About our rice varieties
Named the "Shining Princess", Tsuyahime grains are lustrous and beautifully cooked, and you can taste the sweetness with your first bite. Over 10 years in development, a pleasant aroma and gorgeous finish are what makes Tsuyahime the flagship of Yamagata rice.
Tsuyahime from Yamagata is produced under a certification system, with four strict standards of production: "Suitable for Cultivation", "Certified Producer", "Special Cultivation" and "Quality Standard". The Yamagata Prefecture Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries only certifies a limited number of farms, as well as capping how many fields can be in production each year. Only farms that meet all four certification standards are permitted to grow Tsuyahime. Tsuyahime has been accredited with a "Special A" ranking.
Sanei Farm Certified Producer Certificate for Tsuyahime
日本を代表するトップブランド米として評価されています。
開発には10年もの歳月がかかっており、山形県を代表する最高品質のお米です。限定の田んぼと限定された生産者だけに許された厳しい認定制度の中で生産されています。「栽培適地」「生産者認定」「特別栽培」「品質基準」という4つの厳しい基準をすべてクリアした安心で美味しいお米だけが「つや姫」として流通できます。食味の良さは特別といっても過言ではありません。艶々と美しく炊き上がり、一口頬張るだけで甘みが感じられる米粒は、噛みしめるたびに甘みが増します。発売以来米食味ランキング※「特A」を獲得し続けています。
Yukiwakamaru has a unique firm and grainy texture. The grains are full, with a pleasant chewy texture, and an elegant and condensed flavor.
Like Tsuyahime, Yukiwakamaru is a special rice that can only be grown by farmers certified by Yamagata Prefecture. Since debuting as the “younger brother” of Tsuyahime in 2018, this variety has been accredited with a "Special A" ranking for the fourth consecutive year. Some of Japan's finest resort hotels and Michelin-ranked dining establishments exclusively use Yamagata-grown Yukiwakamaru rice.
Sanei Farm Certified Producer Certificate for Yukiwakamaru
雪若丸はつや姫と同じく山形県から認定を受けた生産者のみ栽培できる特別なお米です。2018年につや姫の弟分としてデビューしてから3年連続で米食味ランキング※「特A」を獲得し続けています。雪若丸は雪のようなに輝く白い粒、粘りがある一方、しっかりとした粒感を感じる新食感が特徴。粒が大粒で心地よい噛みごたえがあり、固めが好きな方におすすめです。上品で旨味が凝縮されたお米です。
Haenuki has a firm texture with good aroma and a unique sweetness. Haenuki is great for daily cooking and retains its flavors and texture, even when cooled. An excellent all-around rice for any dish.
Originally born in 1990 as "Yamagata No. 45", Haenuki is a successor to the Sasanishiki variety. Haenuki was developed specifically for the climate and soil of the Shonai plain in Yamagata prefecture, which imparts unique characteristics to the rice not found anywhere else in Japan.
山形県でササニシキの後継品種として1990年に“山形45号“として誕生しました。はえぬきは山形県でしか生産されていないというくらいほかの都道府県での生産が少ないお米でもあります。なぜなら山形県の気候や風土を計算して作られた品種であり、ほかの地域では同じ味にはならない特徴があります。米の一粒一粒がしっかりしており、もっちりとして、香りも良く米の独特の甘味があります。ほどよい粘り気があり冷めても美味しいお米です。
"Yamagata No.95" is a variety that inherits the lineage of Koshihikari and Hitomebore. Compared to Haenuki and Hitomebore, each grain is plump, large and rounded. When cooked, it has a luster and chewiness, giving it a refreshing taste.
Yamagata No. 95 was developed at the same time as No. 97, which would later debut as "Tsuyahime". Both No. 95 and Tsuyahime grains were selected out of a group of 100,000 different strains, but Tsuyahime was selected and No.95 did not receive official branding. In the United States, No.95 can only be purchased from Great Rice.
* Please note we only have limited quantities of No.95.
「山形No.95」(山形95号)はコシヒカリとひとめぼれの系譜を継ぐ品種です。食味は「はえぬき」や「ひとめぼれ」と比較しても一粒一粒がふっくら大きく丸みをおびていて、炊飯すると光沢と歯ごたえがしっかりあり、さっぱりとした味わいです。
「山形No.95」(山形95号)は「つや姫」と命名された97号と同時期に 選抜・育成され、十万粒の中から最後の2つまで残りましたが、 惜しくもブランド化を逃しひっそりとデビューしたお米です。アメリカではGREAT RICEでしか購入できないお米です。
※数量限定販売のため、無くなり次第終了となります。
"Specially Cultivated Rice"
“Specially cultivated rice” refers to rice cultivated in accordance with the "Guidelines for Specially Cultivated Agricultural Products" of the Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Unlike general cultivation methods, the use of chemically synthesized pesticides is reduced by 50% or more, and the nitrogen content of chemical fertilizer used has been cut by 50% or more.
特別栽培米
特別栽培米とは、農林水産省の「特別栽培農産物に係る表示ガイドライン」に沿って栽培されたお米のことを指し、一般的な栽培方法とは異なり、化学合成農薬の使用回数を50%以上カット、さらに化学肥料の窒素成分量を50%以上カットした特別なお米です。
"Special A"
"Special A" is the highest ranking obtainable from the Japan Grain Inspection Association.
The rice taste ranking is based on the taste sensory test, which evaluates the taste of cooked white rice, and has been conducted every year since 1971 for nationwide varieties of rice.
The rank of the taste test is based on the blended rice of Koshihikari from multiple production areas, and when comparing this with the varieties of the production areas to be tested, the ones that are roughly equivalent are "A'", and the ones that are particularly better than the standard rice are "Special A". , Good ones are evaluated as "A", slightly inferior ones as "B", and inferior ones as "B'", and the results are summarized and announced as a taste ranking every year.
特A
米食味ランキングは一般財団法人日本穀物検定協会が日本の産地品種を対象に「外観」「香り」「味」「粘り」「硬さ」などを総合評価したものです。「特A」「A」「A’」「B」「B‘」の五段階のランクがあります。