May 31st- June 4th, 2025 is Summer – End of SHOMAN (Lesser ripening) -24th KOU “MUGI (wheat) ripens and is harvested.”
MUGI that the seeds were sown in the fall last year are now ready to be harvested. Some people call this time of year “MUGI-autumn” after the autumn of rice harvest season.
The cultivation of MUGI in the SHINSHU Region was encouraged as a replacement for mulberry cultivation due to the recession of the silk industry in the SHOWA period (around 1930-1940s).
Nowadays, many varieties of MUGI are cultivated throughout the region.
“YUME-SEIKI” variety is grown around here in the ZENKOJI-DAIRA area, and are harvested around late June. It is used to make UDON noodle and OYAKI pancake. In the MATSUMOTO-DAIRA Area, “ROKUJYO barley” is mainly grown. which is an essential ingredient in MUGI-MISO paste and MUGI-tea.
Anyway, MUGI is indispensable in the traditional local cuisine of the SHINSHU.
