Yoda Benzo (依田勉三)
Benzo YODA (June 21, 1853 - December 12, 1925) was a Japanese Hokkaido pioneer. He reclaimed land to build Obihiro City as the leader of a group of pioneers named 'Banseisha' that was formed for the purpose of developing Hokkaido. He was awarded a Medal with a Green Ribbon for his achievements regarding reclamation work.
Backgrounds
The Yoda Family, descended from the Takeda clan of Kai Province, was a wealthy farmer's family in Osawa-mura Village, Naka-gun County, Izu Province (present-day Matsuzaki-cho, Kamo-gun County, Shizuoka Prefecture), and Benzo was born as the third-born son of Zenemon. However, as the second son passed away young, he was recorded as the second-born son in the family register. His childhood name was Kuranosuke, who learned about Chinese classic books from Sanyo TSUCHIYA and Tanomo SAIGO. He lost his mother at the age of 12 and his father at the age of 14, and therefore, his elder brother, Sajibei YODA, succeeded the family head. He learned at a private school 'Sanyo juku' managed by Sanyo TSUCHIYA in Matsuzaki-cho, Izu, along with his older brother, then went to Tokyo at the age of 19 to learn at Eigaku juku (a private school of English language and literature) managed by Hugh WADDELL (1840-1901) who was a missionary and doctor from Scotland, at which school he met Jutaro SUZUKI and Masaru WATANABE, who were to become his fellow pioneers. After that, he went on to Keio Gijuku, but due to stomach disorder and beriberi, he left school before graduation and went back to his hometown.
In 1879, he invited Masaru WATANABE for the position of vice principal of a Yogakko (School of Western Studies) advocated by his older brother Sajibei, then opened the school under the name of Shiritsu Toyo Gakko (Toyo Private School) on January 15. This school later was renamed to Gunritsu Chugaku Toyo Gakko (Toyo Kamo-County Secondary School), and renamed again to Shizuoka Prefectural Shimoda-kita High School in April 1949. The alumni association of the school has been called Toyo-kai.
In April 1879, he married his cousin Riku. Around this time, he made sure of his ambition for developing Hokkaido.
In 1881, he went to Hokkaido alone.
Investigation of Hokkaido
Benzo who had arrived in Hokkaido on August 17, 1881, went on an investigation trip leaving Hakodate for Iburi, and once coming back to Hakodate, he left again for Nemuro to survey the coastal areas of Kushiro-no-kuni Province, Tokachi-no-kuni Province and Hidaka-no-kuni Province, thereafter coming back to the starting point via Tomakomai and Sapporo City.
In 1882, he founded a company named Banseisha in his hometown Shizuoka along with Sajibei YODA, Sono YODA and Zengo YODA, who all, including Benzo himself, became the co-founders of the company, with a capital of fifty thousand yen. Their goal was to cultivate approximately ten thousand hectares of uncultivated land obtained as a grant from the government without compensation. He left for Hokkaido from Yokohama Port along with a school friend Jutaro SUZUKI, then applied for permission for cultivation at Sapporo Prefectural Government Office and left for Tokachi. On July 16, they determined Shimo-Obihiro Village (present-day Obihiro City), Kasai-gun County, Tokachi-no-kuni Province as a candidate site for cultivation, then Benzo went back to his hometown, leaving Suzuki behind in Obihiro. In Obihiro at that time, there were only ten households or so of the Ainu and one household of the Yamato race. In Shizuoka Prefecture, Masaru WATANABE recruited emigrants for Hokkaido.
In April 1883, a party of 27 people of 13 households got together to sail out from Yokohama Port. The party which had arrived at Hakodate on April 14 was divided into two groups to take a sea route and a land route and left for Obihiro, then arrived at Obihiro just a month later: on May 14.
Land Reclamation in Obihiro
The party that had settled in Obihiro in 1883, was firstly attacked by wildfire caused by deer hunting, then by locust army. They attempted to produce food by planting foxtail millet seeds, but broken weather and pest damage due to rabbits, rats and birds brought them almost nothing in the harvest.
Again in 1884, the bad weather continued and delayed their cultivation, and the feeling of despair spread among the pioneers. Benzo stored a year's worth of rice in Otsu (present-day Toyokoro-cho), but it was difficult to transport it to Obihiro. To overcome food shortage, he ran a livestock farm in Oikamanai, Tobui-mura Village, Tobui-gun County (present-day Taiki-cho, Hiroo County).
In 1885, he introduced horses to his farm, then raised sheep and pigs to produce hams. He also studied potato starch and attempted mechanization of farming, but nothing succeeded, and the number of immigrants decreased to only three households.
In around 1892, the situation finally turned good that brought enough foods, and prospect for harvest of adzuki beans and soybeans came to be a conviction.
The initial goal at the time of foundation of the Banseisha was to cultivate ten thousand hectares of land in fifteen years, but in fact, it was only thirty hectares having been cultivated in ten years, far from the goal.
In November 1892, encouraged by a medal Sajibei and Benzo brothers were conferred, Benzo extended the business of the Banseisha. He altered the company organization to a partnership corporation, and the company name to Bansei Limited Partnership. He opened a meat shop specializing in beef in Hakodate, and founded a stockbreeding company in Tobetsu-cho. He set up a woodwork factory in Obihiro, and opened a ranch in Shikaribetsu-mura Village (present-day Otofuke-cho).
In 1897, as soon as he opened to public a part of company-owned land as residential land, many immigrants rushed to it.
In 1902, he established a butter factory. In addition, he also opened a cannery, a condensery, and so on. Although every business enterprise that Benzo handled with Banseisha LP grew up to be a local industry of present-day Tokachi and Obihiro, yet in those days the management of Banseisha LP did not go well.
After selling out a ranch in Urikari (present-day south-eastern part of Obihiro City) in 1916, the activities of Banseisha LP virtually suspended.
In 1925, Benzo succumbed to palsy, and in September his wife who had been sitting by Benzo's bed passed away, and on December 12 he died at home located at 9-chome, Nishi 2-jo (West 2), Obihiro-cho. His age at death was 73. In 1932, after Benzo's death, Bansei LP was dismissed, and in the following year, 1933, Obihiro became the seventh city of Hokkaido that inaugurated municipal government. He is said to have reminisced before death, saying, "Nothing will be left for Banseisha, but in Tokachino..."
After death
In June 1941, a bronze statue was set up in front of Obihiro-jinja Shrine by Buichi NAKAJIMA. This bronze statue was sacrificed for a decree of Kinzoku Osho (offering of metal for production of arms in war time) during the war.
In July 1951, a new bronze statue was built.
In September 1954, Benzo was enshrined together in Hokkaido Kaitaku-jinja Shrine. Marusei bata sando' (literally, Marusei's butter sandwiches) produced by Rokkatei Confectionery Co., Ltd of Obihiro City is designed to commemorate Benzo and his partners' Banseisha.
In 1989, Benzo's ex-residence located at Oikamanai, Tobui-mura Village, where Benzo had lived from 1893 to 1915, was reconstructed to be a historic site of Taiki-cho and is called 'YODA Benzo O Jukyo' (literally, a residence of the revered old Mr. Benzo YODA)'.
In 2002, a film portraying Benzo's life, "Atarashii kaze - Wakaki hi no Yoda Benzo" (official English title: "Frontier Dream"), was produced as a memorial for the 120th anniversary of immigration of the Benzo's party in Hokkaido (Benzo acted by Kazuki KITAMURA), and it won a Grand Remi Award at the 38th Houston International Film Festival.