Wednesday, May 21, 2025
The Hokuryu Town Pioneer Commemoration Ceremony and Meritorious Service Awards Ceremony were held solemnly on Friday, May 16th at 10:00 a.m. This year, 2025 (Reiwa 7), marks the 133rd anniversary of the founding of Hokuryu Town.
- 1 Hokuryu Town Pioneer Commemoration Ceremony
- 2 Meritorious Service Awards Ceremony
- 2.1 Opening remarks: The general MC was Mr. Hajime Nanba, Chief of the General Affairs Division of the town hall.
- 2.2 Speech by Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki of Hokuryu Town
- 2.3 Award
- 2.4 Congratulatory speech: Hokuryu Town Council Chairman Shoichi Nakamura
- 2.5 Recipient's thank you speech: Representative of the recipients, Kitakiyo Hirokuni
- 2.6 Commemorative photo
- 3 YouTube videos
- 4 Other photos
- 5 Related articles
Hokuryu Town Pioneer Commemoration Ceremony
As the strong spring wind blows through, the pioneer monument stands watching over the fields throughout town, as if bearing witness to the hardships of our ancestors.
Offering of food to the gods
The offerings made to the gods include rice, rice cakes, sake, water, salt, fish, vegetables, fruit, seaweed, eggs, and sweets.
Reciting a prayer
The chief priest of Daikoku Shrine (Fukagawa City), Mr. Onishi, played the flute and solemnly recited a prayer.
Offering of sacred branches
Approximately 20 important figures representing Hokuryu Town exchanged sacred branch offerings.
- Mayor of Hokuryu Town Yasuhiro Sasaki, Chairman of Hokuryu Town Council Shoichi Nakamura, Honorary Citizen of Hokuryu Town Ryoji Kikura, Representative Director of JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu District Minoru Nagai, Chairman of Hokuryu Town Chamber of Commerce Masahito Fujii, Hokuryu Land Improvement District Junichi Fukase, Chairman of Hokuryu Town Agricultural Committee Hiroki Yoshioka, Vice-Chairman of Hokuryu Town Council Keiko Ozaki, Hokuryu Town Council Member Minoru Sato, Hokuryu Town Council Member Nobuaki Teragaki, Hokuryu Town Council Member Kazuo Kimura, Hokuryu Town Council Member Masato Sawada, Hokuryu Town Council Member Manabu Okino, Representative Audit Committee Member of Hokuryu Town Takashi Inoue, Award Recipient Yasunori Watanabe, Award Recipient Kenko Kawakami, Award Recipient Keiko Kikura, Award Recipient Hirokuni Kitakiyo, Deputy Mayor of Hokuryu Town Masaaki Okuda, Superintendent of the Hokuryu Town Board of Education Yoshiki Tanaka
Meritorious Service Awards Ceremony
The venue was then moved to the Hokuryu Town Senior Citizens Welfare Center, where the award ceremony for outstanding contributions was held.
Those who have contributed to the development and promotion of Hokuryu Town or who are recognized as having outstanding achievements will be awarded in accordance with the ordinance.
Opening remarks: The general MC was Mr. Hajime Nanba, Chief of the General Affairs Division of the town hall.
Speech by Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki of Hokuryu Town
“Thank you all very much for your hard work. Today’s Pioneer Commemoration Ceremony was originally scheduled for May 17th, but we have brought it forward to today, so we ask for your understanding.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for taking time out of your busy schedules, both professional and personal, to be here today to attend the Hokuryu Town Pioneer Commemoration Ceremony and the award ceremony based on the Hokuryu Town Awards Ordinance.
Today's Hokuryu Town marks 133 years since the first pioneering hoe was swung in 1892. During that time, many of our ancestors endured harsh natural conditions, overcame numerous disasters and other hardships, and poured their hearts and souls into building the town we know today, laying the foundations for the prosperous town we know today.
As part of the larger national trend of regional revitalization, Hokuryu Town is currently utilizing policies and applying to obtain various budgets.
We have been given a large budget, and we would like to work together with you to implement this budget and promote the measures that will enable Hokuryu Town to realize your requests and dreams.
I would like to sincerely ask for your cooperation.
With its abundant nature and fertile land, Hokuryu Town has quickly established a production base, and is now steadily moving forward as a production base for safe and secure food, with agriculture as its core industry, while implementing measures such as improving welfare and health care for residents, promoting education and culture, revitalizing tourism, and supporting child-rearing.
On this Pioneer Day, I would like to express my sincere respect and gratitude to the many ancestors who built the foundations of our hometown, Hokuryu Town, for their hard work, wisdom, and indomitable pioneering spirit. I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to all of you in attendance, as well as to all the townspeople, for your efforts and cooperation.
Each of the people being recognized here today has made great contributions through their many years of dedicated efforts in the areas of general town service, education, and industrial and economic exchange.
Here we would like to introduce some of the achievements of the four people who will be receiving the award.
- First of all,
Mr. Yasunori Watanabe(General Town Meritorious Service) served as the Hokuryu Town Fairness Committee member for four terms over a long period of 16 years from November 2007 to November 2023, reviewing and judging requests for measures regarding employee salaries, working hours, etc., in accordance with the Local Public Servants Act, and working hard to make fair judgments.
Furthermore, since November 2013, he has served as the Chairman of the Fairness Committee for 10 years, contributing greatly to the running of the association. Thank you very much.
- next,
Mr. Kawakami Kenko(General Town Merit Award) served as a fixed asset assessment committee member for Hokuryu Town for four terms, a period of 10 years and 2 months, from July 2005 to September 2015, and contributed greatly to the promotion of equal and fair tax administration. He also served as chairman of the fixed asset assessment committee for four years and 8 months from January 2011, contributing greatly to the accomplishments of the association.
- next,
Ms. Keiko Okura(Contributions to Education) For his dedicated efforts in promoting lifelong learning for townspeople as a member of the Hokuryu Town Social Education Committee for six terms over a long period of 12 years from August 2007 to July 2019, he demonstrated his skills as a driving force behind social education administration, and made great efforts to resolve local issues, particularly by reflecting the wishes of local residents.
He also served as the chairman of the Social Education Committee for one term of two years from August 2015, and contributed greatly to the running of the association. Thank you very much.
- next,
Mr. Hirokuni Kitakiyo(Industrial and Economic Merit Award) was awarded to Mr. Ikeda, who was appointed as an agricultural committee member in May 2004, for his diligent and proactive work over the long period of 19 years and 2 months, and for his contributions to the consolidation and consolidation of farmland in Hokuryu Town. He also made great efforts to train and secure agricultural leaders, and was actively involved in training successors.
Furthermore, from May 2004, he served as a director of the Hokuryu district of the Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative for nine years, and from May 2013, he served as the district representative director for 10 years and seven months, making a significant contribution to the promotion of agriculture not only in his town but throughout Kitasorachi. Thank you very much.
This concludes our introduction to some of the achievements of each of the individuals being recognized today, and we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for their many years of hard work.
I would like to conclude my speech by offering my heartfelt prayers for the health, happiness, and continued success of all those in attendance today. May 16, 2025, Mayor Sasaki Yasuhiro, Hokuryu Town "Congratulations on your graduation today," said Mayor Sasaki.
Award
- Yasunori Watanabe (General Town Merit Award)
- Mr. Kenko Kawakami (General Town Merit Award)
- Keiko Kikura (Educational Merit Award)
- Hirokuni Kitakiyo (Contributions to Industry and Economy)
Congratulatory speech: Hokuryu Town Council Chairman Shoichi Nakamura
"Today, we are pleased to welcome many people involved in the Hokuryu Town Pioneer Ceremony, which marks the 133rd year since the town was established in 1893. Although the wind was strong, the ceremony was held under clear blue skies and with a religious ceremony performed by the chief priest, Mr. Onishi, of Daikoku Shrine in Fukagawa. We offered our gratitude to our ancestors and prayers for eternal peace and prosperity, and I offer my heartfelt congratulations and joy for the grand scale of the ceremony.
This year, the weather has been unstable, causing great concern as we carry out agricultural work, but temperatures have begun to rise and even in Hokkaido, we are beginning to hear people say it feels like summer days.
There have been many very windy days, which is a cause for concern, but thanks to everyone's efforts, rice planting, which is the town's core industry, began a few days ago, and I believe that planting will soon be in full swing across the town.
It has been said that there has been a shortage of rice since last year, and prices have been rising and somewhat high.
The government is releasing its rice stockpiles, so it's hard to see any effect. Furthermore, there are various issues, such as the export of rice from Japan. I feel there are many things to worry about.
There are many anxieties about the future, but as farmers, we, the residents of Hokuryu, will continue to deliver Hokuryu rice to consumers who love it, including through hometown tax donations.
To achieve this, we sincerely hope for a bountiful harvest this autumn based on basic cultivation management.
Today, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Watanabe and Mr. Kawakami, who have made great efforts to the development of our town over many years, Mr. Huangkura, who has made great efforts in education, and Mr. Kita Kiyoshi, who has made great efforts in industry and economy, for their professional contributions over such a long period of time.
You are all involved in countless local activities, including volunteering as a fire brigade, children's supporters, land improvement district officials, and community safety patrols, including those that comply with the standards of agricultural fair mutual aid.
It is under these circumstances that you have been recognized with this award, and we would like to express our gratitude for your wide-ranging achievements.
Everyone is in good health, so we hope you will continue to work hard for Hokuryu Town in various ways.
In conclusion, this year marks Regional Revitalization 2.0, and we have applied for and will be receiving a large amount of grant funding.
"I hope that the appropriate and effective use of this grant will lead to further development of our town, and I would like to return my congratulations by sincerely praying for the health and success of all of you in attendance today, as well as all of our townspeople. Congratulations today," said Chairman Nakamura.
Recipient's thank you speech: Representative of the recipients, Kitakiyo Hirokuni
"Today, on this glorious day marking the anniversary of the Hokuryu Town Pioneer Project, I have just received the Distinguished Service Award. I am extremely grateful and cannot express my gratitude enough.
I also received a congratulatory message from Chairman Nakamura, and words of praise from Mayor Sasaki that were beyond my expectation. After turning 60, it's rare to receive praise from others, so I'm extremely happy.
Looking back, as I mentioned earlier, I have served in the agricultural cooperative Kitasorachi as a director of the Hokuryu district from April 2004 for 19 years and 8 months. I have also been involved in agriculture for 19 years and 2 months, so looking back, I can say that I have been fully immersed in agriculture for just under 20 years.
The agricultural situation has been extremely difficult over the past few years, with rice sometimes costing 11,000 or 12,000 yen. In this climate, we have been working hard to find a way forward.
The Sunflower Rice Producers Association was established in 2004, and in 2005, with the town's special understanding, we renovated the rice processing facility and installed a color sorter with 600 channels in an effort to maintain consistent quality.Then, in 2006, we obtained the JAS agricultural product publication standard, and made efforts to properly communicate traceability to consumers.
These long-standing efforts led to us winning the Japan Agriculture Award Grand Prize in the group organization category in 2017. I have fond memories of the grand celebration we had at the NHK Hall with the women's division, producers, and executives.
We believe that this is the result of the support of related organizations, as well as the efforts of each and every producer who has inherited the passion and history of their predecessors to "produce safe and secure rice that consumers want."
Furthermore, as a producer, I am truly honored that our products have been highly praised across the country as a return gift for donations to our town's hometown tax donations.
Looking back, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the many people who have helped me in the past to give my all in the tasks I have been given.
We will continue to devote ourselves to being of some help to you in the future, with the kind words we have received from you in mind.
"Thank you very much for coming today," Kitakiyo said politely and with gratitude.
Commemorative photo
Since Yoshiue Shoichiro, the leader of the pioneering immigrants, first put the hoe down on the land of Hokuryu, the indomitable pioneering spirit has been passed down over the course of 133 years, as people have faced and overcome great hardships...
Based on Prince Shotoku's spirit of "harmony is the highest value" and Ninomiya Sontoku's teaching that "harmony is the essence of humanity," this great spirit of noble "harmony" demonstrated by Yoshiue Shoichiro is still being passed down to the people of Hokuryu today, and we offer our boundless love, gratitude, and prayers to him.
YouTube videos
Other photos
Related articles
◇ Photography, editing, and website management: Noboru Terauchi Writer: Ikuko Terauchi
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