A Soba Master Who Grows His Own Buckwheat
Hajime Onishi
（Miyoshi City）
The Shitsukawa District is a quiet village surrounded by mountains.
Hajime Onishi, a well-known master of traditional soba noodle making, grows buckwheat here. Although a carpenter by trade, he developed a deep interest in making soba after learning the technique from a friend about 20 years ago.
He cultivates buckwheat on a 4000 m2 field near his home and harvests approximately 200 kg of buckwheat annually, which he uses to make soba noodles. What began as a hobby, soon gained a strong reputation in the local community because of its exceptional taste.
From 2023, he ran a soba restaurant for two years in the Kurozo Wetlands. His soba has been particularly praised for its rich aroma, which arises from the buckwheat being ground into flour just before the noodles are made. The noodles are thin and smooth, making them easy to eat and well-known for their pleasant texture and good flavor.
Although the restaurant has closed since then, his homemade buckwheat flour remains available for purchase at roadside stations in Miyoshi City.
For inquiries about Mr. Onishi’s buckwheat flour: Tel: +81-90-2784-1595
