Masanobu Fukuoka Talks About the One Straw Revolution

I once met Masanobu Fukuoka, at an event at Waseda University, in 1995.
My Japanese was not good then, and neither was his...of course, he spoke with a storybook country farmer accent.
It didn't matter though that I couldn't understand his words. Maybe it was just his long white beard, or his faith in his cause: he was glowing like a prophet, and beautiful.
Now he has gone, but we are all lit up by him still.
Meet Masanobu Fukuoka, the Author of 'The One-Straw Revolution', and the originator of Natural or 'do-nothing' farming.
This 1975 documentary shows interviews of the then 65 year old farmer-philosopher, who shares his techniques behind his farming success, and the philosophy that underpins it all.
"The ultimate purpose of farming is not the cultivation of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of the human being"
In 1988, Fukuoka was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay prize, known as the Asian Nobel Peace Prize, for his services to humanity.
I once met Masanobu Fukuoka, at an event at Waseda University, in 1995.
My Japanese was not good, and neither was his...of course, he spoke with a storybook country farmer accent.
It didn't matter though that I couldn't understand his words though. Maybe it was just his long white beard, or his conviction in his cause, he was glowing like a prophet.
Now he has gone, but we are all lit up by him still.
If this video moves or inspires you, tell us why in the comments. Do you want to make something new happen in life?
Tell us that too.
In Japanese there is such a thing as 'Kotodama', the soul of a word. Once you utter something, you give birth to a kotodama, and it goes on existing in the world.
Say what you wish to create, here in these comments, and it has already started its existence.
Translation: Cecilia Macaulay, Yuki Onohara, Tomoko Kobayashi, Dennis Nishihara
Team: Natsumi Katagiri, Junko Kobayashi, Arby Rosellon
Note: If you want to translate this so the whole world can be inspired by this man, please do. Ive finally enabled 'Community Contribution'. Get a team of mates together. One who also speaks Japanese is essential. Its okay if the translation is rough the first time, but don't leave it that way...send it to others for further editing, credit them at the end.
'Iteration' is how Fukuoka created value.
Do it in your translations, and you are already continuing his work. xx

[@satoyama.rupert]

I grow black rice influenced by his natural farming methods here in Fukuoka Prefecture. My rice as a result is astonishing!

[@InfinitelifeBuddha]

For those who love Masanobu Fukuoka, you will surely want to know how his natural farm is now? Who will take over and will there be any changes? And the answer: although he was pass away, his path and philosophy are still alive. The farm has now reached new heights, taken over and developed by his son. Thank you

[@stevegreen4954]

it is true. i ever visited his farm in 2017-2018. and attended his family gathering durinh ferry bosom festival

[@Rhinoch8]

Zen at it's finest. Non-doing is the way. Dear Fukuoka-san, the straw is coming back to the land. Your dream of scattering seedballs is becoming real. I am crying tears of Joy thinking your work has been heard.

[@ogeo.8966]

It's amazing. It seems more people are seeing the growth, vitality and abundance which a thriving natural environment offers.

[@kuledekiyabancimetehancevi7035]

@@ogeo.8966 It's a hopeful situation.

[@cobococreek1224]

I support this, yes it's heard and being practiced! I farm and garden organically for a living, and always trying to refine back to the basics for all the reasons with inspiration from great people like him!

[@dogrudiyosun]

What a respectable man that reached to a complete inner peace state and chose a lifestyle that supports it.

[@shaiofthehighlands5792]

I have already watched this countless times since knowing about him last year, but it still tears me up everytime I watch it. Hoping more souls like him will continue protecting this Earth...

[@iqbalariga]

my tear droped at ending. this is reason why i pay internet for.

[@withnature--5670]

Masanobu Fukuoka, one of the greatest people to walk on this earth. May his soul rest in peace.

[@earth686]

Indian Varthur Narayana Reddy was inspired by his books about natural farming, and now he is dead, but another person was also inspired by this fukuoka book, and that is Subhash Palekar and he is famous all around India now by inventing his own formulas *Beejamrutha, Jeevamrutha and Gana Jeevamrutha* and this formulas are working incredibly without even using fertilizers and pesticides, he also shown the new way to earn more money with multicroping method, Finally Fukuoka to Subhash Palekar Natural Farming is spreading everywhere.

[@minisingh29]

I liked this guy the moment he said 'nice long naps'

[@TheDennisgrass]

@Tyson Gideon Oh yea..... I went to that site, and it is FULL OF MALWARE Good thing I used a computer which I was planning to change the hard drive on.

[@leonniceday6807]

Love the narrator's voice

[@forza4411]

I am a permaculture designer. Masanobu Fukuoka is an awesome Japanese man.

[@AliAhmad-ql2wg]

I loved him 😢😭❤, peace to his pure soul

[@SailingLuckyfish]

One of the most important videos on KZbin. Thank you.

[@bluenetmarketing]

A beautiful man and a beautiful story. Thank you.

[@mwmingram]

Great video! Translation CC working really well here for me. Thank you.

[@KatieKamala]

Beautiful soul and philosophy we can all learn from.

[@nageshgowda9784]

Ilove fukvoka dear

[@yvonnemariane2265]

5:14 there it is! I am watching all M.F. videos, it makes me soooo happy

[@Thu-wv8kq]

this lifestyle is my dream for my whole life! i will live like him after few years! thank Mr Fukuoka for i learn from you about far from this evil matterialism system!

[@CeciliaMacaulay2020]

If you want to translate this so the whole world can be inspired by this man, please do. I've finally enabled 'Community Contribution'. Sorry it took me so long to find the button. Get a team of mates together. One who also speaks Japanese is essential. Its okay if your translation is rough the first time, but don't leave it that way...send it to others for further editing and beautifying, credit them at the end. 'Iteration' is exactly the way Fukuoka created value wiht whatever was at hand, and changed the word. Do it in your translations, and you are already continuing his work. xx

[@charronfamilyconnect]

Where do i find the translation? Thanks!

[@wordgeezer]

Thank you ~ At my age there are still profound revelations such as this ...(G%

[@zacdanno1989]

I would like to add a translation into Italian, but really can't work out how...! Can you help me? Can't find the "add translation" link!

[@vedavyasa3568]

Thank you Cecilia for this reminder and possibility to add translation

[@bosquemadrecoop3428]

Hi Cecilia, can you share the text document? We would like to translate to Spanish Thanks

[@Hung-Go]

Hay quá, tks ông

[@kamalarvinth]

Thanks for the video!!!

[@nancynahnigoh3550]

Thank you for the best methods of farming , Rest In Peace Sir

[@OmgKittys78]

Thank you very much for sharing. What a great and wise man. Look at where this world is, we need someone like Mr. Masanobu. All of the gardeners need to learn from him.

[@diembui1877]

"Tự nhiên là nhà sáng tạo vĩ đại nhất". Ông làm nông nghiệp thuận theo tự nhiên, "Đơn giản là tiếng nói cuối cùng của kinh nghiệm và tài năng". Thật buồn là cái "Khoa học ko có đạo đức là con cọp đc chắp thêm lưỡi gươm", vì tiền và danh vọng nó luôn lừa gạt nhân loại "Biến thuận lợi thành khó khăn". Rất may bây giờ thế giới có mạng xã hội thông tin toàn cầu, nên những điều tốt đẹp chia xẻ trên mạng xã hội cũng đc hàng triệu người trên thế giới biết đến.

[@emileats3620]

no words to add... only tears

[@Sidtube10]

Yes, tears say a lot more!

[@sergioroberto6997]

This is the best way of agriculture!

[@hiroaki199751]

Thank you for sharing! I've been feeling stuck thinking about my future path as I'm starting job hunting 就活. He tells me something really important. There may be an alternative way of living free from　materialism, social status, and winner-loser dualism... I'm not sure what I'm gonna do in the future yet, but this gave me a clue! ありがとう！

[@adepttransmogrifier7211]

It resonates with your true heart. This means your heart recognizes what is harmonius. This means that if you follow your heart you will be in harmony also. This is the first step. Don't be afraid!

[@CheeseBon]

Hiro what have you been up to? I just recently became unemployed and everything you stated in this comment is exactly how i feel now! I must know how your story is progressing!

[@hiroaki199751]

CheeseBon Hi! I didn’t expect comments but thanks! I see... well, I did some farmstays through WWOOF. All of the hosts were not as radical as him, but practicing organic farming in a more “realistic” way. I want to know more possibilities, so I think I’m gonna go to more farms, including the ones overseas. For the moment, I’ll just keep doing my part time job to make some money. I would recommend you to do some farmstay, where you’ll experience new things and meet new people. I had some really nice encounters. Eventually you’ll see a whole new world!

[@PakkiNakki]

@@hiroaki199751 hey, thanks for mentioning wwoof, i got the idea of working for a farm some time ago but didn’t know any site like that. now that got me excited

[@CeciliaMacaulay2020]

I'm glad you found WWOOF Hiro. Ive been a host and traveler for many many years. Also, look up the work of Kai Sawyer, Tokyo Urban Permaculture, and Giftivism. You might visit the permaculture dojo, and do cool things together.

[@shyadav08]

Full of wisdom!

[@jordanrohlfing7924]

Sounds like the excitement in his life was where the plants would choose to grow best! Wow look what is growing here. Much more fun than planting rows😂

[@chriswong8659]

Amazing humanitarian. He shared his knowledge to help people.

[@Sidtube10]

What a beautiful documentary - gave me a wonderful insight/experience today! The similarity of his phrases with that used in Tao and Zen is hard to miss! Thank you for sharing.

[@Music-bu4zd]

Priceless.

[@thisorthat7626]

I was looking into the Ruth Stout method and came across a reference to one straw revolution. Both systems work with nature, not against it. Thank you for this video!

[@balasubramanianviswanathan8806]

Well done Cecilia, Arigatou Gozaimasu Fukuoka Sensei, you are a great soul who reminded all of us of a great truth. It's important for the world to give its ears and hearts and to follow the path with all sincerity.

[@wwsuwannee7993]

The "no till" method is starting to catch on in my area. This man was a pioneer. Thank you Mr. Fukuoka and rest in peace Sir.

[@rosamik]

Big thanks for the video from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Feb, 2017.

[@vmtmakeart]

i'm always dream about this lifestyle. I must try harder to reach that dream or I will regret my whole life.

[@LordPayne]

Reseaching all I can so I can learn from his approaches. I don't want to miss a trick when it comes to smartly working alongside nature. Especially when you can enjoy a nap once you've got synergy established!

[@larrykorn430]

Thank you for posting this wonderful video about Fukuoka-sensei, Cecilia. It is, all in all, my favorite of all of them. Hope you are well!

[@CeciliaMacaulay2020]

Thank-you Larry! From someone who worked so closely with our dear Fukuoka-san, that is a highly-valued comment. I too think this video is the best, and one I want the world to see. xx

[@denisesomewherearoundhere1798]

Thanks so much for sharing this. I discovered One Straw Revolution decades ago and it remains one of my favorites. As I was watching the delightful abandon with which he tossed the seed balls about, square foot gardening came to mind in a tantalizing juxtaposition. Such contradictory ideas and systems, and both so intriguing because these men thought unconventionally and creatively and provided much food for body and soul for many. Mel likes straight lines and Masanobu was not a linear kind of guy. And they both inspire me.

[@kajahtaa]

Thank you!

[@mdyaseens1650]

Thank you very much sir your work are inspired a world .and thanks and big sellut

[@supertramp5636]

Thanks. 14/11/2019 i still watch this video. :) KOTODAMA

[@authuy4060]

Thank you

[@samsamsobarani681]

this man makes me cry..

[@sridhara456]

Wonderful

[@troysantos]

I read One Straw about 18 years ago, yet have never really given it a try. Someday I hope to make a go of it with seedballs. Thanks for this wonderful video :)

[@kyalin_gender2240]

We still have hope to change the way people practice farming by depending on chemical fertilizer, pesticides to make produce which is not healthy to environment and human being as a whole. These bad practices are distroying our planet creates problem to our health, killing the beneficial microbes..

[@manish7779]

Y

[@chantamouette]

Merci...

[@toen444]

Thank you! It really makes me happy. I love nature so much. We can take care of it.

[@mryuya3681]

good video !! ありがとう Thank you!!

[@VigneshVicky-hm7kc]

Thankyou for sharing the video. Kindly do share the translated video.

[@solomonktl6]

Thank you Fukuoka san

[@spiralinguniverse8159]

This is awesome, turn this to period drama i will watch it.

[@guillermohervas8904]

Saludos espero Ecuador, favor Traducción al español

[@iansings7428]

Thank you Masanobu 🙏

[@learnenglishforkids4534]

Cuộc cách mạng 1 cọng rơm, là cuốn sách hay và ý nghĩa nhất tôi từng đc tiếp cận.

[@HAKIMONU]

..And his wisdom will heal the world

[@kiseesx9080]

What a beautiful documentary! Someone know the name of the music that it has used? They're beautiful too!

[@xxxranger25262728]

Leaving the madness of our modernity and its perversions to look back and respect our ancesters who were connected to the nature. My husband has inherited a piece of land in lower Austria and we are starting to give the nature a chance.

[@wowtech999]

Verry good

[@alejandroperez9446]

ideal sería para los de habla hispana y poder comprender lo que dicen con unos subtítulos en español gracias por las imágenes.

[@giangsann]

Hay quá !

[@ashugowda5284]

Thanks for sharing

[@laxmankamble7002]

Ashwatha Gowda H L

[@johnroydelacruz1433]

Wow i appreciate this life

[@phanindraamarapuram4292]

Great man great life

[@Iamrashidgogol]

❤❤❤

[@nhungphan3984]

tuyet voi, dung la nguoi nhat that sau sac

[@carlosmanoel6302]

Please, if it is possible, add the Portuguese translation! Thank you!

[@johnumair]

Nature and its humans are beautiful, the journey of many such individual might win us the right to survive towards harmony.

[@CheeseBon]

Thank you for uploading! What a beautiful human, i feel blessed to have existed in the same sliver of time that Fukuoka did. Im going to find that book now!

[@anonymermelancholiker7101]

Thank you very much indeed! Salve! Berlin, 15. Januar 2017

[@mynarafi007]

And I subscribed your channel, best wishes for your loving nature

[@CornpopTheBadDude1]

Why is this video hitting me in the guts, and this is the first time I'm hearing of the man and I'm not even Japanese :(

[@zeynelocak9557]

❤

[@maichung8296]

Thank you very much @Cecilia Macaulay I really want to translate this video into Vietnamese for more Vietnamese to understand this but as I click "add translations", youtube tells me "The video you requested isn't enabled for community contribution". Could you please enable "community contribution" ? Thank you in advance.

[@CeciliaMacaulay2020]

Hello Mai, and thankyou. Because of you Ive just clicked 'Enable Community Contribution', so now the whole world can get this translated. Make sure you have helpers, as I gathered a team from far and wide who worked together, to make it a beautiful yet truthful translation. One person alone can rarely do this, and we are always better together. Go Team Mai!

[@sahhaBoy]

fukuoka sama

[@huongduong2304]

Mình có 1 thắc mắc, nếu như rải lúa mì trên vụ lúa gạo đang phát triển thì trong lúc cắt gắt thu hoạch lúa gạo, chẳng phải chúng ta sẽ đạp hạt lúa mì mới gieo sao?

[@izaasar597]

Which kind of Clay does he use?

[@elleh3495]

Its funny to hear him say alot of things i think many times; stuff like how man cannot produce anything--its all made by nature. I just never heard anyone else say this. I also look at large buildings created by man, and praised as beautiful and yet I dont think any building compares to the beauty of a willow tree. i just bought some of his books. very enjoyable. "The Dragonfly Will Be the Messiah" is a small book published by Penguin. It's quite lovely.

[@yvonnemariane2265]

But what has to be left is Love, from that comes Natural Farming, or else greed and ego (anti-Love) devour natural wisdom. Is not "do nothing", clay balls with seeds, sowing, reaping, placement... there is the true Intelligence of man.

[@yifanwu3038]

Hi Cecilia, I'm from shanghai, China. I have a video blog called theDoor Video. I'm wondering if we could put a Chinese subtitles on the video and share with chinese who love and would love to practice permaculture? Non of the material will be used for profit and I'd love to share the chinese subtitles file with you, if there is any use for you. Kind Regards,Yifan WU

[@CeciliaMacaulay2020]

Of course you can Yifan. Its not my video, its NHK"s, and the important thing is getting the message out there. Fukuoka visited china a few times. His traveling companion was Mr Nishihara, who speaks Chinese and now lives in Sydney. If you have any questions for him, I will pass them on. I used the Amara Subtitle Platform, which made it all easy. All the best with your beautiful project. Cecilia

[@emailme2417]

I do consulting.

[@nageshgowda9784]

Dear cecilia i am having 15 acre of coffee and 5 acre of paddy field can u guide me to change d land to organic farming r u agriculturist which is u r native i am from india and Karnataka state

[@thanhliemngo8315]

Con người không tạo ra 1 ngọn cỏ nào..tất cả đều là do thiên nhiên tạo ra...

[@nurlatifahmohdnor8939]

Masami Ihara is a football player.

[@lyhongphone7736]

Gương mặt và Giốc dáng nhìn phúc hậu

[@kikai-shiatsu]

Merci pour cette super vidéo. C'est vraiment quelqu’un d'inspirant ce M. Fukuoka. J'aurai bien voulu le côtoyer

[@balasubramanianviswanathan8806]

Felicitations

[@setthu]

SUPER MAN

[@thisorthat7626]

Yes. Funny how in western cultures Super Man is stronger and faster than everyone. But here we learn that if we observe nature, and allow nature to teach us, we can be super men and women. Blessings!

[@charronfamilyconnect]

How am i supposed to understand this video that is all in Japanese including subtitles??

[@vrwesternaustralia3118]

it has closed captions which can be selected while watching, in your video settings.

[@lurdinhasoares9452]

A tradução

[@tomassavastake7904]

Fukuoka san

[@JamesAllen-CoffeeAndTeaMan]

Beautiful and powerful goodness! He brought so much good to the world. Unfortunately his god was nature rather than God who created nature. God bless you Masanobu Fukuoka!

[@Dj-ey8bp]

English please

[@kiekko673]

Why is it, that people like these are one in a million? 😢

[@TheVracaman]

I have to say no,people like him are 1 in a billion.

[@thisorthat7626]

Because he was willing to ignore what he was told and looked for the truth. We aren't taught to behave that way. Blessings.

[@stevegreen4954]

yes very true. i happen to know an exact person fron China who do natural treatment for humans.

[@lamnonghanhphuc4456]

Giá trị trường tồn

[@hungnguyencanh1167]

Mình cũng ngưởi việt nam yêu thích trồng cây

[@alexalpine4490]

I wish the subtitles weren't white. They're hard to read.

[@CeciliaMacaulay2020]

Its my wish you can see it clearly Alex, so lets make that happen. Good on you for not just passively 'Wishing' but getting in action and contacting me, to make it better for everyone. First, lets find out if we are both seeing the same thing.differenty. Amazing but true: Subtitles are set by viewers as well as video creators. Do your white letters have a black background? Maybe they don't Mine do, and that makes all the difference. If thats still not visible enough for you (and others), lets try the next step: Go to your subtile settings, and make some changes: color size. I did a google search for this information below: "To get started, first make sure you have captions turned on, then follow these steps: Click the settings icon. Click Options to customize: Font, color, opacity, and size. Background color and opacity. Window color and opacity. Character edge style. Click Done." There you go Alex. Please do what google advises. Once you have, can you let me know how it went? It will help others, for sure, and get the amazing work of this amazing man out into the world, where it belongs : ) Cecilia

[@livewithnature7503]

sir i am from india . first of all i am sorry beacause my english not good but sir i think you understand me and reply me about my problem . sir my problem is i love natural farming because it's the truth of our life . i knew this before 5 months when i saw masanobu fukuoka in KZbin doing natural farming. first i was think is it true . sir in our village all people doing farming with till the soil with tracktor and ploughing and then planting . if i telling him about natural farming people laghing at me. they told me that without tilling the soil , with weeds farming is not possible . but i don't agree with them . i am starting natural farming in a small area to see that plant grow or not . i put the seed without weeding without ploughing into the soil and other people doing ploughing with tractor and then planting .and give chemical fertilizers . i am waiting for results . everytime my mind say it's not grow but still i wait for the result . and the result is disturb my mind . after one and half month i saw that my plant not growth but those peoples plant well growth . i am feeling very sad and searching what the problem in my cultivation . when masanobu fukuoka doing farming with weeds and no ploughing why my farming not success , what the reason . is that my soil not good or anything else sir please please please reply me i request you . i love natural farming 🙏

[@Sidtube10]

Did you follow all the instructions? Did you build seed balls? Did you cover it with hay? Was there rain? You may also want to research on Subhash Palekar.

[@balasubramanianviswanathan8806]

Try to get trained in the important ways and methods to be followed in the natural farming ways, be patient, your farm will start yielding to the nature's call. Appreciate your brave decision to follow your heart.

[@arunreddy4569]

Dear sir🎉 Take a bow which comes from my hart From india U r the coolest shadow of indian farmars noway day ❤

[@kenmcrae8591]

Science is useless? Maybe bad pseudo science is useless, but good science is definitely beneficial to agriculture.

[@mashussin4697]

hes a bum