Rice rack - scissors

One of the methods for drying rice after it is harvested and before it is threshed is called rack drying, and the state of rack drying or the structure used for rack drying is called a rice rack. The harvested rice is bundled and then dried, and there are several methods for this, including drying on the ground, drying in piles, drying on a stake, and rack drying.

Drying on the ground involves placing the rice on the surface of the rice field to dry, and there are various ways to do this, including laying it flat, upside down, or piled up (also known as "shimadate"). This is the simplest method. It is done when the surface of the rice field is dry, but the way it is laid out varies depending on how dry the rice is. It is seen in small numbers all over the country.

The stacking method is called "nio" or "kozumi," and involves piling the rice bundles with the ears facing inward into small cone-shaped or rectangular piles. There is also "katazumi," where the ears are aligned on only one side of the pile. This method dries the rice and straw slowly to prevent deterioration in quality caused by rapid drying, and is an improvement over the drawbacks of ground drying. It is seen in areas along the Seto Inland Sea, where the rice fields dry well in autumn, as well as in Kitakyushu, the Chubu region, and parts of the Tohoku region.

Stake drying is also called pole drying, and involves setting up poles at regular intervals on the ridges of rice fields, attaching a stopper at a right angle to each stake several tens of centimeters above the ground, and using these as a base, stacking the rice bundles with the tips facing outwards, with the stakes as the central axis. There are two ways to hang the rice bundles: cross hanging and spiral hanging. The height of the poles varies by region, ranging from as low as 1-2 meters in some areas to as high as 2-3 meters in others. Also, the number of rice bundles that can be hung on one pole is often roughly fixed depending on the region. It is common in eastern Japan, from the Kinki region east to Hokkaido, especially in the Tohoku region. It requires less materials than rack drying, which will be described next.

Drying racks are called hasa or inaki, and involve hanging the rice bundles on bamboo, poles, or ropes that are placed horizontally. They can be used to dry rice bundles even when the rice field is wet or in swampy areas, and are widely used in areas with a lot of rain nationwide. Single-tier racks are the simplest structure, and can be as long as 100 meters. They can be straight, zigzag, or U-shaped. In some areas, they can be two or three tiered, or even 10 to 15 tiered, high, wall-like structures. The latter are common in the Hokuriku and San'in regions. Multi-tier racks are built on top of rice fields, and sometimes the rice bundles are carried and built around houses. Multi-tier racks can be vertical or inclined. Inclined racks have a surface that slopes 60 to 70 degrees on which the rice is hung, and a roof-like structure with two slopes can also be seen as a variation. In the Niigata region, alder trees are planted at regular intervals on the ridges in advance, and the lower branches are cut off and the trunks are used as supports to build multi-tier racks. Recently, iron pipes and concrete stakes have also been used. Depending on the region, there are traditional rice racks with distinctive features, such as square holes on the surface to prevent the rice from falling over.

In Japan, since the Nara period (around the 8th century), when rice was changed from ear harvesting to stalk harvesting, drying in piles has been practiced in addition to drying on the ground, and there is a record from 841 (Jowa 8) encouraging the more effective method of drying on racks. The drying method has a big impact on the quality of the rice, and it is said that drying slowly and thoroughly over a period of 20 to 30 days usually results in rice of good quality and flavor. Recently, with the spread of combine harvesters, rice is threshed raw while still standing, so rice racks, which were once a feature of autumn in Japan, are rapidly disappearing. Also, with the spread of artificial fire drying facilities for unhulled rice and the trend towards labor-saving work, rice racks have become more simplified, and traditional rice racks are becoming less common.

[Hoshikawa Kiyochika]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

稲(いね)を収穫時に刈り取ったあと、脱穀までの間乾燥する方法の一つを架干(はさぼ)しといい、架干ししている状態または架干しのための構造物を稲架という。刈り取った稲は束ねてから乾燥するが、その方法には地干(じぼ)し、積干(つみほ)し、杭干(くいほ)し、架干しなどがある。

　地干しは田面に置いて乾かすもので、平(ひら)置き、倒立置き、寄(よせ)置き（いわゆる島立(しまだ)て）などがあり、もっとも簡単な方法である。田面が乾いた所で行われるが、田の乾きぐあいで置き方を異にする。全国的にわずかずつみられる。

　積干しは鳰(にお)またはコヅミなどといわれる方法で、稲束の穂のほうを内側にして円錐(えんすい)状あるいは角柱状の小山に積む。堆積(たいせき)の片面だけに穂をそろえる片積みもある。この方法は、米と藁(わら)をゆっくり乾燥させて、急乾燥による品質の劣化を防ぐもので、地干しの欠点を改良した方法である。秋に田面のよく乾燥する瀬戸内海沿岸地域をはじめ、北九州、中部地方、東北地方の一部などでみられる。

　杭干しは棒掛けともいい、田の畦(あぜ)に棒杭を一定の間隔に立て並べ、各杭の地面から数十センチメートルの所に止め木を直角につけ、それを台にして、杭を中軸に稲束を穂先を外にしてかけ重ねる。掛け方には十字掛けと螺旋(らせん)掛けとがある。棒の高さは地域により異なり、1～2メートルの低い地方から2～3メートルに及ぶ高い地方もある。また地方によって1本の棒杭にかける稲束数がほぼ決まっている場合が多い。近畿地方以東北海道までの東日本、とくに東北地方に多い。次に述べる架干しより資材が少なくてすむ。

　架干しはハサ、イナキなどとよばれ、横に渡した竹、棒、綱などに稲束をかける。田面が湿っている場合や湿田地帯でも稲束の乾燥ができ、全国的に雨の多い地域で広く行われる。架が1段だけの単段架はもっとも簡単な構造で、長いものは100メートルにも及び、直列のほかにジグザグ形やコの字形などもある。地域によっては2～3段のもの、さらに10～15段という高い壁状の構造につくる地方もあり、後者は北陸・山陰地方に多くみられる。多段架は田の上につくるほか、稲束を運んで住居の周りにつくる場合もある。多段架には垂直架と傾斜架とがある。傾斜架は稲をかける架面が60～70度の傾斜をもつもので、変形として両斜面の屋根形などもみられる。新潟地方ではあらかじめ畦にハンノキを一定間隔で栽植しておき、下枝を払ってその幹を支柱として多段架を組む。最近は鉄パイプやコンクリート杭も用いられている。稲架面に四角い風穴をあけて倒伏を防ぐなど、地域によって伝統的な特色のある稲架がみられる。

　日本では稲が穂刈りから茎刈りに変わった奈良時代（8世紀ころ）からすでに地干しだけでなく積干しも行われ、また841年（承和8）にはもっと有効な架干しを奨励した記録が残っている。乾燥方式は米の品質に及ぼす影響が大きく、普通20～30日かけてゆっくり十分に乾燥させると品質、味覚がよい米に仕上がるといわれる。最近はコンバインが普及して、立毛のままで生(なま)脱穀するようになったので、いままで日本の秋の風物詩だった稲架は急速に姿を消しつつある。また籾(もみ)の人工火力乾燥施設が普及したことや、作業の省力化の動向から、稲架の形を簡略するようになり、伝統的な稲架が少なくなってきている。

［星川清親］

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