Sasanishiki

"We only use Sasanishiki here." Step up to the counter at certain high-end sushi restaurants in Ginza or Tsukiji, and you may still hear a chef say this with quiet conviction. Sasanishiki has nearly vanished from supermarket shelves -- its national planting share has fallen to roughly 1% -- yet it retains a devoted following among professional cooks. The reason lies in a virtue that modern rice markets have largely abandoned: the beauty of restraint.

The Eastern Yokozuna, Born in 1963

Sasanishiki was developed at the Furukawa Branch of Miyagi Prefecture's agricultural experiment station, with the initial cross dating to 1953. The mother was Hatsunishiki (Ou 224) and the father Sasashigure -- one character from each parent combined to form the name. Registered in 1963 as Paddy Rice Norin 150, it swept through eastern Japan within years.

If Koshihikari was the western yokozuna (grand champion, the highest rank in sumo) of Japanese rice, Sasanishiki was its eastern counterpart. By the 1980s it ranked second nationally in planted area. At its peak in 1990, the two varieties together dominated Japanese tables -- TV commercials, onigiri shop signs, and grocery displays all framed the choice as "Koshihikari or Sasanishiki." Older generations still recall preferring Sasanishiki, and that east-west divide in taste was part of what made Japan's rice culture so rich.

The Cold Summer of 1993 -- A King Dethroned

Sasanishiki's decline traces to a single devastating season. In the summer of 1993, record cold struck Tohoku, the northeastern region of Honshu. August sunlight fell to half of normal levels in some areas. Sasanishiki, with its poor cold tolerance, was obliterated -- ears that should have been heavy with grain stood empty in the paddies. Japan's nationwide crop index plummeted to 74; Tohoku's hit 56.

The government emergency-imported roughly 2.59 million metric tons of rice from Thailand, the United States, and China -- the event known in Japan as the Heisei Rice Panic. Supermarket shelves emptied of domestic rice, and Thai rice was sold in blends to bewildered consumers.

Tohoku farmers abandoned Sasanishiki for cold-tolerant alternatives: Hitomebore and Akitakomachi. Ironically, Hitomebore -- which replaced Sasanishiki across Miyagi -- was bred at the very same Furukawa station. The younger sibling dethroned the elder. Today, Sasanishiki's planted area is a fraction of its peak, and some statistics describe it as "functionally extinct."

Why Sushi Chefs Refuse to Let Go

And yet. At top-tier sushi counters, Sasanishiki endures. The reason is amylose. At roughly 20-23%, Sasanishiki's amylose content is significantly higher than Koshihikari's 17% or Yumepirika's sub-15%. In today's market, lower amylose generally equals "better" -- stickier, sweeter, more luxurious. But in the world of sushi, that equation flips.

What sushi demands from its shari (vinegared rice):

• Grains that separate gently: a nigiri must hold together under light pressure yet dissolve on the tongue
• Even vinegar absorption: the rice drinks in shari-zu (sushi vinegar) uniformly, without becoming gummy
• Deference to the neta (topping): sticky rice smothers delicate fish -- Sasanishiki steps aside
• Stability over time: at a counter where pieces sit briefly before being eaten, the rice must not harden

A heavily sticky rice overwhelms the topping. Only Sasanishiki lets the clean taste of hirame (flounder) or the subtle sweetness of botan-ebi (sweet shrimp) come through unimpeded. That is why Ginza's old-guard sushi shops will not switch.

A Quiet Health Reappraisal

In recent years, Sasanishiki has found new advocates among health-conscious eaters. Macrobiotic practitioners, people with sensitive digestion, and families managing food sensitivities are rediscovering this 1960s cultivar. Sasanishiki predates the modern wave of low-amylose breeding -- it carries almost no glutinous-rice genetics, making it an "uruchimai (non-glutinous rice) through and through." Its moderate stickiness means gentler starch digestion and, many report, less post-meal heaviness.

How to Cook and Pair It

Use slightly more water than standard and soak for a full 60 minutes. After cooking, fluff gently -- cut rather than stir, preserving each grain's integrity. Sasanishiki pairs beautifully with delicate Japanese cuisine: grilled fish, simmered vegetables, pickles, and dashi-forward dishes. It excels anywhere the rice should support rather than compete.

Sasanishiki is harder to find than mainstream varieties but not impossible. Look for Miyagi Prefecture production, especially from the Tome or Furukawa districts. Natural-cultivation or organic JAS-certified lots align particularly well with this cultivar's understated philosophy. Online Japanese specialty retailers often carry it.

If you have only ever eaten sticky, sweet modern rice, Sasanishiki will feel like opening a window. The grains release gently from the chopsticks, the flavor is clean, and the finish disappears without a trace. It is a taste of what Japanese rice was before the stickiness arms race -- and a reminder that restraint, too, is a form of excellence.