TOKYO, Sep 10 (News On Japan) –
Emperor Naruhito harvested rice on September tenth in a paddy discipline inside the Imperial Palace grounds.
At round 3:30 p.m., sporting a long-sleeved shirt, lengthy trousers and rubber boots, the Emperor labored within the paddy on the Biological Research Institute on the palace grounds.
Bending on the waist, he used a sickle to chop 20 clumps in whole from two varieties: the table-rice cultivar “Nihonmasari” and the glutinous rice “Mangetsumochi.”
The crop was raised from seed sown by the Emperor in April and seedlings he transplanted in May.
Rice cultivation on the palace was begun in 1927 by Emperor Showa and has been handed down from the Emperor Emeritus to the present Emperor.
According to the Imperial Household Agency, the Emperor values rice cultivation—central to Japan’s agrarian tradition—and undertakes the work with care.
The harvested rice can be provided on the Niinamesai harvest competition in autumn.
Source: TBS