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Food of the gods

By Derek Lee
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, May 23, 2004, Page 17

"I never got to be an emperor and I never lived like one," joked Peng Yong-chuan (彭湧川), "but for the past 30-something years, I've been served the kind of rice only the Japanese emperor was privileged enough to eat."

The 75-year-old Hakka farmer born in Hsinchu, who settled in Hualien County, is almost single-handedly responsible for preserving Yoshino No. 1 (吉野一號米), which is said to the best rice in the world.

Also known as "Japanese Emperor's rice" (天皇米) because it was exclusively grown for Emperor Hirohito as tribute during the Japanese colonial era in Taiwan (1895 to 1945), the rice used to be solely cultivated in Peng's adopted Hualien hometown of Taohsiang village (稻香村) in Chian township (吉安鄉), where the soil and other environmental factors were ideal.

Yoshino No. 1, unlike other rice varieties, is said to have an appealing smell and unique taste when it's properly prepared. It has a sweet flavor that stays on the palate even after a lot of chewing. Its grains are rounder and plumper than other varieties and are crystal clear, with a white, heart-shaped dot in the middle. Japanese growers claimed the shape of the dot was similar to the sun rising on the nation's white flag and thus cherished the rice even more.

Two packs of Yoshino No. 1 rice.

Cultivating the rice, however, is extremely labor-intensive and too much or too little wind, rain or fertilizer destroys the crop. Also, without proper care, the length of the stem easily exceeds 110cm before ears of rice develop. There is a critical point where the stem can no longer support the weight of the ears of rice and bends over. If this happens the rice changes in taste and is fit only for chicken feed. It is essential, then, that the crop is picked at the right time. Too early and the rice is not ready, too late and it's over ripe.

Peng Yong-chuan's paddy field.

Birds like the rice so much, according to agriculture official Chen Ming-te (陳明德), that he said a Yoshino No. 1 harvest is like a miracle, dependant on the mercy of the birds.

As a result of the difficulty of growing the rice and the departure of the Japanese after World War II, production of Yoshino No. 1 stopped because the cost of growing it was higher than the returns.

It wasn't until 1969, when Peng retired from his hospital job after 20 years and started helping his in-laws cultivate a large piece of farmland, that Japanese emperor's rice would be cultivated again. Peng recalled stories told by his primary school teacher in Hualien about the quality of the rice and was inspired to try growing it himself.

He was lucky enough to obtain some seeds of the long-forgotten rice from an old colleague working in the Farming Reform Field (農業改良場) in Hualien, but it took a long time and a lot of determination before he managed to successfully harvest a crop.

Originally, Yoshino No. 1 was invented by Aoki Shigelu (青木繁氏) in 1926 and was first known as "Aoki rice" (青木米). In 1909, the Japanese government's policy of managed emigration to relieve domestic population pressures, meant that "immigration villages" were set up in Hualien. Immigrants from Tokushima Ken and Kagawan Ken in Shikoku Prefecture started to cultivate paddy rice in what used to be known as Chijiaochuang. Now known as Chian township village, it was then named after some of the immigrants' hometown of Yoshinokawa.

Among the new settlers, Shigelu was an agriculture researcher and developed a new variety of rice by crossing a Japanese rice plant Kikuchi Mai (菊池米), from Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, with an indigenous type of Taiwanese rice called zai lai rice (在來米). The hybrid variety was then crossed with another type of rice, called Taichung No. 65.

The year after it was developed, the new breed of rice was presented to Emperor Hirohito as a tribute and was given its official name, Yoshino No. 1. Two hectares of rice fields at the back of Taohsing Primary School, in Chian, were then designated for the exclusive production of the rice. The field was looked after by a group of agricultural researchers and specialists and was guarded closely by local township officials. One of their major duties was to scare birds away from the field.

Peng told this reporter a story which he said he had never told anyone before. He said when the rice was harvested, Japanese officials would pick a dozen or so local young Japanese girls to pick and package the rice. These young girls were required to take a bath and change into new clothes prior to performing their duties, as a token of their respect for the emperor. They would peel off the husks on the rice, by hand, one by one. No Taiwanese girls were chosen for the job, perhaps because of security concerns.

A traditional Japanese ceremony would be held to bless the rice and to plead for special blessings from the emperor. The handpicked 10kg or so of Yoshino No. 1 rice was then shipped from Hualien to its final destination -- the Emperor's Palace in Tokyo. Whatever was left over was then presented to the Japanese Colonial Governor's Palace in Taipei.

According to Kang Mu-shu (康木樹), an organic farmer, there are about six farmers who now cultivate Japanese emperor's rice, and Peng is both their mentor and consultant. Kang said that when Peng first grew the rice, one hectare of paddy field would generate about 1,300kg of grain. Now, because of Peng's hard-earned expertise, a well-guarded and -tended field -- with high fences to keep out animals and uninvited guests -- can yield over 7,000kg of grain per hectare.

Now, more farmers in Hualien are eager to plant the rice because demand is steadily increasing, and since it can only be produced in Chian, its selling price is much higher than other varieties. Normally, 60kg of rice sells for about NT$1,000. Yoshino No. 1 sells for nearly double that.

Without Peng's dedicated efforts Yoshino No. 1 could have vanished into history for good. Not only has Peng brought fame and trade to his hometown, he has also saved a part of Taiwan's cultural heritage.
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