<Begin Segment 21>

RTM: Well, this is a photograph of my dad's family. And this is in, in Toyama, in Japan. If you notice the amount of snow that's showing here, Toyama is very cold in the wintertime because they get the winds off of the Siberian Coast over the Japan Sea.

REM: How many brothers are there? It looks like there's...?

RTM: Seven or eight.

REM: Seven or eight, yeah. And two daughters?

RTM: Just one daughter, yeah.

REM: One daughter.

RTM: Yeah.

REM: Fellow in...

RTM: That's my grandfather in the middle there with the beard.

REM: Yes. That's what I wanted to know. And they were sake brewers?

RTM: Yes. Sake and shoyu brewers.

REM: And did you ever meet any of them?

RTM: Well, the only person that I met out of his brothers was the one that was a, he was a consul general in Los Angeles area in 1936 and 1937. And he is the only family that I have met from him.

REM: Which one is your father? Point to him?

RTM: Well, let's see. This is my father right here. This is my mother. And this is shortly after they were married.

REM: And this might have been the day of the wedding.

RTM: Could be.

REM: Could be. They all came for it.

RTM: Uh-huh.

REM: Was he the only son that came to America, or did the others try and, or what?

RTM: Well, his brother that was the consul general of Los Angeles, his name was Hori, he was yoshi to that family, and so he's the only one, other person that came to this country, I think, that I know of.

[Interruption]

RTM: This is a photo of my mother and dad's wedding picture, I think. This is a traditional dress for that particular time.

REM: Her name again was?

RTM: Isami.

REM: Maiden name?

RTM: Hirabayashi.

REM: Hirabayashi. And you are then related to Gordon?

RTM: (Yes). Gordon is my cousin. I mean, how my dad met my mother was the fact that, that Gordon, Gordon's mother was kind of the go-between between... she said to my dad, she says, "Say, I have a sister-in-law that you might be interested in." And so that's how they got married, got together on this.

REM: Then came back to America?

RTM: Yes. Uh-huh.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.