Kichimatsu Kishi
Encyclopedia
Kichimatsu Kishi was a Japanese
immigrant to the United States
who worked as a farmer and businessman. Along with fellow immigrants from Japan, his impact on rice farming in the southern United States would change the agricultural industry of the region. Kishi would establish an agricultural colony in Southeast Texas
and would own an oil company. Born as one of eight children to a Japanese banker, he attended Hitotsubashi University
in Tokyo
, Japan
, but was taken from his studies in 1904 to fight in the Russo-Japanese War
.
He was eventually sent to Manchuria
on the mainland of China
where he remained until the Japanese victory in 1905. He considered remaining there, but the high cost of land and lawlessness prompted him to return to his homeland. Years earlier, Sadatsuchi Uchida
(Japan’s consul to the United States) toured the southern United States in 1902. Uchida reported back to Japan with promising news that the rice farming was underdeveloped and showed potential for large profit. At the time, the dense population of Japan and limited workable land meant that many rice farmers would never own their own land. This sparked Kishi’s interest in migrating to the United States in 1906.
and moving on to the Carolinas, and finally discovering the area near the town of Terry in central Orange County, Texas
ideal. Located as one of the stops of the Texas and New Orleans Railroad
, Terry was a lumber
and agricultural town with nearby bayous that could be tapped for irrigation.
It was here that Kishi would establish what is now known as the Kishi Colony. He purchased a land tract of approximately 3500 acres (14.2 km²) with borrowed money in 1907, and by the following year, his family would reside there with the first rice crop established.
Later, when the Sabine River
was dredged for ships nearby, the saltwater of the nearby gulf was allowed to flow into the bayou used to irrigate the rice field, destroying the crop.
Kishi then diversified his farm to grow other vegetables such as cotton, corn, and cabbage. The Kishi Colony attracted other Japanese immigrants from states like California that at the time, prohibited people such as Japanese and other foreigners from owning land there.
It was also not uncommon to see people of different heritages such as Mexicans, Cajuns, and African-Americans working within the colony. After the passage of the California Alien Land Law of 1913
, many more Japanese would begin to migrate to Texas. The hostility would begin to grow against these people moving in, even though initially they were welcomed. The Texas Legislature
passed a similar law, but many of the Japanese-Texans had enough political influence to weaken it, while still maintaining their land ownership.
on the Kishi property in 1919 attracted the interest of Isoroku Yamamoto
, who in 1921 was touring the United States oil producing facilities in response to Japan’s growing navy. Yamamoto’s meeting with Kishi would help spark his interest in forming the Orange Petroleum Company. For several years, it seemed Kishi would succeed greatly. He did make enough money to pay back his debtors. During this time Kishi would continue to purchase land. Yamamoto visited the site again in 1924 and found the oil production doing well.
But several years later, the wells would run dry and the oil venture finally ended in 1925. Afterward, the Great Depression
would also have a negative impact on the Kishi colony. Crop disease along with harsh weather destroyed the produce of the farm. In September 1931, Kishi lost his land to foreclosure. His son Taro, who had been working with a Japanese shipping company at the time helped support his family by buying a small farm near Orange
. The Kishi family also managed to lease a portion of their former land as well.
Years later, Kichimatsu Kishi was detained by authorities and kept for two months at Camp Kenedy near San Antonio after the Attack on Pearl Harbor
, most likely due to his previous contact with Yamamoto. With the influence of the prominent businessmen of Orange such as the Stark and Sims families, he was released back to the community without restriction.
’s first Asian student. As a highly regarded football player, Taro Kishi helped Texas A&M win a Southwest Conference championship and was one of the early great APA athletes. He graduated in 1926 with a degree in agriculture.
has constructed a marker on road FM 1135 seven miles (11 km) southeast of Vidor, Texas
in recognition of the accomplishments of Kishi and his colony to the region. In this same area, a road that runs through central part of Orange County
was named Jap Lane years back in honor of the Japanese for the positive impact on the agriculture of the region. However, the word Jap
is now considered a racial slur and the road's name has been targeted by civil rights groups. In July of 2005, Orange County
has changed it to Duncanwoods Lane, Japanese Lane and Cajun Way. In 2007, FM 1135 received a new recognition as "Kishi Road" with a marker.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
immigrant to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who worked as a farmer and businessman. Along with fellow immigrants from Japan, his impact on rice farming in the southern United States would change the agricultural industry of the region. Kishi would establish an agricultural colony in Southeast Texas
Southeast Texas
Southeast Texas is a subregion of East Texas located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The subregion is geographically centered around the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown and Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan areas...
and would own an oil company. Born as one of eight children to a Japanese banker, he attended Hitotsubashi University
Hitotsubashi University
is a national university specialised in the social sciences in Tokyo, Japan. The University has campuses in Kunitachi, Kodaira, and Kanda.Hitotsubashi is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. It is ranked 25th in the world in 2011 by École des Mines de Paris.Hitotsubashi...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, but was taken from his studies in 1904 to fight in the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
.
He was eventually sent to Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
on the mainland of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
where he remained until the Japanese victory in 1905. He considered remaining there, but the high cost of land and lawlessness prompted him to return to his homeland. Years earlier, Sadatsuchi Uchida
Sadatsuchi Uchida
was Japan's consul general to the United States in the early 1900s. His reports back to Japan of the agricultural conditions in Southeast Texas would lead to the migration of key Japanese businessmen that would have a positive impact upon the region....
(Japan’s consul to the United States) toured the southern United States in 1902. Uchida reported back to Japan with promising news that the rice farming was underdeveloped and showed potential for large profit. At the time, the dense population of Japan and limited workable land meant that many rice farmers would never own their own land. This sparked Kishi’s interest in migrating to the United States in 1906.
Travel to the United States
He looked for suitable land, starting in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and moving on to the Carolinas, and finally discovering the area near the town of Terry in central Orange County, Texas
Orange County, Texas
Orange County is one of 254 counties of the State of Texas and its county seat is the city of Orange, Texas. In the year 2000, the population of Orange County was about 85,000. Orange County is the county in the very southeastern corner of Texas, with a boundary with Louisiana and a seacoast on the...
ideal. Located as one of the stops of the Texas and New Orleans Railroad
Texas and New Orleans Railroad
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad is a former railroad in Texas and Louisiana. At one point the company was the largest railroad in Texas, with of trackage in 1934, but by 1961 there were only remaining when it was merged with parent company Southern Pacific....
, Terry was a lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
and agricultural town with nearby bayous that could be tapped for irrigation.
It was here that Kishi would establish what is now known as the Kishi Colony. He purchased a land tract of approximately 3500 acres (14.2 km²) with borrowed money in 1907, and by the following year, his family would reside there with the first rice crop established.
Later, when the Sabine River
Sabine River (Texas-Louisiana)
The Sabine River is a river, long, in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana. In its lower course, it forms part of the boundary between the two states and empties into Sabine Lake, an estuary of the Gulf of Mexico. The river formed part of the United States-Mexican international boundary during...
was dredged for ships nearby, the saltwater of the nearby gulf was allowed to flow into the bayou used to irrigate the rice field, destroying the crop.
Kishi then diversified his farm to grow other vegetables such as cotton, corn, and cabbage. The Kishi Colony attracted other Japanese immigrants from states like California that at the time, prohibited people such as Japanese and other foreigners from owning land there.
It was also not uncommon to see people of different heritages such as Mexicans, Cajuns, and African-Americans working within the colony. After the passage of the California Alien Land Law of 1913
California Alien Land Law of 1913
The California Alien Land Law of 1913 prohibited "aliens ineligible for citizenship" from owning land or property, but permitted three-year leases. It affected the Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and Korean immigrant farmers in California. It passed thirty-five to two in the Senate and seventy-two to...
, many more Japanese would begin to migrate to Texas. The hostility would begin to grow against these people moving in, even though initially they were welcomed. The Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
passed a similar law, but many of the Japanese-Texans had enough political influence to weaken it, while still maintaining their land ownership.
Kishi’s oil business
The discovery of oilOil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
on the Kishi property in 1919 attracted the interest of Isoroku Yamamoto
Isoroku Yamamoto
was a Japanese Naval Marshal General and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and a student of Harvard University ....
, who in 1921 was touring the United States oil producing facilities in response to Japan’s growing navy. Yamamoto’s meeting with Kishi would help spark his interest in forming the Orange Petroleum Company. For several years, it seemed Kishi would succeed greatly. He did make enough money to pay back his debtors. During this time Kishi would continue to purchase land. Yamamoto visited the site again in 1924 and found the oil production doing well.
But several years later, the wells would run dry and the oil venture finally ended in 1925. Afterward, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
would also have a negative impact on the Kishi colony. Crop disease along with harsh weather destroyed the produce of the farm. In September 1931, Kishi lost his land to foreclosure. His son Taro, who had been working with a Japanese shipping company at the time helped support his family by buying a small farm near Orange
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
. The Kishi family also managed to lease a portion of their former land as well.
Years later, Kichimatsu Kishi was detained by authorities and kept for two months at Camp Kenedy near San Antonio after the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, most likely due to his previous contact with Yamamoto. With the influence of the prominent businessmen of Orange such as the Stark and Sims families, he was released back to the community without restriction.
Taro Kishi
Kichimatsu’s son Taro would become Texas A&M UniversityTexas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
’s first Asian student. As a highly regarded football player, Taro Kishi helped Texas A&M win a Southwest Conference championship and was one of the early great APA athletes. He graduated in 1926 with a degree in agriculture.
Markers of recognition and controversy
The Texas Historical CommissionTexas Historical Commission
The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas....
has constructed a marker on road FM 1135 seven miles (11 km) southeast of Vidor, Texas
Vidor, Texas
Vidor is a city in western Orange County, Texas, United States. A city of Southeast Texas, it lies at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Farm to Market Road 105, six miles east of Beaumont. The town is mainly a bedroom community for the nearby refining complexes in Beaumont and Port Arthur and...
in recognition of the accomplishments of Kishi and his colony to the region. In this same area, a road that runs through central part of Orange County
Orange County, Texas
Orange County is one of 254 counties of the State of Texas and its county seat is the city of Orange, Texas. In the year 2000, the population of Orange County was about 85,000. Orange County is the county in the very southeastern corner of Texas, with a boundary with Louisiana and a seacoast on the...
was named Jap Lane years back in honor of the Japanese for the positive impact on the agriculture of the region. However, the word Jap
Jap
Jap is an English abbreviation of the word "Japanese." Today it is generally regarded as an ethnic slur, although English-speaking countries differ in the degree to which they consider the term offensive. In the United States, Japanese Americans have come to find the term controversial or...
is now considered a racial slur and the road's name has been targeted by civil rights groups. In July of 2005, Orange County
Orange County, Texas
Orange County is one of 254 counties of the State of Texas and its county seat is the city of Orange, Texas. In the year 2000, the population of Orange County was about 85,000. Orange County is the county in the very southeastern corner of Texas, with a boundary with Louisiana and a seacoast on the...
has changed it to Duncanwoods Lane, Japanese Lane and Cajun Way. In 2007, FM 1135 received a new recognition as "Kishi Road" with a marker.
External links
- Kishi Web
- Historic photos of the Kishi Family from the Heritage House Museum in Orange