Shinpei Mykawa

Grave of Shinpei Mykawa

Shinpei Mykawa (前川 真平, Maekawa Shinpei^?, December 1, 1874 in Aichi, Japan - April 24, 1906 in Erin Station, Texas) was a Japanese 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.^[1] Mykawa introduced rice growing in the Erin Station area.^[2]

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.^[1] Mykawa's name, as the town name and the name of Mykawa Road, is pronounced differently from the actual Japanese name Maekawa.^[3] As of 2008 Mykawa is an area within the city of Houston.^[4]

Mykawa's grave is located in the Hollywood Cemetery in Houston.^[4]

See also

	Houston portal
	Biography portal
	Agriculture portal
	Japan portal
	Asian Americans portal

• Kichimatsu Kishi
• Sadatsuchi Uchida

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Historic Houston Streets: The Stories Behind the Name. July 19, 2007. Retrieved on June 19, 2009.
2. ^ "MYKAWA, TX." Handbook of Texas. Retrieved on June 19, 2009.
3. ^ "改称される「ジャップ通り」　その２." Sanyo Shimbun. Retrieved on June 19, 2009. "（注：綴りはＭａｅｋａｗａではない。Ｍaｅ-だと、“メイカワ”と発音されやすいので、あえてＭｙ-として “マイカワ”と読ませたのだろうが、それが今や“ミカワ”と発音されている）。"
4. ^ ^{a b} "GVCA News CCT 2CC5." Garden Villas Community Association. Retrieved on June 19, 2009.

External links

• Publications of Early Japanese in North America (Japanese)

Persondata
Name	Mykawa, Shinpei
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1874
Place of birth
Date of death	1906
Place of death