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| HISTORY – KODA FARMS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Keisaburo Koda, the founder of present day Koda Farms, was born in 1882. His family lived in the town of Ogawa in the Fukushima prefecture of Japan. His father was a samurai of the Taira Clan, but he later became an established miller and broker of rice and rice flour. As a young man, Keisaburo attained a university degree and became a school principal at the age of twenty. Familiar with stories of fellow Japanese, who had journeyed to America to seek their fortunes, Keisaburo eventually resigned from his position to pursue his dreams.
An innovator in the rice industry, Keisaburo helped pioneer rice growing techniques such as sowing seed with airplanes. By the early 1940’s, his integrated farming operation included a modern rice dryer and mill that allowed complete quality control from seed to store shelf. Due to his success, Keisaburo became widely known amongst Japanese Americans as the “Rice King.” Executive Order 9066 Outbreak of war with Japan in 1941 led to passage of Executive Order 9066 which relocated Americans of Japanese descent to internment centers away from the West Coast. After receiving notification of their relocation to Colorado, the Koda family planned to close their operation until they could return. The United States government, however, ordered that their business be kept running to produce food and fiber. This forced Keisaburo to entrust management to strangers since his friends on neighboring farms were too busy overseeing their own operations during the wartime agricultural boom. When Japanese Americans were freed from the internment camps, the Koda family immediately headed back to Dos Palos to see what had become of their beloved farm. They returned to find it stripped bare. Land, dryer, mill, mechanized equipment and planes had been liquidated.
The Post War Challenge Reconstruction of the business was assigned to Keisaburo’s sons. Edward and William built another processing facility a quarter mile from their original homestead and gradually repurchased landholdings. In the late 1940’s, the Koda brothers took note of an unfulfilled market niche for “sweet rice.” They became the first commercial growers of sweet rice in California and developed the American market for this rice and its flour. Sho-Chiku-Bai® Sweet Rice garnered an unmatched reputation for purity amongst discerning Japanese and Chinese clientele who would not tolerate intermingling of other rice varieties. Mochiko Blue Star Brand® Sweet Rice Flour was introduced as an innovative thickening agent with superior freezing properties valued by the food industry. Approximately ten years later, a rice-breeding program was established at the farm that resulted in a unique variety of rice that Keisaburo named Kokuho Rose™. In 1963, Kokuho Rose™ was introduced to the domestic market as the first premium “medium” grain rice. Unique in appearance as well as flavor, Kokuho Rose quickly became established as the favorite of Japanese Americans throughout the country. Lifelong Interests and Pursuits While his sons orchestrated State Farming’s rebirth as Bill and Ed Koda Farms, Keisaburo focused his time and energy on improving the welfare of Japanese Americans. Before and after the war, he was a major financial supporter and active member of the JACL (Japanese American Citizens League), the nation’s oldest and largest Asian American civil rights group. He launched the People’s Rights Protection Association in 1945 specifically to lobby against the notorious Alien Land Law (declared unconstitutional in 1948). In 1947, he organized the Naturalization Rights League and served as president. Also in the late 1940’s, he helped start a Japanese American owned and operated insurance company to provide full coverage to Americans of Japanese descent. Recognizing the need for equal treatment in banking, Keisaburo was instrumental in opening California’s first Bank of Tokyo branch of which he became a founding director in 1952. In the early 1950’s, to promote better relations between the United States and Japan, Keisaburo established the California Farming Trainees and the Japanese Farming Youth programs that brought Japanese trainees to the United States to study American agriculture. Keisaburo received numerous citations and awards including the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 4th Degree in 1960, and Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd Degree, from Emperor Hirohito of Japan. These distinctions acknowledged his tireless efforts in promoting better understanding between the United States and Japan and his pioneering work as a role model for other immigrants. While he was grateful to be recognized for his civic contributions, Keisaburo felt equally proud of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1954. The 21st Century Today, Koda Farms is still owned and operated by the family of Edward and Tama. As third-generation farmers and millers, Ross, Robin, and Laura Koda continue to revere the memory of Keisaburo Koda. |
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Koda Farms, Inc. P.O. Box 10, 22540 Russell Avenue, South Dos Palos California 93665 info@kodafarms.com © 2008 Koda Farms, Inc. All rights reserved. Kokuho, Kokuho Rose, the Kokuho Rose Design, Kokuho Blue, the Kokuho Blue Design, Koda Farms and Flower Design, True Koda Varietal, Kokuho Rose True Koda Varietal, Originators of Kokuho Rose Rice Varietal, Sho-Chiku-Bai, the Sweet Rice Design, Mochiko Blue Star, Star Design, and the Diamond K Design are trademarks of the Koda family and their businesses. All other logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. |