The present situation of Kumamoto tatami

The original culture on Japan, tatami.
Approximately 80 percent of the products are imported from overseas.

Since we lost the market share due to the rise of inexpensive foreign products, 80% of tatami that is now sold in Japan is imported from overseas.

The reality that the overseas products support the original culture of Japan. It is expected that this situation will continue to being spurred more and more.

Note:statistics of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2015

Just one prefecture, Kumamoto, has 96% of domestic share of igsa.

Kumamoto

Kumamoto prefecture has 96% of domestic market share in igsa production. And most of them are produced in Yatsushiro area. Igsa used to be planted in all over Japan, but now, production is concentrated on one point as such, and this is not a good situation for considering to keep and spread the tatami culture.

The planted area：Kumamoto725/All over Japan755.3ha
Note:statistics of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2015

The number of igsa farmers in Kumamoto Prefecture has decreased
by about 95% in the last 40 years.

562

Due to the western style housing is established in Japan, the demand for tatami keeps decreasing. At the peak period, the number of Kumamoto igsa farmers was over 10,400 houses, but now it's only about 500. From the viewpoint of succeeding the cultivation technique of Japanese igsa and the stable supply of them, it is necessary to put a brake on these trends.

Note:statistics of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2015