Sadatsuchi Uchida

Who was Sadatsuchi Uchida?

Sadatsuchi Uchida was 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.

In 1902, Uchida toured the Gulf Coast region of the United States, most likely looking for agricultural needs that Japanese businessmen could fulfill. At the time, overpopulation and the limited usable land for farming was affecting Japan. In the United States, rice farming was still in its infancy, and local rice farmers were not growing to full potential. Consul Uchida met with officials from the Texas Governor’s office, leaders from Houston, and other business leaders who gave him confidence that the Japanese would be welcomed into the region. Uchida was impressed with the land of the Gulf Coast of Southeast Texas for its rice farming potential. His reports back to Japan led to many immigrants who would travel to California and Texas in search of agricultural work. Some of the better known of these immigrants were Seito Saibara, who would establish a large colony near Webster, and Kichimatsu Kishi who would establish a colony in Orange County, Texas. These two businessmen were well off in Japan, but decided to come to Texas with their families to work the land. These men and the people they brought with them had a positive impact upon the regions they settled in. This is partially credited to Sadatsuchi Uchida, whose positive outlook sparked the immigration of many, and this enhanced the agriculture of the southern United States as well as Texas.