～Connecting the Local Community and the World through the Power of Fair Trade～
Kamakura Ethical Lab (Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Co-Chairs: Tetsuji Inaba, Rika Sueyoshi, Sachiko Hirano), an organization promoting Kamakura Fair Trade Town, will launch the second industrial and regional promotion collaboration project following Kamakura Roasted Coffee - Fair Trade Kamakura Blend, in cooperation with Mitsuhashi Rice Co. (Main Office: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Chairman and CEO: Miyuki Mitsuhashi) and Ankokuonji Temple of Nichiren Shu Myohokeikyozan (Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Bishop Chishin Hirai) to launch a new project to revive “Gonan Omusubi” as a local food culture in the modern age. This “Gonan Omusubi will be sold for a limited time in conjunction with Fair Trade Month in May, and we hope to participate in the Fairtrade Million Action Campaign to pass on local history and culture to the next generation and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society through fair trade.
Product Outline
Product name: Kamakura local delicacy “Gonan OmusubiSales period: Scheduled to begin around May 2025Place: Supermarkets mainly in Kanto areaPrice: UndecidedCharacteristics: A modern reissue of the traditional omusubi from Ankokuonji Temple. Fair trade certified Nicaraguan white sesame seeds will be used as an ingredient to help improve the working environment and standard of living of the producers. Rice is made from domestic rice carefully selected by Mitsuhashi Rice. The packaging will be designed by a designer and picture book artist living in Kamakura.
*Sales period and prices are subject to change.
Ankokuronji Temple and the Origin of “Gonan Omusubi
Ankokuronji Temple is a historic temple where Nichiren Shonin first built a hermitage in Kamakura and wrote “Rissho Ankokuron. It is said that when Nichiren Shonin was attacked known as Matsubagayatsu incident, white monkeys saved him and served a food. It was the origin of “Gonan Omusubi”. In honor of this history, the tradition of making this omusubi to pray for the safety and peace of the family has been handed down since Nichiren Shonin overcame many persecutions and hardships.
(Reference: Ankokuronji Engi: https://ankokuronji.org/about.html)
Mitsuhashi Rice
Mitsuhashi Rice is a long-established integrated rice wholesale company founded 74 years ago in Yokohama, based on the philosophy of contributing to people's affluent dietary life and social development through “food” based on rice wholesaling business.
(Reference: https://www.3284rice.com/)
About Fairtrade Million Action Campaign
The Fairtrade Million Action Campaign is a public awareness campaign aimed at increasing awareness of fair trade and supporting producers in developing countries through the purchase of fairtrade products and actions in support of fairtrade. This product will participate in this campaign and widely promote the significance of fair trade.
(Reference: https://fairtrade-campaign.com/)
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