抄録
This study examines how rural wholesalers (sanchi shonin) in southern Tochigi, Japan, have responded to the decline of kanpyo (dried gourd shavings) production by engaging directly in farming and processing. Drawing on interviews with five wholesalers, this study highlights a structural shift in which wholesalers have assumed a more active role in the production and distribution of kanpyo. Such involvement is not merely a strategy to secure product supply, but also contributes to regional agriculture by reducing farmers’ processing burdens, alleviating labor shortages, utilizing farmland to sustain production volumes, and fostering new entrants into farming.
