Nagasawa Kanaye

Kanaye Nagasawa
Born	Isonaga Hikosuke Template:Birth date Kagoshima, Japan
Died	February 14, 1934(1934-02-14) (aged 82)
Occupation	Winemaker
Known for	First former Japanese citizen to establish permanent residence in the United States; pioneering American winemaker; management of Fountaingrove estate

Kanaye Nagasawa (born Isonaga Hikosuke; February 2, 1852 – February 14, 1934) was a pioneering American winemaker based in California, known as the first former Japanese citizen to establish permanent residence in the United States. Honored with the Order of the Rising Sun, he was a devoted follower of Thomas Lake Harris, the founder of the Brotherhood of the New Life. Nagasawa accompanied Harris from New York to Santa Rosa, California, ultimately assuming control of Harris' Fountaingrove estate. He passed away in 1934; his distinctive round barn at Fountaingrove became a celebrated landmark in Sonoma County.

Early life

Nagasawa was born on February 2, 1852, in Kagoshima, Japan, into the Satsuma clan as the son of a samurai. As a young adolescent, around 12 or 13 years old, he was among fifteen Satsuma youths clandestinely sent to Britain to acquire knowledge of Western culture and technology. To shield his family from potential consequences related to this prohibited foreign travel, his lord assigned him a new identity.

Being too young for university studies, Nagasawa resided in Aberdeen, Scotland, with the family of Thomas Blake Glover while attending school. During this period, he encountered Laurence Oliphant, an English nobleman and disciple of Thomas Lake Harris who was responsible for recruiting members for Harris' commune in New York. Oliphant facilitated Nagasawa and five other Satsuma students' relocation to New York, where Nagasawa spent a year studying at Cornell University in 1870. Unlike his peers who soon returned to Japan, Nagasawa remained with Harris and later followed him when Harris moved from Brocton, New York, to California.

Fountaingrove

At age 23, Nagasawa arrived in California in 1875. The community Harris founded near Santa Rosa was called Fountaingrove and spanned approximately 1,000 acres. Harris enlisted winemaker Dr. John Hyde to cultivate grapevines and instruct members in viticulture. After Hyde's departure, Nagasawa assumed responsibility as winemaker, producing wines for sale through the Brotherhood of the New Life’s New York outlet and markets in the British Isles. He played a key role in introducing Californian wines internationally, including to European and Japanese consumers, garnering multiple awards and widespread acclaim. Harris attributed the success of their wines to the spiritual essence of their community. In 1891, after journalist Alzire Chevaillier labeled him a fraud in the San Francisco Chronicle, Harris left Fountaingrove. Harris died in 1906 without returning; subsequently, Nagasawa took over management of the estate and led The Brotherhood of the New Life until his own death. By 1916, he was its sole remaining resident member as missionary efforts had ceased during Harris’ later years.

Nagasawa emerged as one of California’s foremost wine producers and earned the moniker "Wine King of California" in Japan, often likened to "the Robert Mondavi of his era". In 1915, he contributed to organizing the Japanese Exhibit at San Francisco’s Panama-Pacific Exhibition. Known by titles such as "Prince Nagasawa" or "Baron Nagasawa" reflecting his samurai lineage, he hosted extravagant gatherings at Fountaingrove throughout Prohibition, where his wines were served liberally. Emperor Taishō awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun at Fountaingrove.

The Fountaingrove Round Barn—built during Nagasawa’s stewardship—was among California’s few remaining round barns until it was destroyed by the 2017 Tubbs Fire. Although commonly called round, it actually featured sixteen sides.

Death and legacy

Nagasawa passed away in 1934 during a period of increasing anti-Japanese sentiment in the United States. His funeral services took place in Santa Rosa, followed by cremation in the San Francisco Bay Area. Although efforts were made to pass the Fountaingrove estate to his family under the restrictions of the California Alien Land Law of 1913, the Santa Rosa City Council confiscated the property and subsequently sold it through an estate sale. The land was later converted into a cattle ranch and has since largely been developed into residential areas, with several hundred acres still cultivated. Nagasawa's distinctive round barn continued to serve as a notable local landmark, and in 2007, a 33-acre park was dedicated in his memory.