Waramu Rice Straw Crafts: Helping to Herald the Future of the Region

Overview

Waramu, a company located in Iijima, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, not only handles the making of all the sumo ring (dohyo) straw bags (komo) that are essential for sumo wrestling but also manufactures the straw products that are necessary in Japanese Shinto rituals, such as shimekazari decorations and shimenawa ropes. Initially, faced with the reality that there was no one to make straw rice bags for a “Straw Rice Bag Marathon,” which was originally planned to help revitalize the town, Waramu company director Yuji SAKAI decided that he had no choice but to make the straw rice bags himself, so he started making straw rice bags in addition to his day job. This caught the attention of the Japan Sumo Association, which was looking for a maker of dohyo straw bags, and in 2018, Sakai and his company started making such bags for a Kyushu tournament, and now they make 150 to 180 bags a year.

As the region is also a production center for shirake mochigome (white glutinous rice), the straw of which is suitable for making rice bags, farmers can help increase their income with the added value available from the product. At the same time, Sakai’s work focuses on training craftsmen who will carry on the art of straw craftsmanship and on increasing the employment of people who are socially disadvantaged, in particular. Although the town has a population of less than 10,000 people, the company aims to create local jobs and develop straw craftsmanship as a local industry by branding straw crafts that utilize local resources and traditions.

Successful outcomes

• At the request of the Japan Sumo Association, the initiative produces 150 to 180 straw bags (komo) per year for many of the sumo wrestling rings that are used for the main tournaments held six times a year, along with local tours, and for use in sumo stables.
• Waramu sales were 34 million yen in 2023. The 2024 sales forecast is 43 million yen.
• Of the straw products, half of all sales are made up of shimekazari decorations and shimenawa ropes.
• The company has three employees and approximately 70 contracted craftsmen, including apprentices, of whom 70% are women and 30% are men. In particular, the company actively employs people who are socially vulnerable, such as hikikomori (the word given in Japan to people that are extremely socially withdrawn) and people with other mental disorders. These people are providing great assistance to the company.
• To further train straw craftsmen, the company has launched a "Wara Dojo" (straw training hall) for the general public (from June 2021). In the future, the company plans to work with local governments to support the employment of socially withdrawn young people and to launch a "Wara no Gakko" (straw school) to pass on skills.
• The company purchases five tons of shirake mochigome white mochi rice straw per year from farmers from the Kamiina Farmers' Association.
• The company won the highest award in 2019 at INACAM, a corporate support program for rural areas sponsored by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The wish to help add value to straw, help solve social issues, and assist in stimulating the local economy

“I want you to create the dohyo for the main tournaments.” Sakai looks back at this sudden request from the Japan Sumo Association in June 2018, saying: “I was a little skeptical at first.” There are six types of komo used for the dohyo for the main tournaments depending on where they are used, and a total of 66 komo are needed. The situation was such that if Sakai’s company couldn’t provide these komo, it was thought that the sumo association wouldn’t be able to hold the Kyushu tournament. So, at the same time, Sakai felt that he had no choice but to do it. He was also quite surprised at the reality that the straw craftsmen shortage was that serious.

Iijima Town, Nagano Prefecture, is a small town with a population of less than 10,000 people. Sakai planned the Straw Rice Bag Marathon in 2013 to help revitalize the town, which is suffering from a declining birthrate and an aging population. However, there were very few people who could make the straw rice bags, so Mr. Sakai decided to make them himself, learning from the elderly people in the community. He comments: “I never expected that this would lead to the creation of dohyo.”

In Inadani, rice straw comes from shirake mochigome rice, an ancient variety that is long and pliable. This was perfect for making dohyo komo, which require length, and this was the determining factor for Sakai’s work.

Furthermore, if straw, as a rice by-product, as well as rice itself, could generate more income from agriculture, which is not generally profitable, farmers’ incomes could increase. The demand for straw craft work is increasing, so if the number of straw craftsmen increases, it will also create employment. Sakai started Waramu in 2015, hoping to turn this into a new industry for the region.

Meanwhile, domestic sales in Japan of shimekazari decorations, the company’s main product, are approximately 50 billion yen annually. Although there is demand, more than 80% of these types of products are actually made and come from overseas. He says: “If 20% of this could be produced locally in this area, it would become a 10-billion-yen industry and create hundreds of jobs.”

He further comments: “We will also use abandoned farmland to create straw rice fields. If you have raw materials, you need workers. I want to increase the number of people who can make straw crafts.” Sakai believes that, in addition to opening a Wara Dojo to train straw craftsmen, he also collaborates with nearby local governments to create Wara no Gakko and is planning a school that supports employment for young socially withdrawn people, such as those known as “hikikomori.”

Rice Straw Crafts

Waramu Co., Ltd.
https://waramu.jp/

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