Seeds Stories

"Seeds are invisible. They sleep in the secrecy of the earth until one of them feels like waking up". - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Fascinating stories of seeds are told in the kitchens of Nijo Castle during Kyotographie, Kyoto's annual photography event. Stories of journeys across time and cultures, between yin and yang, microcosm and macrocosm. Under the poetic and scientific eye of photographer Thierry Ardouin, these "great travellers" reveal their formal beauty and their "strange and necessary" morphology.

Seeds have developed travel strategies, seducing birds with their colours, donning wings or waterproof skins to be carried away by waves or breezes, equipping themselves with hooks to cling to fur... Over thousands of years of exchange and man's selection of the varieties best suited to his land, their journey has given rise to a marvellous global diversity of plant species.

Sublimated by Shinichiro Ogata's minimalist scenography, the seeds are displayed in glass bulbs, precious jewel cases worthy of their priceless heritage, like little cosmic capsules filled with the energy needed to withstand the many hardships that await them. Faced with the challenges of climate change, our farmers' mission is more important than ever.

These include Oryza Sativa, our mother rice. Originating in the swamplands of Asia, Oryza Sativa was domesticated over 10,000 years ago. The invention of irrigation systems in China 7,000 years ago led to the development of rice-growing societies, and rice was introduced to Japan in the 3rd century BC together with rice farming. It reached Europe in the 16th century and then North America a century later, with modern explorers. At Bizen we are proud to be part of this journey, in nature and in roots, and to contain in our products the original rice, the seed of life and beauty.

Photo 2: Kyoto Asahi Rice, Japan ©Kyotographie Photo 3: POACEAE - Oryza sativa L.Riz Fruit. © Thierry Ardouin/Tendance Floue