Nakagawa Toranosuke was born into a well-established sugar manufacturing family in Tokushima Prefecture. The prefecture had been famous for its white sugar industry during the Edo period, and Nakagawa's family was also celebrated for its traditional technology of producing quality white sugar.

However, since a large quantity of good but cheaper sugar was imported from overseas in the 1860s, the domestic sugar industry, including Tokushima's manufactures, fell into decline. Nakagawa attempted to get through the crisis by conducting modern agriculture and industry in the new frontier of Japan.

In March 1881, Nakagawa attended the Second Industrial Promotion Exhibition in Tokyo and noticed the good quality of Okinawan sugarcane. Attracted by the bigger sugarcane, Nakagawa visited the main island of Okinawa and Ishigaki Island with a plan to develop a sugar industry in Yaeyama in 1882.

Attracted by the bigger sugarcane, Nakagawa visited the main island of Okinawa and Ishigaki Island with a plan to develop a sugar industry in Yaeyama.