Shinpei Mykawa
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese rice
farmer
who introduced the cultivation of rice in parts of southeast Texas
.
In 1903 Mykawa first came to the United States as a naval officer representing Japan at the World's Fair
in St. Louis, Missouri
. While on his way to return to Japan, Mykawa passed through Houston and decided that the land around the city was perfect for rice cultivation. Mykawa settled in Erin Station, an unincorporated community
in Harris County
, Texas
, and established a rice farm there. Mykawa introduced rice growing in the Erin Station area.
On April 24, 1906 Mykawa died after he fell underneath one of his pieces of agricultural equipment. The townspeople renamed Erin Station to Mykawa in his honor. A school established there, Mykawa School, and Mykawa Road were named in his honor. Mykawa's name, as the town name and the name of Mykawa Road, is pronounced differently from the actual Japanese name Maekawa. As of 2008 Mykawa is an area within the city of Houston.
Mykawa's grave is located in the Hollywood Cemetery in Houston.
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...
ese rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
who introduced the cultivation of rice in parts of southeast Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
In 1903 Mykawa first came to the United States as a naval officer representing Japan at the World's Fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
in St. Louis, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. While on his way to return to Japan, Mykawa passed through Houston and decided that the land around the city was perfect for rice cultivation. Mykawa settled in Erin Station, an unincorporated community
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Harris County
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and established a rice farm there. Mykawa introduced rice growing in the Erin Station area.
On April 24, 1906 Mykawa died after he fell underneath one of his pieces of agricultural equipment. The townspeople renamed Erin Station to Mykawa in his honor. A school established there, Mykawa School, and Mykawa Road were named in his honor. Mykawa's name, as the town name and the name of Mykawa Road, is pronounced differently from the actual Japanese name Maekawa. As of 2008 Mykawa is an area within the city of Houston.
Mykawa's grave is located in the Hollywood Cemetery in Houston.
See also
- Kichimatsu KishiKichimatsu KishiKichimatsu 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...
- Sadatsuchi UchidaSadatsuchi Uchidawas 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....