Rice Harvested from Circular Sacred Paddy in Gifu Prefecture; To be Sold to Public for 1st Time

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:32 JST, September 15, 2024

Harvest of sacred rice in circular rice paddies called Kuruma-da began in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, on Saturday.

The Kuruma-da is designated as an important intangible folk cultural asset by the prefecture and was once considered a sacred site for producing rice offerings for Ise Jingu shrine. The Kuruma-da preservation group, made up of local residents, manages and maintains this approximately 340-square-meter field.

On the day, 13 participants, dressed in matching happi coats and wearing traditional hats, used sickles to harvest the Hitomebore brand rice, which had been planted in concentric circles. In the past, the harvested rice was sold only to preservation group members, but it will be sold to the general public for the first time this year.

Shigeki Omori, the group’s 70-year-old chairman, said: “The rice turned out well. I hope to pass down the region’s traditional culture to the next generation.”