Air and Mankind: How did we discover and tame gases? Birth of the atmosphere from a stranger’s exhaled breath, revolutions in agriculture, industry, medicine, and war brought about by the science of gases (published by Sam Kean in 1999) I also like To Love and Be Loved, and The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery is also delicate). On May 31, 2018, an analysis of images taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015 shows a vast dune that appears to have been formed by a grain of frozen CH4 blown to the surface. I know that. Pluto’s dunes, however, appear to be different from Earth’s, being made up of ice particles of solid methane. The only places in the solar system with sand dunes are Earth, Mars, Venus, Saturn’s moon Titan, and Comets.

Mokkeda Agricultural School is a school where you can learn about rice cultivation based on "knowledge" and "data" rather than "hunch and experience." In addition to actively communicating with students, we provide opportunities for interaction with senior farmers and support connections with the local community. Features: Acquire basic cultivation techniques and learn the latest technologies such as smart agriculture. Classroom lectures include learning basic terminology, meanings of rice cultivation, and cultivation techniques. During the practical training, we will conduct growth surveys, yield surveys, quality surveys, etc. in pots and fields.

【Product name】
Shonai Sand Dunes Genroku
【Type】
Colocasia esculenta
【Producing area】
Hirooka Shinden, Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture (Sakata City Sodeura Agricultural Cooperative Association, JA Sodeura, JA Zen-Noh Yamagata)
【Origin of name】
From Taro’s excellent products, carefully nurtured by producers and carefully selected by JA sleeve wholesalers.
【Major features】
On November 30, 2022, the prefecture and five cities and towns in the Shonai region held the first meeting to exchange opinions on the publicization of Tohoku University of Public Service and Arts, and agreed to aim for early realization. The first meeting to exchange opinions was attended by the Vice Governor of Yamagata Prefecture and the chiefs of five Shonai municipalities. The public interest university in Sakata City was established in 2001 as a “publicly established and privately run” university funded by the prefecture and local governments in the Shonai region and operated by a private school corporation. The city of Sakata and the university have asked the prefecture to “make it a public institution”, saying that it is necessary to stabilize management in anticipation of the declining birthrate in the future. Oga Shrine and Harunire Tree (Hirooka Shinden): The enshrined deity is the Uganome no Okami. On November 25, 1922, seven years after the death of Takizo Sato in Sakanobe Shinden, Sodeura Village (now Sakata City), a ceremony was held at the Sato family centered on Mr. Kyuzo, the then head of the Sato family. At the meeting, Choryo Sakai (1848-1926), who devoted himself to the development of agriculture and was also famous for the cultivation and spread of Shonai persimmons, seems to have dedicated the following rites in recognition of his achievements. (Omitted) Sakanobe Shinden reconciled the turmoil between the public and private sectors with the unendurable power of the old man, and the traditional Kaen Hundred-odd Town Walks show steady progress year by year, among which persimmons. We have 10,000 trees and 20,000 or 30,000 peach trees. As seen in the Choryo ritual, it is said that Takizo’s old man’s efforts contributed to the widespread cultivation of fruit trees in this area and the increase in profits from persimmons, peaches, and apples. They are descendants of Taroemon Sato, who made great achievements in planting and developing the sand dunes of Shonaigawa Minami, and founded Hirooka Shinden (now Sakata City) and Sakanobe Shinden. Born in the family of New rice field head, he seems to have inherited his ancestor’s will and became “Kyodentsuu-Shokutsuki-Goyominarai” in 1859. In 1863, he was dispatched by the Shonai clan to guard the coast against foreign ships. He also worked on construction of 30 houses for the clansmen, how to handle rice for the clansmen, monitoring of gunpowder storehouses, and investigation of new rice field development. There is Apart from the migration of Shonai feudal retainers to this area, it seems that his efforts also played a major role in the development of Koya-Yachi and the opening of Iimoriyama Village by immigrants from Sakanobe Shinden. One of his achievements is the government-owned forest refund campaign. With the 9-year land tax reform every hour, the privately-owned forests in this area were incorporated into the government-owned forests. In 1890, each village in Sodeura launched a campaign to sell government-owned forests free of charge. Hirooka Shinden and Monzo Kubo, Jurizuka and Tamizo Takahashi, Kuromori and Tamizo Sato, and Sakanobe Shinden’s Takizo are said to have played a central role. In 1904, when the sale of the government-owned forest was rejected, in 1905 Keigo Kiyoura (1850-1942: born in Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture. 23rd Prime Minister of the Empire of Japan.) filed an administrative lawsuit against Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. Waking up Takizo, Tamizo, and others traveled to Tokyo several times as part of their campaigns, and apparently held oral arguments dozens of times. On July 10, 1912, he finally won the lawsuit against private land being pulled back from public land. The black pine forests of the Shonai Sand Dunes are one of the largest in Japan, with a total length of about 33 km and an area of about 2,500 ha, from Fukura in Yusa Town to Yunohama in Tsuruoka City. This Pinus thunbergii Parl forest has a history of about 300 years and is a great heritage inherited from our predecessors. Currently, desertification due to deforestation is progressing on a global scale, but in the Shonai region, the forest disappeared and desertified during the Warring States period about 500 years ago. For this reason, it is exposed to the ferocity of flying sand, and damage such as flooding due to the burial of farmland and the burial of rivers occurs frequently. Afforestation of the Shonai Sand Dunes began with the conclusion that the only way to prevent these damages was to restore the forest to the sand dunes. , regenerating lush forests into barren dunes. Afforestation on sand dunes began in earnest in the 18th century, and since Mitsuoka Honma (1733-1801: wealthy farmer and great merchant capitalist in the late Edo period) is especially famous, there is a misconception that all of the afforestation was done by the Honma family. Although it is sometimes done, the planting of vast sand dunes seems to have been achieved through the efforts of many pioneers and people. And most of the black pine forests we see today are from the feudal era, and most of them seem to have been planted after World War II through the efforts of the government and local communities. The history of the black pine forests of the Shonai Sand Dunes is not a tale of the past, but rather a 300-year history of steady public interest that has continued uninterrupted to the present day. The road is not smooth, and there seems to be a repeated history of failure and rebirth, destruction and reflection. During the feudal era, the forests were planted by the domain and pioneers, and in modern times, by the government. Currently, not only administrative agencies, but also local residents, students, and other volunteers work together to protect and nurture the black pine forests, and engage in forest environmental education in the field of black pine forests. It seems that Disappearance of Natural Forests and Desertification: The Shonai Sand Dunes were covered with natural forests, mainly broad-leaved trees, until the Middle Ages. , in the barren sands It is said that As fuel for salt production was exhausted, firewood called shiogi (fuel used to boil seawater in salt pans) was transported by boat from the forests upstream using rivers. Barren sand dunes are blown up by the wind and become terrifying “moving sand dunes”, burying river mouths with sand and causing frequent floods. Due to the loss of forests, people suffered from the double affliction of “sand blowing” and “flooding.” Afforestation on sand dunes: Initially, various tree species were planted, but only a limited number of tree species could grow on the harsh coastal sand dunes. It was not until the middle of the 18th century that trees were planted. After dividing the area produced many leaders called predecessors. Struggle with sand after World War II: Sabo forests, which had been created through the efforts of our predecessors, declined due to the chaos during and after the war. In the villages by the sea, sand blew into the houses, and people used to eat under umbrellas. Also, when the house was filled with sand, all the villagers dug the sand, packed it in a “sand box”, and carried it on their backs to throw it out to the sea. This lifestyle seems to have continued until the late 1955s. Kobo Abe’s (1924-1993) novel “The Woman in the Sand”, published in 1962, seems to have been inspired by life in the Shonai sand dunes. Large post-war erosion control afforestation project: In the local area, which suffered from blown sand, privately owned forests on the front of the sand dunes were donated to national forests Start. Many local people were employed in the work, and by using local materials such as straw, bamboo, and reeds for planting trees, they played a major role in post-war reconstruction. Fuel revolution, changes in lifestyles, changes in forests In the 1960s, there was a rapid shift from forest-dependent fuels such as firewood and charcoal to fossil fuels such as gas and oil. The relationship between forests and people rapidly faded away, and devastation due to lack of maintenance of forests and damage by pests such as pine weevils (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) spread. Passing on a Great Heritage to the Future: The black pine forests of the Shonai Sand Dunes are a heritage inherited from our predecessors and are an indispensable treasure for the region. Now, we will reconsider its history and functions, and protect and nurture it without destroying it in our generation. It seems that activities to connect to the future are being actively carried out. On the way to the melon production area of Shonai Sand Dunes, there are many large sake breweries. The famous Hamanaka district of Sakata City and the Oyama district of Tsuruoka City. There is good quality underground water in this area, which is said to be the source of high-quality sake. And melons are grown in the adjacent sand dunes. Well-drained sand dunes are favorable for melons. If there is a lot of moisture, the melon will absorb it and the sugar content will not increase. And the strong sunshine during the day, the coolness at night, and the best groundwater. It seems that many conditions are met. On the sand dunes protected by pine forests that block the sea breeze, melon fields spread out like an oasis in the desert and soothe us. During the midsummer daytime, the temperature is high enough to burn the soles of the feet (inflammation), while at night the wind from the sea makes it very cold. This temperature difference produces a rich sweetness, and the Shonai Sand Dunes Melon is a specialty product that boasts an overwhelming shipment volume as a melon that reaches its season in summer. Taroemon Sato, who was introduced earlier, is one of the people who has made great achievements in planting and developing the Shonai sand dunes. In 1706, Taroemon’s grandfather, Zengoro, developed 309 koku of rice in Hirooka Shinden Village (now Sakata City). His father, Taroemon, moved to Hirookashinden with the villagers of Nishichihara and Ibarashinden (present-day Tsuruoka City) the following year, and formed a village of 16 households, serving as a steward. As with Kawakita, the sand dunes in Kawaminami were also badly damaged by flying sand, and Hamanaka Village (currently Sakata City) began planting trees in the middle of the Genna era, but it took a long time to see success. It seems In 1707, the teenage Taroemon was appointed Gorin no Kami along with Yoroku and Kiemon of Hamanaka Village. In 1728, Gorin no Kami, such as Taroemon, issued a petition to monitor illegal cutting of sand protection forests and to control Gorin, thus protecting the forests. Even though it was developed, Hirooka Shinden Village at that time was suffering from heavy sand and poor drainage, and the villagers were having a hard time. So he bought the saplings himself and planted them in the field, and when they grew, he consulted with his younger brother Kyutaro. In 1732, he dug a new river to Shimotori Karasumakibuchi in Kuromori Village (present-day Sakata City) in order to save the villages in this area from flood damage. As a result, the yield has increased, and it seems that all the borrowed rice can be paid on top. They planted millet and oak, and also purchased seeds of Yoshino cedar, Akita Noshiro cedar, Kiso cypress, and Noto pine at their own expense, and planted them in the villages of Hamadori, Mt. In 1745, he became a planter of Kyodentsuu, and in the same year he created a bamboo grove of 25 square meters in Hirooka Shinta village and provided bamboo for construction. In 1749, he began planting pine trees on Mt. Iimori, and from Mt. It seems that it has come to do. Taroemon further planned to plant trees on the entire sandy land up to Miyanoura Village (present-day Sakata City), and particularly on Mt. Sakanobe, where the wind was incomparably stronger than in Hirooka, and it was too far to commute from Hirooka. , Sakanobe’s valley and fields were entrusted to him, and he requested that he build a house here, create a village, and plant plants there. Permission was granted in 1762, and Taroemon himself moved to this area and opened Sakanobe Shinden Village (now Sakata City). He also planted more than 1.81,818 km from Mt. Saigogumi Komayama to Mt. Hashiki, but the planting continued after that, and by 1800 in the generation of his grandson Yuiemon, the number of trees planted was 850,000. I have reached the limit. The main character of imoni, a famous Yamagata dish. In Japan, it is said that taro, which has been cultivated since the Jomon period and was a staple food before rice cultivation, is said to have been named taro because it is cultivated in villages, as opposed to yam that grows naturally in the mountains. Imoni party（People in northeastern Japan hold a Imoni party at a riverside and they eat Imoni and drink alcohol together）, one of the representative local dishes of Yamagata Prefecture, is originally suitable for cultivation in soil with abundant moisture, but we have established a cultivation method that improves the taste and quality even in sandy soil with relatively low water retention capacity. Did It came from the fact that “Wase Yamato Taro” is suitable for cultivation in sand dunes in the prefectural test research. Due to the difference in soil, it has a smooth and soft texture compared to taro produced in fields in inland regions with high moisture content. Since it is grown on sandy soil, it is easy to remove dirt and moisture from the surface, and there is little risk of post-harvest rotting and the hassle of removing mud. Influence of Settlement Time on Early Digging Cultivation of Taro in Shonai Sand Dunes : Yamagata Prefectural Shonai Comprehensive Branch Office Production Area Laboratory, Yamagata Prefectural University of Agriculture and Forestry) , In the sand dunes in the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture, irrigation facilities have been developed, and melons and Facility cultivation such as cherry tomatoes The cultivation of open-air vegetables such as open-air tunnel melons, Japanese white radish, and red turnips is popular. However, in recent years, due to the effects of labor shortages due to the aging of farmers, outdoor vegetable cultivation The area is decreasing, and idle farmland seems to be increasing. For this reason, the introduction of new land-use crops that require relatively little cultivation management effort has become an urgent issue. By the way, taro, which is a land-use product, is in high demand in Yamagata Prefecture as a main ingredient in imoni, a local dish. There is not enough, and the situation is responding to outside the prefecture. On the other hand, the production of taro is low nationwide in August, and the market price is relatively high, so labor productivity is expected to be secured. Regarding his August / September shipment of this excellent produce, he seemed to indicate that in the Murayama area of Yamagata Prefecture, he could plant in early to mid-May and harvest in mid-September. To speed up the harvest, plant It seems that it is important to speed up the timing. One of the characteristics of the Shonai sand dunes is that the snow melts quickly, making it possible to prepare the fields quickly, and the ground temperature rises quickly in early spring. The possibility of securing a yield of 1,000 kg or more per I seem to have shown. Therefore, we examined the suitable planting time for his early digging cultivation in the Shonai sand dunes in late August. ‘Wase Yamato Taro’ was tested in open field. The date of planting was March 24, 2017, April 3, It was set in the 13th day of the month, and sprouting was carried out about 1 month before the 2nd May 24th, March 6th, March 15th. It seems that he put seed potatoes and potting soil in a 7.5 cm plastic pot, watered them, and arranged them in the hotbed. I hear that it is the mainstream variety in Niigata prefecture. It is a variety of pills taro type, and it is round and has a fine texture that does not fall apart when boiled, and a moderate sliminess that is irresistible. In addition, taro does not easily fall apart when boiled, and you can enjoy a wide range of textures such as croquettes and mashed potatoes.

According to the community-based Shonai Nippo, on August 20, 2019, a local review meeting of the “Taro Production Promotion Project Conference” launched last year led by Yamagata Prefecture was held at Sakanobe Shinden, Sakata City. It seems It seems that producers, JAs, and distributors throughout the prefecture learned about a new initiative to cultivate “Wase Yamato Taro” in the sand dunes during the imoni season and harvest it from around the end of August. The project meeting was launched in May 2018 under the initiative of the prefecture, including mass retailers, food manufacturers, wholesale markets, JAs, and municipalities. While imoni has spread as a representative food culture of this prefecture, the harvest season for taro produced in the prefecture seems to be from late September to October. For this reason, especially at the beginning of the Imonikai season, a large amount of Imoni from outside the prefecture, such as Kyushu, is sold in large quantities, and it seems that the aim is to expand production in the situation where the Imoni produced in the prefecture does not fully meet the market needs. I have also heard that prefectural institutions are taking the lead in experimental research in various parts of the prefecture.

Until Genroku 7 (1694), until a new route was established from the present-day Nagasaki district of Nakayama Town, Higashimurayama county to the present-day Arato district of Shirataka Tawn, Nishiokitama county, it seems that the area near the present Nagasaki district was the terminus of the boat transport on the Mogami River. At the dock, there was Oimatsu, which is said to have been a resting place for the boatmen. Goods such as salt and dried fish brought by boat from Sakata were unloaded here and transported to the Okitama region by human foot. At that time, sometimes it was difficult to get in touch, so the boatmen had to sleep on the boat and wait for days and days for the people carrying the goods. It seems that Imonikai was born as one of the boredom remedies. There is a village called Oshio, which is famous for Taro production, near the boat dock, so it seems that they bought a lot of Taro from there and boiled it with dried fish such as stick cod that was loaded on the boat, and spent their waiting time eating and drinking. At that time, Imoni was boiled by hanging a rope from a nearby pine tree, and it is said that this pine came to be called “Nabekake-matsu”. It seems to be said.

At the end of November 2022, the harvest of “Hirata red long green onion,” a traditional vegetable of Sakata City (former Hirata Town) in Yamagata Prefecture, which is characterized by its reddish-purple roots, is at its peak. An excellent agricultural product that is indispensable when talking about regional characteristics and history is a traditional vegetable that has been cultivated in the Hirata area of Sakata City since the Edo period. On the other hand, it seems to be characterized by a strong sweetness when it is cooked.