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Ronald Ernest Magden: Good morning. This is the first in a series of interviews for the Puyallup Valley Japanese American Citizens League in conjunction with Densho. We're interviewing the elder statespeople of the community, the Nisei who lived through a great many experiences. And first is Robert Mizukami, who has quite a long history of association with the Puyallup Valley Citizens League going clear back to its foundation. Robert Mizukami also served in 442nd Infantry Combat Battalion and was one of the very first Japanese Americans elected to public office as mayor of Fife, and has been deeply involved with trade with Japan, for which he's been honored by the Japanese government. Let's go back to the beginning, Bob. Let's hear a little bit about your parents, Naonobu and Isami. Where is your father from?

Robert Taro Mizukami: My dad is from Toyama, he's a Toyama-ken. I think he came to this country in the early 1900s, 1910 or '12, or something like that. I'm not too sure what the date was, but...

REM: And where did he settle, or did he settle, or did he move around?

RTM: Well he first came to Seattle, I'm sure.

REM: And what did he do in Seattle?

RTM: I'm not too sure what his first, first jobs were here in Seattle. But I think from this area he went up to Alaska to the canneries, and worked in the canneries and then came back again down here.

REM: And when did he marry your mother?

RTM: I'm not sure of the dates of that, Ron, but he did go back to Japan to get married and brought her back to this country, so I'm not quite sure what year that was.

REM: Dates don't matter that much. Did they live first in Seattle or did they live some other place?

RTM: No. See, I think my mother had a brother here in, in South Park area. They had, some Isseis were farming in that area, and so I think that's where quite a few of them settled, in South Park here in Seattle.

REM: Was your father a farmer in Japan?

RTM: No, I don't think so. His family was, they were brewers of shoyu and sake, and so...

REM: But he must have had the skills to be a farmer or learned them when he got here?

RTM: Well, I think you acquire them as you go along, you know -- a matter of necessity. And so, he came over and worked on these different farms and all. So I'm sure that's where he acquired this...

REM: The oldest child in the family is Lillian.

RTM: Yes. Uh-huh.

REM: And where was she born?

RTM: She was born here in Seattle.

REM: Uh-huh. And number two was you?

RTM: Yes, uh-huh.

REM: Can you tell us about the other members, children in the family, sort of in the order of birth and where...

RTM: Well, the next one in our family was my brother, Bill, who was born, we were born in Star Lake here. And so he and, he and I are just about a year and a day apart in birthdays. And then my brother, Frank, is the youngest son in the family, and he was also born in that same area. And then we moved out to Auburn, and my dad went to work for a greenhouse in Auburn, greenhouses there. And my youngest sister, Esther, was born there. So that completed our family.

<End Segment 1> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.