Furukawa Plantation in Davao - Philippines

Many local tourists not from Davao City would probably raise the eyebrows inquiringly—Furukawa Plantation? And they’d likely surmise that it’s somewhere in the agricultural parts of Tokyo, Japan. But Davao City folks know otherwise.

Furukawa Plantation in Daliao Town in the Toril District of Davao City (some 10 to 12 kilometers from the city) has a long and glorious past. It goes back to 1903 when Japanese migrant workers and investors started flocking to the city, starting the “Little Japan” in Mindanao. Poor Okinawans and some middle class Japanese started looking for new territory for a fresh beginning.

In 1914 the abaca industry worldwide boom started and the Japanese in Davao City soon went full swing in hemp production. They set up more plantations, foremost of which were the Kyosaburo and Furukawa Plantations. Soon the Japanese became very rich. They built posh two-storey wooden houses in Daliao Town; these were made of narra and apitong, and today are called Old Japanese Houses.

The Okinawan and Filipino workers remained in bunkhouses called Furukawa houses. These were setup right in the estate of the Furukawa Plantation so the laborers can conveniently start off for work right in the farm. The Furukawa Plantation bunkhouses were long and divided into two; the portion for husband and wives, and those for singles.

Lodging at the Furukawa Plantation were actually bunkers with built-in beds and just right to spend the night with. Workers were not supposed to stay in the bunkhouse all day; they just needed a place to sleep in for the night. It had some features of Japanese Architecture but not as pronounced and grand as the stylish houses of the rich Japanese capitalists.

The Furukawa Plantation workers were provided free lodging, medical services, entertainments like movies, food, household items, and some sort of a credit concession. Workers simply had to get items from the company store, which is now a gym, at credit. Furukawa also engaged in candy manufacturing, coconut, maguey, ramie, and kapok.

The Furukawa Plantation was acquired through corporate leasing of ancestral lands from the native Bagobos. This was made possible through a case won by Ohta Kyosaburo, Furukawa’s number one competitor. At the Furukawa Plantation vicinity they set up Japanese schools, a shrine, an embassy, and a Japanese newspaper also circulated.

Generally, life at the Furukawa Plantation was good. Workers were even allowed to participate in celebrations and feasts with the rich Japanese who socialized with them and acted as caring paternal employers to them.