A pamphlet by Ryoji Kikura, an honorary citizen of Hokuryu Town, entitled "Food is life, life, Hokuryu Town protects and nurtures food, the environment, and life."

Friday, March 31, 2023

We would like to introduce the full text of the booklet (24 pages, A4 color) "Ryoji Kikura - Food is Life" that was distributed to participants at the "Celebration for Honorary Citizen of Hokuryu Town, Mr. Ryoji Kikura," held on Saturday, March 25th at Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen. The party was held to celebrate the fifth honorary citizen of Hokuryu Town in 31 years.

history

Date of birth: June 1, 1939 (Showa 14)
Current address: Itaya, Hokuryu-cho, Uryu-gun, Hokkaido
・Father: Harukichi Mother: Hisago's second son

Educational background

・Shinryu Elementary School
・Hokuryu Junior High School
・Hokkaido Hokuryu High School

Organization history

January 1971 - January 1972: Deputy Director of the Youth Division of Hokuryu Town Agricultural Cooperative Association
January 1972 - January 1973: Director of the Youth Division
March 1973 - March 1985 Director
March 1985 - March 1990: Deputy Chairman of the Association
March 1990 - March 1991: Managing Director
March 1991 - January 2000 Representative Director and Union Chairman
February 2000 - June 2002 Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative
Representative Director and Managing Director
June 2002 - April 2007 Representative Director and Union Chairman

Related organizations

April 1976 - May 1998: Director of Kita Sorachi Agricultural Mutual Aid Association
June 1976 - May 1998: Member of the Hokuryu Town Agricultural Committee
June 1996 - June 1999 Director, Hokkaido Agricultural Development Corporation

History of related organizations

February 1964: Joined the Hokuryu Town Fire Department
January 1973 to December 1980, 1st Division Squad Leader
January 1980 - March 1988: Chief of the 1st Division
August 1964 - March 1976: Member of the Hokuryu Town Physical Education Guidance Committee
April 1973 - March 1991 Vice President of Hokuryu Town Sports Association
March/April 1991 - present Advisor
March/April 1991 - Present Hokkaido Organic Agriculture Research Association
Director, Audit Director
March/April 2001 - May 2001: Director of Hokuryu Promotion Corporation

Awards

May 1971: Award based on the Hokuryu Town Award Ordinance (Sports Merit) Hokuryu Town
July 1991, Hokuryu Town Athletic Association Merit Award, Hokuryu Town Athletic Association
May 2002: Hokuryu Town 110th Anniversary Commemorative Award (Special Meritorious Person) Hokuryu Town
January 2006: Hokkaido Industry Contribution Award (Agricultural Contributions), Hokkaido
December 2022: Honorary Citizen of Hokuryu Town

The Age of Extreme Poverty

The Okura family settled on Itaya Farm in 1926. It was a small rice field measuring 3 cho, 8 tan, and 183 rice paddies.
Ryoji Kikura is the second son of six siblings (four boys and two twin girls), and grew up in extreme poverty where his mother was unable to produce breast milk.

Suffering from rickets during elementary school

He entered Shinryu Elementary School in April 1946. Due to his frail constitution, he was hunched over when he entered elementary school and was diagnosed with rickets caused by malnutrition.

In elementary school, everyone brought their own lunch. Ryoji's lunch was not made with white rice, but with barley or millet, and pickled cabbage as a side dish.
Around the second half of the third grade, children are finally able to eat plain rice.

At the time, his grandparents received an abandoned cow from an acquaintance and began raising it. To protect their grandson's life, they milked the cow, which they raised on the grass between the fields, and gave the milk to Ryoji to drink.
Ryoji's internal organs were strong, so he never had any gastrointestinal problems from eating raw milk.

Food is the origin of life

Since I started drinking raw milk as a calcium supplement, my health has gradually improved since I was in the fourth and fifth grades of elementary school.
When he was in junior high school, he was ranked first and second in running races. By the time he was in high school, his back had recovered to the point that it was almost unnoticeable. "I owe my current health to my grandparents," says Ryoji.

Ryoji says that his experience of being sickly as a child made him realize firsthand how important natural food is. For him, his childhood experiences are the origin of the idea that "food is life."

During his junior high school days, he worked on the farm in the afternoons.

In junior high school, he used textbooks handed down from his older brother. Every afternoon, he would help with farm work, planting rice, pushing weeds (8 tanbo), and weeding by hand in the spring, and in the fall he would help with the rice harvest, hoeing, threshing, and threshing.

At the time, there were five students who were unable to participate in the school trip in June. In addition to being unable to participate in the school trip, they also went to Shinryu Elementary School to cut firewood.

At the graduation ceremony for the third year at Hokuryu Junior High School, when I was to receive my diploma as the representative (representative of the 121 graduating class), I didn't have a school uniform, so I borrowed an old one from my teacher and wore it on stage. I also wore some cut-up rubber boots instead of sneakers.

No matter how poor they were, they never became depressed or distorted. And most importantly, there was no bullying.

Of the 121 graduates, only six went on to full-time high school, and only three went on to university. It was a time when very few students were able to go on to higher education.

Participated in a junior high school speech contest

In September of his third year of junior high school, a school-wide speech contest was held, with a total of nine students from all grades taking part. Ryoji himself wanted to participate. At the time, there was something he really wanted to convey. The title of his speech was "Never Repeat the Tragedy of the Atomic Bomb (Five Pages of Manuscript Paper)."

"Nine years have passed since Japan suffered the devastation of the atomic bomb, and now that a fishing boat has been damaged in an experiment at Bikini Atoll and fishermen have been killed, this must never happen again!" I really wanted to convey my strong feelings.

Despite his teacher's warning to "show me your manuscript before you give your presentation so that we can check it," he went on stage, declaring that he would rather not participate than have the content corrected after being shown it.

As a result, Vice Principal Asano commented that "Ryoji's speech was too difficult for a junior high school student," and he did not win the award.

In December of his third year of junior high school, he received the advice to quit farming.

At the time, the family of 12 (grandparents, parents, two uncles, and six siblings) was advised by the agricultural cooperative to leave farming. After receiving the advice, the eldest brother went to Sapporo to work as an apprentice carpenter and builder.

Goto Sanohachi, who knew the situation of the Okura family, who had a sickly mother and was heavily in debt to the agricultural cooperative, advised them to "leave Ryoji behind and continue farming."

Goto promised, "If you continue farming, I will stamp my seal guaranteeing the purchase of the fertilizers necessary for farming: ammonium sulfate, superphosphate, and salt."

There is no shame in being poor

At that time, agriculture was dominated by horse-drawn sleighs, and oats were an important food source for horses to avoid beriberi during the winter.
Ryoji tells his father to buy three bales of oats, and heads to the agricultural cooperative without any money, saying he will pay with agricultural bills.
The agricultural cooperative employee loaded the oats onto a cart, but when he found out that he had no cash, he unloaded the oats from the cart, saying, "If you don't have money, you can't sell them."

If the horses are not fed oats, they will get beriberi and become unable to move, meaning farming will be impossible in the spring. Ryoji heads home crying.

Sugimoto Kiyomatsu, a legitimate horse dealer who lived next door and had been watching over the situation, brought over a 18-liter can of lime (carbide).

In the barn, they spent a day digging a hole large enough to bury two halved drums, then packed it with straw and stomped it down hard. They then soaked the packed straw in hot water with dissolved carbide. After leaving it for about two days, they fed the horses the straw feed, which prevented them from getting leg fever, and in the spring they were able to plow the rice fields. Thanks to the horse trader, Sugimoto, they made it through the spring safely. In this way, they were able to protect their small rice fields, measuring 3 cho (1.5 acres), 8 tan (1.5 acres), and 183 rice paddies.

The rice fields were uneven, labor-intensive, and in poor condition, resulting in low productivity. Despite the situation, Ryoji never felt the slightest bit negative, thinking, "Why do I have to farm in such poor conditions?"

At the time, Goto Sanohachi told me, "There is nothing shameful about being poor. It is more shameful to fall. It is shameful to cause trouble to those who helped you and guaranteed you. Be patient, work and pay back your debts! There is nothing shameful about being poor!"

Graduated from Hokuryu High School with almost no attendance

He entered Hokuryu High School, which was established with the consideration of Goto Sanohachi (a high school with intensive winter courses and many holidays during the busy farming season).

In March of his second year of high school, the principal, Takebe Yoshiyoshi, sent him a notice that he would be repeating the year due to insufficient attendance.

When the Superintendent of Education, Goto Miohachi, found out about this, he angrily told the principal, "Are you looking at how the students live their lives? It is a precious thing for them to learn about the hard work they do at school. How dare you make students repeat a year because they didn't attend enough classes to help out on the farm!" As a result, he was able to complete his fourth year without repeating a year and was able to graduate.
Although he was barely able to attend class and was unable to study during his high school years, no one complained or slandered him. Ryoji says, "I think this was because everyone saw how hard I worked in the fields more than anyone else and understood me."

In the fall of his third year of high school, two friends who had hoped to join the Self-Defense Forces came running to Ryoji's field crying and said, "We wanted to join the Self-Defense Forces, but the school said they couldn't recommend us! Ryo-chan, please do something!"

"I can't forgive that," Ryoji thought, and as a student who works while studying, he wrote "10 points for the role and reform of Hokuryu Part-time High School" on the blackboard in the classroom, and wrote, "Those who agree with this should close the school tomorrow!" Ryoji declared to everyone, "I will submit these 10 points to the school and take sole responsibility, so don't worry!"

Those who were absent were told to gather at the dormitory in front of Shinryu Elementary School. The principal, vice principal, and homeroom teacher rushed to the second floor where everyone had gathered.

"We acknowledge what was written on the blackboard and approve your recommendation to join the Self-Defense Forces. If the school were to be closed, you would all be punished, so if you come to school right now we will let it slide," said the principal.

As a result, although he was recommended to join the Self-Defense Forces, he was also punished under the Alliance School Closure Act and was expelled.

The principal, vice principal, and homeroom teacher went to report on this matter to Superintendent Goto Futoshi, bringing with them the "Ten Rules to be Fulfilled by Hokuryu Part-time High School" written by Ryoji.

Superintendent Goto was furious, saying, "You idiot! How dare you expel Kikura Ryoji, who protested that he would not be recommended to join the Self-Defense Forces because there were not enough school days!"

Ryoji was thus able to avoid expulsion and graduate from high school. The two men, who were recommended by the Self-Defense Forces, passed the exam and successfully fulfilled their duties.

Joined the fire brigade at age 20

At the time, only talented young people were selected to become members of the fire brigade. Ryoji was recommended to join at the age of 20.

At that time, most of the fire brigade members owned motorcycles or cars, but Ryoji was the only one who rode a bicycle.

Feeling sorry for his son, his father went to see the head of the agricultural cooperative, Mr. Goto, and asked him, "I have some debts, but can you somehow give my son a 50cc motorcycle?" The next day, Mr. Goto called Ryoji in, and in front of everyone, he shouted at him in a voice that cracked, "You idiot!"

"Hey, you're a member of the fire brigade and you want a motorcycle! Why do we need 60 members of the fire brigade? You don't understand! Some people rush to the scene as soon as the siren sounds, and others rush to the scene after some time has passed; we can't all deploy at the same time! That's why we have 30 members in each division.

What are you ashamed of for riding a bicycle? You can be the last one! Just help clean up!
Don't be ashamed of being poor! Poor people want this and that, and they end up collapsing. Be patient! Work! Collapse is the most shameful thing!
"I'm the one who's going to get you to sign the guarantee. Are you going to cause me any trouble?" Union leader Goto scolded in a loud voice.

Ryoji himself couldn't say that he had never said anything like that to his parents, and feeling embarrassed, he apologized profusely, saying, "I'm sorry! I don't want a motorcycle. I'll buy one when I can afford it."
"Got it! Go home! Go to work!" Union leader Goto's voice echoed through the office.

A wonderful bond is formed

Finally, someone called out, "Ryoji, wait a minute!"
"Ryoji, there is someone who sees you working hard, and that person will definitely help you one day. That person will tell a good person about Ryoji, who works hard, and introduce him to an even better person, which will lead to wonderful connections. That's what a job is!" Ryoji went home in tears, savoring Goto's words.

Don't seek status, fame, and money

Goto Miohachi was born in Uryu Village in 1898 (Meiji 31) and lived until 1980 (Showa 55). He served as the fifth president of the Hokuryu Town Agricultural Cooperative Association (hereafter referred to as Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative) for six terms, a total of 18 years, from 1955 (Showa 30).

On November 2, 1972, the year before Goto Mitsuohachi retired, Ryoji was called into Goto's room by Goto Mitsuohachi along with Goto Toru (Goto Mitsuohachi's son).

President Goto said, "I will be retiring as president at the general meeting on March 12th next year (1973). I had wanted to nominate Nakamura Toshihiro (a man who raised everyone debt-free while working as a carpenter, a cultural figure who participated in the agricultural cooperative movement, and a former Hokuryu town council member). However, there is a movement led by the agricultural cooperative youth division to appoint a young person to the board of directors. You have been nominated as a candidate, and I do not oppose it. However, there is something I would like to say. Remember this.

Don't waste your pocket money. Don't spend it on entertainment. When you save up money, buy a book first. In the future, knowledge will surely become part of you.

In the coming age, food will soon become scarce. With this in mind, put it into practice in your own farming and create a business plan for the agricultural cooperative (this was a time when there was a rice surplus and crop rotation was beginning).

Don't seek "status, fame, and money." This is important. As an agricultural cooperative executive, you will eventually encounter these situations. Be prepared to deal with them resolutely when they do.

"The public's opinion of me will become clear 10 years after I step down as president. The agricultural cooperative does not belong to the executives or the staff, it belongs to the members. Always return to that. When a problem arises and you are unsure what to do, think about what you can do to benefit the members. Follow the answer that comes to you," he said.

Goto Sanohachi would tell his son Toru, "Ryoji probably can't drink alcohol at home, so let him have a drink before he goes home." Whenever Goto finished speaking, Toru would always offer Ryoji a glass of sake (just under one go) and summarize what his father had said in a digestible way.

"You know what my dad is saying, right? When he says 'there will be no more rice', it's not about the quantity. If high economic growth continues, the farming that has been done with so much care will eventually disappear. Farmers will start using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and all sorts of other things, and will be mass-producing the rice. That's what my dad is saying. That's why, Ryo-chan, let's try natural farming together!" said Toru.

Practicing natural farming and giving over 500 lectures in 50 years

These thoughts of Goto Sanohachi became the foundation that shaped Ryoji's life thereafter, and this is where Toru and Ryoji began their challenge of natural farming.

At the time, there were two types of natural farming: Mokichi Okada's natural farming, which was "a farming method that does not use herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers," and Masanobu Fukuoka's natural farming, which was "a farming method that does not use anything, just sow seeds and do not remove weeds." The two men tried Mokichi Okada's natural farming.

He started natural farming in 1973, but in the first year he was only able to harvest about four bales per tan. Although the yield was low, about half that of conventional farming, the rice plants were growing vigorously.

A rice planting festival was held in this natural farming rice field, and officials from the Hokuryu Town Sports Association gathered to plant the rice by hand, then prayed for a good harvest and raised a toast in celebration.
The rice fields in front of Ryoji's house, where he started practicing natural farming at the time, have been passed down over the past 50 years and are still being cherished by his son and wife, Masayasu and Keiko Kikura.

Hearing that natural farming had been started in Hokuryu, many Sapporo city officials came to inspect the farm. His wife, Masako, invited them to her home, where they were treated to sushi, sake, and a long conversation about agriculture.

Around 1975, he began serving as a lecturer on natural farming among members of the World Messianity Church.

He continued to give lectures on agriculture after that, and has given 522 lectures to date over the past 48 years.

He continues to talk about how "food is life."

The secret story behind the construction of a cold storage facility before the agricultural cooperative merger

During the time when subsidies were being implemented for modernization projects, Goto Mitsuohachi, head of the Hokuryu Town Agricultural Cooperative, was most concerned about collusion with contractors and collusion among employees.

In 1993, the town was hit by the worst cold weather since the war. In 1995, the Food Control Law was abolished for the first time in 53 years. With the increase in rice paddy area and the increase in rice shipping volume due to improvements in cultivation techniques, there was a need to build a new agricultural warehouse to maintain the quality of stored rice.

Taking into consideration the future wide-area merger of the Kita Sorachi Agricultural Cooperatives, efforts have been made to build a cold storage facility to store and manage rice. The biggest challenge was to build two cold storage facilities that could hold 150,000 bales of rice before the merger.

At the time, Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative was facing financial difficulties and could not impose an additional burden on its members for the construction of a warehouse. Chairman Huang Cang decided to do everything in his power to keep the construction costs low.

When the first warehouse was built, eight companies participated in the bidding (seven companies from Kita-Sorachi and Ishizuka Construction Co., Ltd. from Wakkanai City).
During a pre-bid meeting with Hokuren and other parties, Kikura proposed 58% of the construction price to the construction company. He was denounced by the participants as "unreasonable." Kikura insisted, "We cannot impose any more burden on our members, so 58% is the limit."

Chairman Kikura continued, "Currently, Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative is in a very difficult situation. However, we are by no means making unreasonable demands this time. I asked my brother, who runs a construction business in Hamamatsu City, to design and give me an estimate for the construction costs, and he came up with a figure of 50%. He said that if it were to be made to Hokkaido specifications, 53% would be enough to make a profit. I am not saying to make it cheap because we don't have the money. I am doing this because I have the backing of a fair price that will be profitable for everyone."

In the end, Ishizuka Construction Co., Ltd., which submitted the lowest bid, was the winner, and after consultation declared, "Let's go for 53.8%," and the decision was made.

When the second low-temperature warehouse was to be built, Nishide Construction's Sapporo branch joined the project and offered to take on 58.2% of the project, which was approved.

The Hokkaido rice consumption campaign begins with the Consumers' Co-op and Hokuryu Agricultural Co-op

In the late 1970s, a rice partnership between Coop Sapporo (Sapporo Citizens' Co-op) and Hokuryu Agricultural Co-op began, and the "Hokkaido Rice Consumption Expansion Campaign" was launched.

In the speech, Chairman Huang Cang asserted that the basis of a cooperative is "the bond of life between producers and consumers, and the bridge of life between producers and consumers (the basis of a cooperative is for producers and consumers to deepen the bond of life and the bridge of life)."

In order to actively promote rice-producing area exchanges between Coop Sapporo and Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative, Coop Sapporo members were invited to Hokuryu Town by bus.

First, they visited Keidaibetsu Dam, the source of water that is the source of life, and were shown the water in the rice fields and the rice and melon fields.In the evening, they held a social gathering with the youth and women's groups.

The most common comment in the survey conducted during the inspection was "I hope for safe food production."

Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative's Youth and Women's Divisions Step Up to Produce Safe Food

So young people from the Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative Youth Division stepped up and began a movement to tackle the challenge of producing safe food without the use of herbicides.

In 1988, members of the women's and youth divisions of the agricultural cooperative proposed to hold a "Hokuryu Town Farmers' Meeting on Safe Food Production" instead of participating in the rice price demand rallies being held nationwide at the time.

The young people in the youth division wanted to hold a rally to interact with consumers and respond to their request to "produce safe food" rather than to demand a lower rice price, and this was a proposal that will go down in history.

Huang Cang, the union leader, said, "If there are any opponents at the rally, don't worry, I will explain the great significance of the proposal!"

At the meeting, a young member of the youth division read out the first proposal, and one union member (83 years old) shouted in support, saying, "Oh, you guys, go ahead and do it! I'll support you."

The proposal was passed unanimously, and the decision was made to implement a 10% reduction in pesticide use in farming.

In 1989, the organic, reduced-pesticide rice "Kirara 397" was sold throughout Hokkaido under the brand name "Himawari Rice."

The town came together and declared itself "a town of safe food production that protects the lives and health of its citizens."

In 1990, Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative took the lead, cherishing the idea that "food is life," and families joined forces, using their hands, skills, and hearts (souls) to make it their number one priority to "protect and nurture life, food, the environment, and livelihoods."

On October 26, 1990, the Hokuryu Town Agricultural Committee (Chairman: Sawada Takashi) declared the "Hokuryu Town Agricultural Committee Charter: To nurture the soil, nature, and greenery, secure an abundant water supply, and strive to foster highly productive agriculture (producing safe food for humans) that will inspire dreams and hopes for our hometown."

On November 22, 1990, the Hokuryu Town Land Improvement District (Chairman: Akira Nanba) passed a resolution at its general meeting to "nurture nature and greenery, secure clean water, and strive to produce safe food, under the theme of 'Rich Environment, Fertile Rural Area.'"

On December 16, 1990, Mayor Shoichi Mori of Hokuryu Town presented a mayoral proposal to the town council, declaring Hokuryu Town a "town that declares safe food production to protect the lives and health of its citizens."

The entire town of Hokuryu has come together to declare itself "a town of safe food production that protects the lives and health of its citizens."

Sister partnership with Himawari Agricultural Cooperative

Five agricultural cooperatives, mainly from Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture, merged in 1989 and named the cooperative "Himawari." This deepened ties with Hokuryu Town. At 2:00 p.m. on August 5, 1991, a venue was set up in the sunflower fields, and a total of 90 people visited the town, including all the officials of the Himawari Agricultural Cooperative, the Mayor of Toyokawa, and a Toyokawa hand-held fireworks maker with a 350-year history.
The sister town affiliation signing ceremony was solemnly carried out by the town leaders, union presidents, and all agricultural cooperative officials, including Mayor Yamamoto of Hokuryu Town. The ceremony was celebrated with a magnificent hand-held fireworks display. Since then, meaningful exchanges have continued.

Black market rice trade

Around 1993, when rice was under a rationing system, the Sapporo Agricultural Policy Office took action after it was discovered that Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative was engaged in illegal rice trading.

At the time, Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative was conducting black market transactions with clients who were struggling due to a rice shortage, at prices that recognized the value of Hokuryu.

In 1994, the Sapporo Agricultural Administration Office called Mr. Kikura, the president of Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative.

At the office, the tax inspector presented supporting documents. The documents listed the names of clients of Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative. "We're short of rice and in danger of closing down, so please give us any sacks you can," the client had said, crying.

Having been given the tax audit documents, Huang Cang, the union leader, had no choice but to apologize with both hands on his knees. After being scolded for a long time, he was kicked out and told, "Next time, we'll take action, so go home today!"

Later, he appeared in the office of Director Osumi of the Sapporo Agricultural Administration Office, where documents suspending the rice collection license and financial suspension were laid out on the desk.
The head of the abode said, "This is a problem. It will be the first time that such a punishment has ever been done in Japan."

Huang Cang, the union president, said, "Whatever the punishment, I will take full responsibility and resign."

The head of the abutment said, "It's not enough to just quit. If I stamp this, rice collection will no longer be possible in Hokuryu Town this year. Also, if I stamp a financial suspension, Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative's financial services will come to a halt. Do you know what will happen? Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative will have no choice but to dissolve!"

The seriousness of the situation made the Huangcang Union leader's mind go blank. After pondering for a while, the head of the residence spoke:

"You did a great job, but many of your business partners were in trouble. Kunimare Sake Brewery in particular might have had to close if it hadn't been for this rice. You are highly commendable for preventing this situation and keeping brewing going.

It's not like your organization made any special profits. This is what agricultural cooperatives need in the future. These are the kinds of reforms agricultural cooperatives need." The head of the household was at his wits' end, not knowing what to do.

After thinking about it, the head of the abode said, "I give up!"

When he heard those words, Huang Cang's tears began to flow uncontrollably and he burst into tears on the spot!
When asked, "Why did you think of something like this?", Huanggang Union President

After regaining his composure, President Kikura replied, "As a cooperative, we value our dealings with the consumer cooperative, and have always wanted to combine the 'campaign to protect the lives of the consumer cooperative' with the 'campaign to protect the life of the agricultural cooperative.' With that in mind, even though it was an illegal transaction, we made the transaction because we felt it was important to share rice with people in need."

"You're right, you're still young, but it's important to take care of these things. I can take responsibility for resolving this, so I won't be taking any action against you!" I was grateful for the words of the head of the abode.

Huang Cang, the union president, was deeply moved. The Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative had been saved.

The head of the residence was then transferred to the Hiroshima Prefectural Office.

Participated in the PHP Institute-sponsored symposium "Rice, the Japanese, and Ise Shrine"

In 1996, a symposium entitled "Rice, the Japanese, and Ise Shrine" was held at Ise Shrine, sponsored by the PHP Institute (Tokyo). Among the guests and agricultural professionals from around the country, Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative Chairman Kikura took the stage. Toshiaki Kaminogo (Japanese journalist and non-fiction author) served as moderator.

The eve of the festival featured a lecture by Haruo Minami, who spoke beautifully and fluently in his traditional haori and hakama about "The Japanese people and the gods, Japanese rice, and Ise Shrine." Ryoji was deeply moved by the many moving stories that touched his heart and conveyed the value of Ise Shrine!

Meeting between Makoto Lunch Box and Side Dish Co., Ltd. (Tokyo) and Chairman Kikura

Before 2000, Mineko Yamazaki, president of Makoto Co., Ltd. (Tokyo), which sells popular "airplane bento" (airplane lunches) at Haneda Airport, was searching for delicious rice.

President Yamazaki was introduced to Hokuryu Town's "Sunflower Rice" by an acquaintance as a delicious Hokkaido rice, and visited Hokuryu Town where he met Mr. Kikura, the president of the Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative.

On his first visit, President Yamazaki headed to Hokuryu Town in the winter of February. He was thrilled when Masao Fujisaki, then manager of the Hokuryu Town Agricultural Cooperative, drove through the snow to JR Takikawa Station to pick him up.

When I arrived at Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative, the first thing that caught my eye was a message posted in the office: "Food is life." I realized that Makoto's company motto, "Food is life," and the goals of Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative are the same.

When President Yamazaki was allowed to use the toilet, he was convinced that Hokuryu Town Agricultural Cooperative shares the same spirit as Makoto, as he was impressed by the cleanliness of the toilet, and by the sign inside that read, "A refreshing toilet, cleaner than when you came in."

Whenever he wants to know the true character of a potential business partner, President Yamazaki always borrows their restroom. "I was impressed by the cleanliness of the restrooms at Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative, so I'd like to speak to the union president," said President Yamazaki. President Kikura readily agreed.

President Yamazaki pleaded, "The company we currently do business with has a problem with sparse rice and unstable taste. So please let me see the management situation and facilities at Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative." The union president complied with the request and immediately took us to Nakahara Rice Store (Hekisui, Hokuryu Town).

Nakahara Rice Store carried out thorough refinement management and kept the factory clean and well-maintained.

After checking out the refinement site, President Yamazaki was convinced and decided to do business with Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative on the spot. Thus began the business relationship with Hokuryu Town Agricultural Cooperative.

Even now, despite overcoming numerous difficulties, the company continues to do business with Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative Hokuryu Branch, which was formed after the merger with the regional agricultural cooperative.

Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative was established through a wide-area merger (2000)

In 2000, eight agricultural cooperatives in Kita Sorachi merged to form the Kita Sorachi Agricultural Cooperative.

Before the merger, the Financial System Reform Act was enacted and put into effect in 1992, and a capital adequacy ratio of 8% was introduced.

Ryoji believed that even though Hokuryu Agricultural Cooperative had the productivity, it was financially weak and could conceivably become unable to maintain its organization. Ryoji had also received advice from Takashi Gen, a native of Hokuryu Town who was Ryoji's mentor in interpreting financial statements, that it was time to consider a merger. Gen was a management specialist who served as the representative director of Honda Will and was friends with Soichiro Honda.

Regarding mergers, the Merger Issues Council was established in 1992. "In the future, there will come a time when agricultural cooperatives alone will not be able to cope with the world. If agricultural cooperatives in Kita-Sorachi join forces, we can have greater financial and production power, so we would like to consider merging," Ryoji argued.

"The merger of agricultural cooperatives was necessary to strengthen our financial resources to protect our members, and I have no regrets," says Ryoji.

The origin of the cooperative movement is based on the principle of "protecting and nurturing life, food, the environment, and daily life."

Ryoji concluded by saying:

"The world is currently in a time of war and chaos. There is a shortage of material goods, resources, and hearts. The only thing that can enrich people's hearts is the cooperative movement. From now on, the cooperative movement will save the world.

The ancestors of Hokuryu Town settled in the wilderness, cut down trees, produced food, and formed an industrial association. In the village of Hokuryu, they worked hard together to protect and nurture life, and then they worked together to protect and nurture food. They have made efforts to protect this environment.

"Life, food, and the environment" and "protecting and nurturing our livelihoods" are the starting points of the agricultural cooperative movement. They apply to everything on earth.
The world needs a cooperative movement because

What to do to protect and nurture life
What to do to protect and grow food
What to do to protect and nurture the environment
What is needed to protect and nurture life?

"Because paying attention to this is fundamental to human survival."

Afterword

Mr. and Mrs. Terauchi suggested that we "write a booklet introducing Mr. Kikura's life up to now" at the Hokuryu Town Honorary Citizen Celebration on Saturday, March 25th, and we spoke for four and a half hours at Mr. Terauchi's home on the afternoon of Thursday, March 9th.

The Okura family was born in 1926 in Kamitokutomi Shubunnai, Shintotsukawa Village (commonly known as Bannosawa), 20km deep in the mountains from Uryu Town towards Mashike. Under the care of Kita Masakiyo and Goto Mitsuohachi, they became tenant farmers on Itaya Farm and settled in their current location.

Our large family of 12 has survived from extreme poverty to the present day with the help of many people.

I am who I am today thanks to the teachings and support of Goto Sano Hachio and his son Toru, and I have never forgotten their kindness. Although I am many laps behind, I will continue to follow the life of Goto Sano Hachio and Toru.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Terauchi for their careful compilation of this booklet.

Ryoji Kikura

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Ryoji Kikura "Food is life"
March 25, 2023 First edition, March 31, 2nd edition
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Author Ryoji Okura
Published by Hokuryu Town Community Supporters, Noboru Terauchi and Ikuko
Reference article Hokuryu Town Portal
Congratulations to Ryoji Kikura, an honorary citizen of Hokuryu Town!
The induction ceremony was held at the Hokuryu Town Assembly Hall.

Booklet: "Food is Life" by Ryoji Kikura (26 pages, A4 size)

PDF version(70MB)

Image (JPG) version

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◇ Photography and editing: Noboru Terauchi Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi