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Developing methods for increasing the biomass and improving the plant architecture is important for crop improvement. We herein describe a gene belonging to the RING_Ubox (RING (Really Interesting New Gene) finger domain and U-box domain) superfamily, <i>PLANT ARCHITECTURE and</i> <i>GRAIN NUMBER 1</i> (<i>PAGN1</i>), which regulates the number of grains per panicle, the plant height, and the number of tillers. We used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to introduce loss-of-function mutations to <i>OsPAGN1</i>. Compared with the control plants, the resulting <i>pagn1</i> mutant plants had a higher grain yield because of increases in the plant height and in the number of tillers and grains per panicle. Thus, <i>OsPAGN1</i> may be useful for the genetic improvement of plant architecture and yield. An examination of evolutionary relationships revealed that <i>OsPAGN1</i> is highly conserved in rice. We demonstrated that OsPAGN1 can interact directly with OsCNR10 (CELL NUMBER REGULATOR10), which negatively regulates the number of rice grains per panicle. A transcriptome analysis indicated that silencing <i>OsPAGN1</i> affects the levels of active cytokinins in rice. Therefore, our findings have clarified the <i>OsPAGN1</i> functions related to rice growth and grain development.