Encounter with Shumei Natural Agriculture
After graduating from university, I worked as a physical education teacher. I had always been aware that “our bodies are built from what we eat.” One day, a friend invited me to a seminar hosted by a farmer practicing natural cultivation. Listening to the lecture, I became fascinated by the idea of growing rice naturally. That was the beginning. I decided to start cultivating rice paddies using natural methods.
Rather than having a deep interest in agriculture itself, my academic background was in health and injury prevention. While working as a temporary high school teacher, I became alarmed at how health issues such as lifestyle-related diseases were appearing at increasingly younger ages. I was determined to contribute to solving this problem and was taking teacher certification exams with that goal in mind.
Around that time, I was traveling back and forth between school and the rice fields. From 2004, I studied everything from scratch, faced the rice and the land earnestly, and experienced a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment that words could not describe. When I saw the sturdy rice plants standing tall even after a powerful typhoon, I was truly moved by the strength of natural cultivation. When autumn harvest came and I tasted the rice I had grown for the first time, the joy and emotion of that “delicious!” moment enveloped me completely. From that moment, I was filled with the desire to share this rice with as many people as possible. That’s what led me to become a full-time farmer.
Starting natural cultivation as a complete beginner led me to discover the path I was meant to walk. That single bowl of freshly cooked, freshly harvested rice showed me my true direction.
Lessons from Nature
The joy of eating. The gratitude for being alive. The true richness that can be felt through all five senses. These are the things we at Koba Farm want to share. From our rice paddies and fields in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, we deliver delicious produce grown without any pesticides or fertilizers.
Our fields are home to endangered species such as giant water bugs and charophyte algae. This kind of cultivation that is kind to people and other living things also helps restore the surrounding natural environment. Instead of using pesticides or fertilizers, we trust in the inherent power of the soil, seeds, and crops, carefully observe nature, and invest time, effort, and love. With the spirit of “adapting to and respecting nature,” as taught in Shumei Natural Agriculture, we draw out the natural brilliance of the land and its crops.
Message
There’s something deeply soothing about spending time touching the crops grown on healthy land. Working up a gentle sweat brings a sense of peace to the heart. I will never forget the amazement I felt the first time I ate rice grown without pesticides or fertilizers. I was struck by the thought, “This is exactly what we need for the future.” That realization moved me to commit myself to Shumei Natural Agriculture.
I truly believe that what we farmers are handling is life itself.
