Iso Eikichi
Father of Ponlai Rice
Japanese Rule
1886–1972
Iso Eikichi (1886–1972) was an agricultural scientist from Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan and is honored as the 'Father of Ponlai Rice.' After graduating from the Agriculture Department of Tohoku Imperial University he came to Taiwan in 1912 to work at the Government-General's agricultural experiment station, devoting himself to the improvement of rice cultivation. At the time Taiwan grew mainly native indica rice, whose long, loose grains were not favored in the Japanese market. Iso and his collaborator Suehiro Yotaro set out to acclimatize and breed Japanese japonica varieties to Taiwan's subtropical climate, overcoming difficulties such as premature flowering and disease. Through years of trials at the Tatun (Yangmingshan) experiment fields and elsewhere, they succeeded in developing high-quality japonica strains suited to Taiwan's land and weather. In 1926 Governor-General Izawa Takio formally named the new rice 'Ponlai Rice' at a meeting in Taipei, and it was rapidly promoted across the island. Ponlai rice greatly raised both the yield and the quality of Taiwanese rice, made large-scale export to Japan possible, and reshaped the agricultural economy of the colony, though it also tied Taiwan more tightly into the imperial food-supply system. Iso continued his research and teaching, training a generation of agronomists, and was made a professor at Taihoku Imperial University. Unusually among Japanese officials, after the war he was specially retained by the Republic of China government to keep advising on agriculture, and he remained in Taiwan until 1957. In recognition of his contributions he was granted a lifetime supply of Ponlai rice. He returned to Japan in his later years and died there in 1972, leaving a lasting mark on Taiwan's modern agriculture.
1912 Came to Taiwan to work at the Government-General's agricultural experiment station
1920s Bred the Ponlai rice japonica varieties
1926 Ponlai Rice was formally named and promoted across Taiwan
1945–57 Retained after the war to keep advising on Taiwan's agriculture
Father of Ponlai Rice
Iso Eikichi
Era
Japanese Rule
Lifespan
1886–1972
Iso Eikichi (1886–1972) was an agricultural scientist from Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan and is honored as the 'Father of Ponlai Rice.' After graduating from the Agriculture Department of Tohoku Imperial University he came to Taiwan in 1912 to work at the Government-General's agricultural experiment station, devoting himself to the improvement of rice cultivation. At the time Taiwan grew mainly native indica rice, whose long, loose grains were not favored in the Japanese market. Iso and his collaborator Suehiro Yotaro set out to acclimatize and breed Japanese japonica varieties to Taiwan's subtropical climate, overcoming difficulties such as premature flowering and disease. Through years of trials at the Tatun (Yangmingshan) experiment fields and elsewhere, they succeeded in developing high-quality japonica strains suited to Taiwan's land and weather. In 1926 Governor-General Izawa Takio formally named the new rice 'Ponlai Rice' at a meeting in Taipei, and it was rapidly promoted across the island. Ponlai rice greatly raised both the yield and the quality of Taiwanese rice, made large-scale export to Japan possible, and reshaped the agricultural economy of the colony, though it also tied Taiwan more tightly into the imperial food-supply system. Iso continued his research and teaching, training a generation of agronomists, and was made a professor at Taihoku Imperial University. Unusually among Japanese officials, after the war he was specially retained by the Republic of China government to keep advising on agriculture, and he remained in Taiwan until 1957. In recognition of his contributions he was granted a lifetime supply of Ponlai rice. He returned to Japan in his later years and died there in 1972, leaving a lasting mark on Taiwan's modern agriculture.
1912 Came to Taiwan to work at the Government-General's agricultural experiment station
1920s Bred the Ponlai rice japonica varieties
1926 Ponlai Rice was formally named and promoted across Taiwan
1945–57 Retained after the war to keep advising on Taiwan's agriculture