Toyama faces the Sea of Japan, and is bounded by mountains on three sides. Several rivers flow from the mountains to form alluvial fans, resulting in large plains. Additionally, the land satisfies a number of conditions that make it well-suited to growing rice, such as a hot and humid climate in the summer, and a rich supply of meltwater from the Northern Alps.

The area suffered numerous floods throughout history, and a notable contributor this trend is the fact that many of the rivers are concentrated in the east, where there is only a short distance between the mountains and the sea. It is also said that the severe natural conditions of the east are a large part of why it had many medicine peddlers and migrant workers.

Meanwhile, the western Tonami Plain was the granary of the Kaga Domain. During the Edo Period, the Kaga Domain was a leading producer of rice, and it was known as the domain that yielded one million koku of rice. The bountiful Tonami Plain produced just over 250,000 koku of this total, roughly one fourth.

In areas with few plains, it is difficult to making a living from farming alone. Lifestyles in the Himi and Niikawa regions were split between farming and fishing, and the main industries in the Gokayama region, deep in the mountains, consisted of traditional sericulture, papermaking, and gunpowder production.

Due to winter snows, farming would switch to single crops, and in every region, people worked eagerly to increase rice yields per tan (a unit of measurement for rice fields, equivalent to approximately 1,000 square meters). During the Edo period, the domain’s administration pushed rice production more aggressively with policies to promote rice-growing, and to this day, 96% of the arable land in Toyama Prefecture consists of rice paddies, and rice makes up a notable 68% of the value of the prefecture’s agricultural product shipments (with the natural average at 19%). (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: From 2018 Statistical Survey on Crops and 2017 Statistics of Agricultural Income Produced)

The Tonami Plain of western Toyama Prefecture is an alluvial plain created by the Shogawa and Oyabegawa rivers. The plain is dotted with approximately 7,000 farming households surrounded by small groves of trees, creating a vista of dispersed rural settlements.

A notable feature of the dispersed settlements of the Tonami Plain is that each of the households has worked the land surrounding their homes to grow rice. Having the farmland around one’s house was very efficient for performing daily farm work.

Another notable feature is that, as mentioned earlier, each house is surrounded by a grove of trees. These small groups of trees surrounding the houses are called “kainyo” or “kaina” in the local dialect. During the winter, the trees protect the houses from cold winds and snow, and at the start of spring, they keep the strong south winds at bay. The fallen leaves and branches from the cedar trees were used as valuable fuel for daily cooking and heating baths. Additionally, cedar trees, zelkova trees, bamboo, and other plants and trees from the groves supplied the materials needed to build or renovate houses, or to make tools.

In this way, the people of the dispersed settlements cultivated the farmland around them to grow rice and vegetables with which to sustain themselves, and used the groves of trees around their houses to supply materials necessary for daily life—a lifestyle that was extremely close to being entirely self-sufficient.

In 1651, new policies to reform agriculture law were instated in the Kaga Domain to stabilize the domain’s income and ensure diligent work by farmers.

1. The feudal retainers of the domain would no longer take the annual rice tax directly from farmers, and instead the domain would collect rice taxes en masse and then give the feudal retainers their portion.
2. Yields were specified for each village, and they would not be changed annually.
3. Tax rates, which could vary even within a village, were changed to an average tax for each village, and this would be made permanent, without annual changes. As such, the domain would give villages rice during years with poor harvests, and this would repaid during years with better harvests.
4. Paying the land tax would be the collective responsibility of the village.
5. The tomura (overseer of villages) gained more authority and became responsible for encouragement of agriculture and tax administration.

While these changes stabilized the annual income of farmers, the domain would also gain a great deal of influence over them. For feudal retainers, direct payment of their salaries reinforced their relationship of patronage with the feudal lord.

The Toyama and Kaga Domains entrusted administration of agriculture to a class of village officials called “tomura,” who functioned in role similar to that of a mayor for several villages collectively. In day-to-day communities, they were representatives of the farmers, and in terms of governance and organization, they were agents for the feudal retainers who controlled the villages. The tomura worked to increase the productivity of villages by taking command of development of new fields, providing instruction in agricultural techniques, and furthering the spread of practical learning such as calculation and measuring.

Located between the Shogawa and Oyabegawa rivers, the alluvial fan of the Tonami Plain benefited from fertile soil and a bountiful supply of water brought down from the mountains, but at the same time, the land was also frequently flooded like other regions of Toyama Prefecture.

The great earthquake of 1585 formed a new eastern course of the Shogawa, which previously had the Senbogawa river as its mainstream. In order to prevent flooding of the Shogawa and further the development of the Tonami Plain, the Kaga Domain closed off various branches of the river that had, until then, been flowing westward, and began work to unify them with the new eastern course of the river (the modern Shogawa river). This was a major undertaking, with work beginning in 1670 and ending in 1714.

However, major floods would often cause the dikes the domain had built to collapse, and reinforcement work continued until the end of the Edo Period. In 1807, pine trees were planted to reinforce the foundations, and locally, these were called “matsu kawayoke” (“pines protecting against the river”). This nickname is still used to this day.

The Shogawa river splits off into several branches, which produced an alluvial plain. The main branch of the river often overflowed its banks and frequently changed its course during major floods. From antiquity to the middle ages, the main branch’s course flowed toward the north-west, entering the Oyabegawa river near Tsuzawa. However, approximately 600 years ago, a major flood changed the course of the main branch, causing it to flow into the Nojirigawa river. Later flooding gradually moved the Nakamuragawa, Aramatagawa and Senbogawa rivers to the east, and the current Shogawa river became their mainstream about 400 years ago. It was about 300 years ago that the dikes were built, defining the course of the river.

The staple crop of Toyama’s agricultural industry is rice, and the region has had a close relationship with rice throughout history. This care and attention toward rice has created a unique dietary culture.

Because rice was sold or used for land tax, there tended to be a lack of first-class rice for use at home. In order to conserve the best rice as much as possible, it was only eaten on sacred occasions, such as during the New Year or in rites and festivals. For daily rice consumption, people cooked rice of lesser quality and ate porridge, dumplings, and katemeshi (a grain mixture including rice) made from broken rice or its flour.

• Zoro

  A porridge made from the flour of broken rice.

• Dago

  Dumplings made from the flour of broken rice. These would be eaten served on top of cooked rice.

  These dumplings were very common in farming villages to the extent that the villagers were called “dumpling-eaters” in comparison to the “porridge-bellies” of the towns.

• Mochi

  Mochi was often eaten in the castle town of Toyama.

• Imogai-mochi and imo-ohagi

  Imogai-mochi is a mixture of taro cooked with non-glutinous rice and mashed together, while imo-ohagi is a mixture of taro mashed with rice that has already been cooked.

The three things Toyama people mention when they proudly talk about the local food are rice, fish, and water. Notably, Toyama is home to the plentiful fishing waters of Toyama Bay, in which one can catch cold-water fish coming from the north, as well as fish coming from the south, from the Tsushima Strait, providing a ready supply of fresh fish.

Toyama trout sushi is a kind of pressed sushi in which the trout is seasoned with vinegar, without fermenting it. It is usually served wrapped in bamboo leaves.

A large amount of produce from Hokkaido has entered Toyama, a port of call on the shipping route between Hokkaido and Osaka. Both kombu and herring made their way to Toyama in this way, and people there love to eat rolls made using these ingredients.