Hatta Yoichi
Father of the Chianan Irrigation System
Japanese Rule
1886–1942
Hatta Yoichi (1886–1942) was a hydraulic engineer from Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan and a graduate of the Imperial University of Tokyo. He came to Taiwan in 1910 as a civil engineer for the Government-General and was first involved in waterworks and power surveys before turning to large-scale irrigation. From 1920 he directed the construction of the Wushantou Reservoir and the Chianan Irrigation System (Chianan Tatsun), then the largest water project in Asia, designed to transform the chronically dry Chianan Plain. To build the dam he adopted the unusual semi-hydraulic fill method, then rarely used in the world, and personally championed mechanized construction by importing large American excavators. Equally important was his 'three-year crop rotation water-distribution system,' which rationed scarce water across rice, sugarcane, and other crops so that some 150,000 hectares of rain-dependent land could be cultivated. The works were completed and water began flowing in 1930, multiplying agricultural output across the plain. Hatta was known for treating Japanese and Taiwanese workers equally, for prioritizing labor welfare and safety, and for building schools and housing for the families at the construction site, which earned him lasting respect among local people. In 1942, during the Pacific War, he was ordered to the Philippines; the transport ship Daiyo Maru was torpedoed and sank, and he died at sea at the age of 56. His wife Toyoki later took her own life at the reservoir's outlet in 1945. After the war local residents continued to hold annual memorial rites for him, and a bronze statue of him seated in contemplation still stands beside the Wushantou Reservoir, where he is honored as the 'Father of the Chianan Irrigation System.'
1910 Came to Taiwan as a civil engineer for the Government-General
1920 Began construction of the Wushantou Reservoir and Chianan Irrigation System
1930 The Chianan Irrigation System was completed and began supplying water
1942 Died at sea when his transport ship was sunk en route to the Philippines
Father of the Chianan Irrigation System
Hatta Yoichi
Era
Japanese Rule
Lifespan
1886–1942
Hatta Yoichi (1886–1942) was a hydraulic engineer from Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan and a graduate of the Imperial University of Tokyo. He came to Taiwan in 1910 as a civil engineer for the Government-General and was first involved in waterworks and power surveys before turning to large-scale irrigation. From 1920 he directed the construction of the Wushantou Reservoir and the Chianan Irrigation System (Chianan Tatsun), then the largest water project in Asia, designed to transform the chronically dry Chianan Plain. To build the dam he adopted the unusual semi-hydraulic fill method, then rarely used in the world, and personally championed mechanized construction by importing large American excavators. Equally important was his 'three-year crop rotation water-distribution system,' which rationed scarce water across rice, sugarcane, and other crops so that some 150,000 hectares of rain-dependent land could be cultivated. The works were completed and water began flowing in 1930, multiplying agricultural output across the plain. Hatta was known for treating Japanese and Taiwanese workers equally, for prioritizing labor welfare and safety, and for building schools and housing for the families at the construction site, which earned him lasting respect among local people. In 1942, during the Pacific War, he was ordered to the Philippines; the transport ship Daiyo Maru was torpedoed and sank, and he died at sea at the age of 56. His wife Toyoki later took her own life at the reservoir's outlet in 1945. After the war local residents continued to hold annual memorial rites for him, and a bronze statue of him seated in contemplation still stands beside the Wushantou Reservoir, where he is honored as the 'Father of the Chianan Irrigation System.'
1910 Came to Taiwan as a civil engineer for the Government-General
1920 Began construction of the Wushantou Reservoir and Chianan Irrigation System
1930 The Chianan Irrigation System was completed and began supplying water
1942 Died at sea when his transport ship was sunk en route to the Philippines