Tomio Moriguchi Interview I Segment 1

Family background (ddr-densho-1000-59-1) - 00:08:23
Father's business making and delivering food to the Issei work camps, origins of Uwajimaya (ddr-densho-1000-59-2) - 00:04:25
Running store and raising the family, "The quiet strength" of mother (ddr-densho-1000-59-3) - 00:06:17
Description of father, values and personal philosophies (ddr-densho-1000-59-4) - 00:07:36
Father's maintaining family ties to Japan (ddr-densho-1000-59-5) - 00:05:24
Taking Japanese language classes in Tule Lake (ddr-densho-1000-59-6) - 00:04:51
Mother copes with raising several children in camp, including newborns (ddr-densho-1000-59-7) - 00:05:33
Impact of incarceration on Nisei and Sansei generations (ddr-densho-1000-59-8) - 00:09:59
Parents' reasons for settling in Seattle and restarting Uwajimaya (ddr-densho-1000-59-9) - 00:04:17
Fortuitous circumstances and strong business sense eases the chore of restarting business (ddr-densho-1000-59-10) - 00:08:30
Helping with the family business after the war (ddr-densho-1000-59-11) - 00:06:50
Mother as the backbone of family business (ddr-densho-1000-59-12) - 00:03:58
Father's success in expanding customer base to include non-Japanese Americans (ddr-densho-1000-59-13) - 00:03:34
The expectation to help with the family business (ddr-densho-1000-59-14) - 00:05:58
Decision to go into engineering, old attitudes towards entrepreneurism (ddr-densho-1000-59-15) - 00:08:33
Postwar opportunities for Japanese Americans: societal, cultural, and self-imposed limitations (ddr-densho-1000-59-16) - 00:08:53
Attending school with students of different ethnicities (ddr-densho-1000-59-17) - 00:07:26
Japanese cultural values: being a good citizen within a community (ddr-densho-1000-59-18) - 00:02:50
Feeling comfortable with friends of different ethnic backgrounds (ddr-densho-1000-59-19) - 00:06:41
Activities in high school (ddr-densho-1000-59-20) - 00:03:44
Reflecting on personal strength: "to fill niches that were not being filled" (ddr-densho-1000-59-21) - 00:03:04
Family's postwar activities (ddr-densho-1000-59-22) - 00:08:00
Becoming head of Uwajimaya, Inc.: business expands and father becomes ill (ddr-densho-1000-59-23) - 00:06:50
Working at Boeing & Uwajimaya, successful participation in the World's Fair (ddr-densho-1000-59-24) - 00:08:11
Becoming president of Uwajimaya after father's passing (ddr-densho-1000-59-25) - 00:10:53
Remembering father's neutral attitude toward certain community organizations (ddr-densho-1000-59-26) - 00:07:09
The future of Uwajimaya, a tricky question of succession (ddr-densho-1000-59-27) - 00:03:01
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ddr-densho-1000-59-1 (Legacy UID: denshovh-mtomio-01-0001)

Family background

00:08:23 — Segment 1 of 27

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October 20, 1999

Densho Visual History Collection

Densho

Courtesy of Densho

ddr-densho-1000-59

Tomio Moriguchi

Tomio Moriguchi Interview I

02:50:50 — 27 segments

October 20, 1999

Seattle, Washington

Ni-ten-gosei (Nisei/Sansei) male. Born April 16, 1936, in Tacoma, Washington. During World War II, was incarcerated with his family at the Tule Lake concentration camp, California. After the war, resettled in Seattle's Nihonmachi, where his father reestablished the family business, Uwajimaya, selling Japanese foodstuff and other items. Worked at Uwajimaya throughout his childhood -- along with his seven brothers and sisters -- prior to and while attending Bailey Gatzert Elementary, Garfield High School, and the University of Washington. Worked at the Boeing Company before leaving to help run Uwajimaya, becoming CEO and President of Uwajimaya in 1965. In addition, served and held leadership positions in more than 40 civic, social, and professional organizations, and has received numerous honors and awards from both the Nikkei community, and the non-Nikkei mainstream. At the time of this interview, Uwajimaya was the largest food-related Japanese American owned business in the Pacific Northwest, remaining largely a "family business."

Becky Fukuda, interviewer; Steve Hamada, videographer

Densho

Courtesy of Densho

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