Grains ── Rice varieties
Kamenoo
the century-old landrace behind Koshihikari's lineage
A landrace said to have been found in Yamagata's Shonai region in the Meiji era, an ancestor in the lineage of Koshihikari and other varieties, also used for sake. Said to have been notably cold-hardy, making it a starting point for later breeding efforts.
Lineage
What it's made of
Said to be a landrace notably cold-hardy for its time, said to have kept its yield even in cold-damage years. Its taste is said to be plainer than that of its descendants Koshihikari and Sasanishiki, and its blood is also said to run through many sake rice varieties such as Gohyakumangoku and Takane Nishiki. Said to have yielded less than modern varieties and to have grown tall enough to be prone to lodging. The harvested grain is also said to have carried a slightly brownish tinge.
How it's made
Said to have been found in 1893 by the dedicated farmer Abe Kamejirō in Yamagata's Shonai region, who in a cold-damage year is said to have noticed three ears that had still ripened within a paddy of the landrace 'Sōbei Wase' near Kumagai Shrine, and to have spent about three years raising them into seed stock. Abe Kamejirō is said to have continued selecting and cultivating it, sharing seed with fellow local farmers to spread it further. A stone monument honoring the variety is also said to have later been erected in the area.
Why it took this shape
The Shonai region, wedged between the Mogami River and the Sea of Japan, is said to be prone to cool summers. Selecting an individual plant that had survived that harsh climate is said to have laid the groundwork for many later varieties — a lineage said to run from its child Rikuu 132 to its grandchild Norin 1 and great-grandchildren Koshihikari and Sasanishiki, a landrace said to underpin the history of Japanese rice breeding. Its influence is said to have spread beyond Tohoku, shaping rice breeding nationwide, sake rice included, for generations.
Before you go
- Foods to look for in autumnA guide to foods often seen in Japan around autumn — returning bonito, Pacific saury, new-crop rice, matsutake, chestnuts, and tsukimi dango — with rough pointers for finding them.
- Regional harvest food festivalsAcross Japan, harvest festivals and "taste festivals" featuring local produce and seafood are said to be commonly held each autumn, with stalls selling new rice, seasonal fruit, and local dishes.
Dishes in the same style
- AkamaiAn ancient category of rice said to carry a reddish bran layer; low-yielding but tied, it's said, to Shinto harvest rituals still kept at shrines like those on Tsushima. Traces of red rice are said to have been found at Jomon- and Yayoi-era sites, making it among Japan's oldest rice lineages.
- AkitakomachiA Koshihikari cross bred for Akita's cool climate, said to carry a lighter sweetness and moderate stickiness, long favored as an everyday table rice. Named, it's said, after the legendary beauty Ono no Komachi, it ranks among Japan's most widely planted varieties.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Known source
- Known source: Yamagata, Tsuruoka
Said to still be grown in the Shonai region where it was found.
Derived style
- KoshihikariA benchmark for stickiness and sweetness since its 1956 debut, said to stay tasty even cooled; Niigata's Uonuma region grows the most celebrated version nationwide. Its planted area is said to be the nation's largest, and it's often used as a parent line for newer varieties.
- SasanishikiPrized by sushi and washoku chefs for its light stickiness, said to have declined sharply in acreage after the severe cold-damage harvest of 1993. Recent shifts in cultivation technique are said to be bringing renewed interest in the variety.