History & Lineage

History & Lineage of Korean Natural Farming

Korean Natural Farming is not a modern invention. It is a synthesis — built by one man over sixty years, from knowledge passed down by teachers he never met alive, filtered through spiritual conviction, and tested on farms across four continents.

Understanding where this knowledge comes from is not academic. It is practical. The methods make more sense when you understand why they were designed the way they were, and whose thinking shaped each piece.

The Lineage

In 1965, a young Korean farmer named Cho Han-Kyu traveled to Japan to study under three agricultural thinkers. All three were dead by the time he arrived. He went to their studies, read their books, spoke with their families, and absorbed their ideas. Then he did something none of them had done: he replaced every chemical input with a biological one, creating a complete system of natural farming rooted in fermentation, observation, and faith.

Cho named his teachers in order of influence:

Ooinoue Yasushi 大井上康 (1892–1952)

The nutritive cycle pioneer. Ooinoue discovered that plants need different nutrients at different stages of growth — and that the timing of fertilization matters more than the total amount. He also bred the Kyoho grape, now the most cultivated grape variety in the world by land area. His theory was rejected by the Japanese agricultural establishment during his lifetime. Cho read his book more than a dozen times and built KNF's entire nutritive cycle practice on this foundation — replacing Ooinoue's chemical fertilizers with biological equivalents.

Yamagishi Miyozo 山岸巳代蔵 (1901–1961)

The philosopher of spirit over technology. Yamagishi started by watching chickens — designing his entire system around what made them thrive, not what was convenient for humans. His egg yields doubled. He then applied the same logic to human society, founding a communal movement that at its peak housed 4,400 people across 39 sites. Cho learned from Yamagishi that understanding the creature's nature comes first and technique follows — but also watched the movement calcify into an institution, confirming his instinct to root KNF in God and nature alone.

Shibata Kinshi 柴田欣志 (d. before 1965)

The enzyme pioneer. A baker's son who recovered from tuberculosis through plant shoot extracts, then developed enzyme agriculture — the first person to apply the concept of "enzyme" to farming. When Cho visited his farmhouse in October 1965, Shibata's wife showed him cedar barrels filled with enzyme liquid and beans preserved for ten years that could still sprout. Shibata opened Cho's eyes to "the remarkable world of enzymes and microorganisms" — the conceptual foundation for IMO, FPJ, and every fermented solution in KNF.

Cho Han-Kyu 趙漢珪

The synthesizer. Cho brought all three traditions together into one integrated system and applied them exclusively with natural solutions. Born in Korea, trained in Japan, teaching worldwide from Hawaii for over thirty years. His contribution was not any single technique but the synthesis itself — and the spiritual conviction that this knowledge comes from God, not from any human institution.

A Living Tradition

This lineage continues to grow. As we recover primary sources, translate original Japanese texts, and document oral histories, the picture becomes richer. The pages linked above represent years of research into figures who were largely unknown outside their own circles — and whose ideas, through Cho, now feed millions of acres worldwide.