PARTNER

INTERVIEW ID

ddr-densho-1000-62

NARRATOR

Tomio Moriguchi

INTERVIEW TITLE

Tomio Moriguchi Interview IV

00:50:58 — 10 segments

DESCRIPTION

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."

(Filmed on location.)

PRODUCTION

Becky Fukuda, interviewer; Steve Hamada, videographer

PERSONS/ORGANIZATIONS

• Moriguchi, Tomio

CONTRIBUTOR

Densho

PREFERRED CITATION

Courtesy of Densho

RIGHTS