Shinpei Mykawa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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, 2006 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.
Mykawa's grave is located in the Hollywood Cemetery in Houston.
