Sayo Mochidaizu

Sayo Mochidaizu is a native variety of soybeans cultivated only in Sayo Town.
　The beans are large and weigh approximately 30% more than common soybean varieties. The high glycinin (protein) content gives the beans a unique texture that is soft and at the same time gluey, and the high sugar content including sucrose imparts the sweetness.
　Sayo Mochidaizu is highly recognized by soybean distributors for the above qualities.

Sayo Mochidaizu is cultivated in Sayo Town, using the seeds produced in special fields in the town used exclusively for seed growing.
　Requirements for shipment include the followings; A) the rate of damaged beans, underripe beans, and foreign grains in total is 35% or less; B) the rate of significantly damaged beans and other is 5% or less and the rate of foreign grains is 2% or less; and C) no foreign material is included. Moreover, when sifted by a sieve with opening of 7.3 mm, the ratio by weight of beans left on the sieve to total beans is 70% or more, and the moisture content of grains is 15% or less.

The producing area of Sayo Mochidaizu has well drained, fertile soil containing sand from the Chikusa River System, which makes the area suitable for growing soybeans. The area also has a temperature difference of 10 °C or more between day and night from September, the period of grain filling, through December, the time of harvest. This temperature difference encourages bean enlargement.
　In Sayo Town where miso has traditionally been widely produced, soybeans suitable for processing were of particular interest. Production of seeds for Sayo Mochidaizu began in 1988 in a field in the town, where farmers tackled selective breeding for a superior strain with the support of Hyogo Prefecture Agricultural Experiment Station, expanding the acreage to 23 ha in 1989.

Since 1994, producers in the area have stringently managed the seeds in a field established specifically for seed production, and have continued their efforts to preserve the characteristics and traits unique to the variety as well as its purity and to maintain stable seed production. Consequently, they have expanded the acreage while maintaining a specific level of quality.
　As of 2017, Sayo Mochidaizu is produced by approximately 400 producers and annual production is around 80 tons in a total area of approximately 70 ha.