Fengtian Immigrant Village (Smoke Tower) Introduction
Toyotan, a name brimming with flavor and tradition. Driving along Provincial Highway 9, at kilometer 224, you will see three concrete pillars on your left (to the east), with the middle pillar marked "Toyotan", adorned with a wind turbine and a white egret—this is Toyotan. During the Japanese colonial period, the Governor-General of Taiwan conducted large-scale "immigration policies" in the Hualien and Taitung areas, establishing several substantial immigration villages in eastern Taiwan, such as Yoshino, Toyotan, Lintian, Ruifen, and Luyuan. These Japanese immigrants primarily came from rural areas of Japan to create "Yamato ethnic model villages" in eastern Taiwan, significantly influencing Taiwan's cultural development during the Japanese colonial era. Toyotan is currently one of the best-preserved immigration villages. In the second year of the Taisho era, the Japanese first introduced American yellow tobacco and planted it in Yoshino Immigration Village, gradually expanding to Toyotan. In earlier times, the number of "tobacco towers" in each household indicated their wealth. Although tobacco farming has declined, the Hiroshima-style and Osaka-style tobacco towers still remain, serving as a testament to the past tobacco era and providing valuable insights into the immigrant industry during the Japanese colonial period. After Taiwan's retrocession, most residents of the immigration village were repatriated to Japan. For over 60 years, these Japanese immigrant villages seemed to have vanished over time, leaving behind only a few old buildings and artifacts that testify to a past era. In recent years, the attention and interest of local historians and residents have gradually brought this long-silent history back into public awareness.
