Seito and Kiyoaki Saibara

Seito and Kiyoaki Saibara (HMXU8)

Location: Webster, TX 77598 Harris County
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Country: United States of America
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N 29° 32.356', W 95° 6.938'

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Inscription

Contributions to the Texas Rice Industry by

Seito Saibara (1861-1939), former president of Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, and first Christian member of the Japanese Diet (Parliament). Arrived in the United States in 1901 to study theology, and with the desire to establish a Japanese colony in America. Saibara came to Texas in August 1903 at the invitation of the Houston Chamber of Commerce to advise farmers on the cultivation of rice, which was emerging as a major cash crop. He decided rice farming was the ideal business for a colony, leased this tract of land (which he later purchased), and sent for his family.

The oldest son, Kiyoaki Saibara (1884-1972), brought from Japan 300 pounds of Shinriki seed, a variety superior to native rice; and together, father and son planted a field near the canal (½ mile NE). Their first crops were utilized primarily for distribution as seed in Texas and Louisiana. The Saibaras built a house (250 yards S), and several families soon moved here from Japan, but the colonization effort failed because of disillusionment and homesickness of the new colonists.

Seito Saibara aided the growth of the Texas rice industry with improved rice strains and agricultural techniques until his death, and Kiyoaki Saibara continued new developments until his retirement in 1964.
Details
HM NumberHMXU8
Tags
Marker Number10758
Year Placed1974
Placed ByTexas Historical Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, October 7th, 2014 at 12:45am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15R E 294991 N 3269600
Decimal Degrees29.53926667, -95.11563333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 29° 32.356', W 95° 6.938'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds29° 32' 21.36" N, 95° 6' 56.28" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)281, 713, 832
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 300-338 E NASA Pkwy, Webster TX 77598, US
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