good condition
grain of rice in good condition

sequential sampling inspection (with reposition)

sequential sampling inspection (with reposition)
sequential sampling inspection (with reposition)

Inspected and numerically measured by paddy rice machine appraisal

Inspected and numerically measured by paddy rice machine appraisal
Inspected and numerically measured by paddy rice machine appraisal

Maki Takagi, Manager, Rice Division, Sales Department, JA Kitasorachi

Hirokuni Kitakiyo, Regional Representative Director, and Maki Takagi, Section Chief of the Rice Section, Rice Sales Department, JA Kitasorachi, checking the grain size of the new rice
Hokushin District Representative Director and JA Kitasorachi Sales Department Rice Section Manager Maki Takagi checks the status of the new rice grains.

We were introduced to Gunma Prefecture's Ryujin Sake Brewery by Hokuren. They wanted to use rice that is gentle to the body, so they requested sake rice that is made with rice that is produced using a low-consumption method. He also wanted to use a sake rice that was healthier for him and his family, and he wanted Hokuryu-cho, which has the same name "Ryu" as the company's name. It has been three years since we started doing business with them, and we deal with them about 1,000 bales a year.

Ryujin Shuzo Co., Ltd. has won the "Highest Gold Award" in the main category for two consecutive years at the "Wineglass Delicious Sake Awards 2022" for "Oze no Yukidoke Junmai Daiginjyo Namazume".

We have made a wonderful connection through the "Ryu" connection, and we look forward to brewing delicious sake made from Hokuryu-cho sake rice in the future in cooperation with Ryujin Shuzo," said Maki Takagi, Manager of the department.

Commemorative photo of the celebration

Commemorative photo of the celebration
Commemorative photo of the celebration

Yutaka Sano, Mayor of the town, and Hirokuni Kitakiyo, Hokuryu District Representative Director

Mayor Yutaka Sano, Representative Director of Hokuryu District, Hirokuni Kitakiyo
Mayor Yutaka Sano (right) and Hirokuni Kitakiyo, Hokuryu District Representative Director (left)

I am very happy to see the first shipment of this wonderful rice," said Mayor Yutaka Sano.

This year's new rice is low in protein, has good grain consistency, and we don't see the white rice grains that we saw last year. We have high expectations for this year in terms of yield, and we think it will be a really good year," said Hirokuni Kitakiyo, District Representative Director.

With thanks for a wonderfully successful fall!
With thanks for a wonderfully successful fall!

With boundless love, gratitude and prayers for the best new rice of a wonderful autumn, full of the love and vitality of the growers, and the finest taste of Hokuryu Town's new rice.

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◇ Photography and Editing: Noboru Terauchi Reporting and Writing: Ikuko Terauchi

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