Texas Stat Historical Marker Narrative
 

Japanese Farmers in Matagorda County
 

Commercial rice production moved into southeast Texas in the late 1880s. The first rice cultivation in Texas was similar to the labor-intensive traditional rice production throughout the world. The rice seed was primarily obtained from Honduras and the Carolinas.

Rice seed from Japan was first imported into Texas in 1903. With the rice came Japanese rice farmers as advisors to Texas farmers. Seito Saibara (1861-1939) and his colony of Japanese farmers began production in Webster in Harris County. The Saibara family is credited with the establishment of the Gulf Coast rice industry. Their family imported and introduced shinriki seed to Texas.

The rice industry and Matagorda County began in 1900, with an experimental crop financed by a few local citizens. This crop was immensely successful, and from that time forward the rice farming and processing industry expanded rapidly. Many miles of canals were constructed, huge pumping plants were installed on the Colorado River; and thousands of acres from year-to-year succeeded the original experimental patch of 1900.

The first man to break ground for planting rice and Matagorda County was A. P. Borden of Pierce in Wharton County, who began working his plows three miles from Bay City in November, 1899. The Matagorda County Rice & Irrigation Company began work the following month. The acreage of both aggregated 600 acres in 1900. The rice industry in Matagorda County continued to prosper and by 1917 was one of the principal rice milling centers in Texas. Bay City's two mills cleaned approximately 200,000 bags of rough rice in 1916. The value of this product-in-the-rough was estimated at$602,957.15.  The mills in Bay City employed some 65 persons in 1916. The payrolls distributed to these employees totaled $25,000. The approximate capitalization of the mills amounted to $150,000. Much of the success was attributed to the 11 large irrigating plants operating in 1916 capable of irrigating 286,000 acres of land along 235 miles of canals.

It was during the early development of the rice industry that Japanese farmers began rice farming in Matagorda County.

Hiroto Katayama (bc 1873-____), a wealthy banker from Okayama, Japan, and member of the Tokyo, Japan municipal council, traveled to the United States in 1905. He was an agent of the Japanese government in the United States to study trade relations between Texas and Japan. He toured several areas across the country and in Texas.

In the August 8, 1906 issue of the San Antonio newspaper, Daily Express, it was reported that Katayama was accompanied by seven well educated young Japanese men. The plan was for them to remain several years in the United States to obtain knowledge of rice farming in Texas. Katayama was also accompanied by his wife Shigu age 30, daughter Hisa age 8 and son, Zitano, age 6. The article noted that Katayama had been educated in a Methodist missionary school in Japan and was a Christian.

The August 9, 1906 issue of the Houston Post reported the arrival in Houston of Hiroto Katayama’s family as well as, M. Okura, M. Ogama, H. Mura, S. Ohta, T. Nishayama, H. Fugihara and K. Nakamura.

In Sept, 1906, Katayama advertised for 500 acres of land for rice farming and purchased such acreage near Markham in Matagorda County.

The September 12, 1906 issue of the Houston Post included the following ad: WANTED—500 acres of unimproved land for rice proposition fronting river, within five miles from nearest station; give full description and lowest price. Address Hiroto Katayama, Sheldon, Harris county, Texas.

Mr. Katayama purchased land in Matagorda County near Markham on which he planned to farm rice. He was encouraged to settle in Matagorda county by a former immigration agent for the Santa Fe railroad.

By March 1907, Katayama was establishing rice operations in Matagorda County. He was also experimenting with grass for matting. The Tribune learns that Mr. Katayama, the head of the Japanese colony near Markham, has barrels of the seed of the grass of which Japanese matting is made, and will this fall plant an experimental patch of several acres to the grass. If this soil and climate prove to be adapted to the plant. Mr. Katayama will take steps to have a matting factory put in either here or at Markham, which will be operated by Japanese women. Apparently Mr. Katayama chose not to continue with the grass experiment as there was no further mention of it in the newspapers.

He bought rakes and hoes and was going to level the land by hand, but after much persuasion from local rice farmers, he purchased a land leveler. He bought mules and when he outfitted them with harnesses, he put a saddle on each one, thinking it part of the gear. He and his men furnished much amusement for the local townspeople, for regardless of how much he desired to learn the American way of life, he still clung to the ways of his native country. He lived in Matagorda County for six years and at no time was he ever disrespected.

In 1903 the Moore-Cortes Canal Company contracted to have a hotel built in Markham to lodge the boom town's important business visitors.

In 1905 a banker and unmarried businessman from Illinois named William Alard Furber (1871-1935) bought the hotel as an investment. His widowed sister, Caroline B. Fisher (1876-1963), came down from Illinois with her daughter to run the hotel.

Caroline Fisher had a knack for entertaining. A story has it that she kept a red carpet in the hotel to be rolled out to the street to welcome prominent guests during the rice and oil boom days. Katayama was reported to have been the hotel's most distinguished guest.
 

Fisher Hotel

By 1907, Markham was a flourishing little town of 200 surrounded by rice fields.

Katayama’s rice operation consisted of 500 acres located four miles west of Markham which he purchased in 1906 from the Moore-Cortes Canal Company for $30 an acre. By 1907 he was receiving offers for $50 an acre for his land which he refused. He was planting rice seed brought from Japan and was receiving $12 a sack for his rice which is double the price of ordinary rice in the area.

The August 22, 1907 issue of the Houston Post quoted Katayama’s opinion of the Markham area: “Mr. Katayama, an extensive rice grower of Matagorda county, says that this section has the best rice land in the world, and with proper cultural methods will grow rice that can not be excelled either in quantity or quality anywhere on the globe. Mr. Katayama has a large amount of the very best rice already cut and in shock, which he will begin threshing next week. The rice is free from red rice or seeds of any kind usually found in rice, which often causes it to be graded low. He has carefully watched his crop and kept the farm clean of weeds and grass and red rice by having his men go over the field and pull out by hand all foreign growths. He has the banner crop of this section of the rice growing belt.”

Katayama ran the following ad to sell his rice in the January 1, 1908 issue of the Houston Post: 400 Sacks of pure, genuine just domesticated Shiariki [Shinriki] rice on sale at $5 per barrel. Apply to H. Katayama, Markham, Texas.

The small colony at Markham experienced tragedy on June 11, 1909.

MARKHAM, Texas, June 11.--I. Kosaka, a young Japanese, working for H. Katayama, a large rice planter here, met a horrible death at the farm yesterday, by being thrown from a mule, entangled in the harness and kicked and dragged until he was scarcely recognizable. There were no witnesses to the accident, but it is supposed that young Kosaka was riding the mule in from work and in some way was thrown and his foot caught in the chains. When found all clothing was torn from his body, his head terribly mashed and body black from the kicks of the mule and contact with the ground. The body was buried in Bay City today.

Kosaka departed Yokohama, Japan on July 20, 1907 to the United States on board the S. S. Nippon Maur. He was listed as a 26 year-old farmer en route to Texas. He was buried in Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City and his granite gravestone is the only reminder of the Japanese farmers in Matagorda County.

Ads and articles in the newspapers were often found related to Mr. Katayama’s business. A COMPETENT ENGINEER who runs both traction engine and separator. Will give board and will engage for the three months from August 1, state salary, must have best reference. H. Katayama, Markham, Texas.

Rice Harvest Under Way.
Katayama of Markham Has Started the Cutting Machines.

MARKHAM, Texas, August 5.—The 1909 rice harvest opened up yesterday afternoon when H. Katayama started two binders to cutting his Honduras rice. By Monday he will have five binders at work on his large crop. He expects to have rice on the market by the 25^th of the month. Quite a large number of farmers will begin cutting Monday, and the movement of rough will start about September 1.

The damage done by the storm is now showing up, and it is estimated that the yield on the early rice will be cut from two to four bags per acre.

MARKHAM, Texas, August 25.—H. Katayama started threshing this morning, and the first rice of the season is now in the warehouses. Several other farmers will begin Monday, and by September 1 the threshing will be general throughout this section. Harvest conditions have been ideal so far, and the rice is ripening very fast. The yield is falling short of what was expected.

In the 1910 Census of Matagorda County, Katayama and ten other Japanese were listed. Most were listed as farmers or farm laborers. They were Hedio Shimoska, Junzo Hashimoto, Tadayoske Shimaoka, Hide Takezawa, Chiyatano Chino, Chiktora Kanozuwa, Hyakuta Okura and Ichiji Iwata. Also included was a family, Tunechi Watanabe, his wife, Saza Watanabe and son, Yohaeki Watanabe.

In the February 11, 1911 issue of the Houston Post, Katayama was running an ad to sell his rice. It is the last mention of him that can be found. It is assumed that he returned to Japan after spending approximately six years in Matagorda County.

A second Japanese farming operation in Matagorda County began in 1916. On February 25, 1916 a contract was filed by Webster, Texas, rice farmers Seito Saibara and his son, Kiyoaki Saibara (1884-1972). They leased property for rice farming from the Ward Cattle & Pasture Company of Blessing. Their lease was for Ward’s Farm No. 19 which consisted of 460 acres. Seito Saibara was the owner of all of the farm implements and machinery, while his son, Kiyoaki owned the mules and other livestock in the operation. The livestock was mortgaged to raise funds for the operation from the beginning through marketing. Kiyoaki was to manage and superintend the operation and Seito was to receive one-fourth of the profits.

Kiyoaki Saibara and farm worker
 

Kiyoaki registered for the World War I draft registration in Matagorda County on September 12, 1918. His physical description was short in height, medium build, brown eyes and black hair.  He was enumerated on the 1920 Matagorda County census as a farmer. The family at that time included Kiyoaki, wife, Shimoyo, son, Robert, daughter, Mabel and Yasu (possibly Shimoyo’s mother). Also two farm laborers were boarding with the family, Kozo Nakai and Estevan Castro.

The Saibaras were living in the Blessing area about 12 miles from Markham. He partially financed his operation with the Blessing branch of the Palacios State Bank.

Kiyoaki’s children, Robert (1910-1993) and Mable (1919-1972), were enrolled in the Blessing school. The last time Robert and Mable were enumerated in the Matagorda County school census was on March 29, 1926.

Warren Gamaliel Saibara (1921-1999), son of Kiyoaki and Shimoya (1885-1935) was born September 13, 1921 in Matagorda County. Their son, Harvey Saibara (1924-1951), was born April 10, 1924 in Palacios in Matagorda County.

The family was once again living in Harris County by the enumeration of the 1930 census. There were no Japanese residents enumerated in the 1930 census of Matagorda County.

Another Japanese farmer, George Otanic, was also enumerated on the 1920 census of Matagorda County.  The family included, George, wife Migo and daughter, Mary.  It appears that they did not stay long as their daughter, Mary, did not appear in the school census records when she reached school age. She was 4 ½ at the time of the 1920 census.

The Japanese farmers came to Texas to learn rice farming techniques, but they also brought a great wealth of knowledge from hundreds of years of growing rice in Japan. They brought Shinriki rice to the Matagorda County area. The name Shinriki in Japanese means “God power.” It was hardy and disease resistant which outperformed the varieties already in use. With the addition of the latest technologies, not available in Japan, the Japanese rice farmers produced double and triple crop yields per acre compared to other Matagorda County rice farmers.

Many factors, including World War I, the lower rice market world-wide, the 1921 Alien Land Law, the Great Depression, etc. made continued success for the Japanese rice farmers in the United States difficult or impossible.

Even though the Japanese farmers in Matagorda County never established permanent residences, they made a significant contribution to the rice industry.