I work hard to cultivate this purple-colored rice that is known as 'kodaimai' (ancient rice). When I first started growing kodaimai about 10 years ago, it didn't sell very well, and there were times when I thought about quitting. However, as I continued growing it, I realized that it has great value.

For example, the kodaimai I grow has a glutinous texture compared to ordinary rice, and is rich in minerals, vitamins, polyphenols, and other nutrients. It is also difficult to cultivate because it is highly susceptible to disease. However, this also makes it rare, and it can be sold at a high price if you can produce good quality kodaimai. I think farmers should consider how to sell their rice independently, instead of just growing it. That’s why I work to ensure my customers fully understand the value of the product before they purchase it. We are now growing four types of kodaimai, which has widened our options and allowed us to expand the range of business with our customers. Of course, there are failures, but we always try to grow new varieties every year, including regular white rice.

Through these efforts, we have stabilized sales of our "Shiro-no-Murasaki" brand.

Farming is not an easy job. However, through processes of trial and error and trying new things, it is very rewarding when you can produce delicious rice that your customers are happy with. There are two things I am doing for the future leaders of agriculture.

One is to make farming more accessible. Currently, there is an kodaimai (ancient rice) field next to the ruins of Tagajo Castle, a special historical site. We let children know the basic rules before letting them freely enter and play in these rice fields. Before we knew it, the children started catching crayfish and looking for insects in the rice fields. I am very happy that we have created an environment where children can easily come into contact with nature, feel familiar with rice farming and agriculture, and ultimately become interested in it.

The second initiative is to practice profitable agriculture. At 'Misora no Sato', we produce amazake and miso. However, rather than just producing these products, we work to add value to them to ensure their production and sale is profitable. Both of these are fermented foods, but we carefully select the right 'koji' (culture) to suit the ingredients, we use kodaimai for amazake to increase its nutritional value, and make miso using only ingredients produced in Tagajo and Miyagi Prefecture to enhance its taste and appeal.

I believe that kodaimai is a very important rice that connects the past and the present. I want to pass on the future of agriculture to the children of today through kodaimai.