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AI: Today is October 27, 2003. We're here at the Densho office in Seattle with Betty Shibayama. Thanks, Betty, for being with us today.

BS: It's my pleasure.

AI: And I'm Alice Ito with Densho, and videographer is Dana Hoshide. And Betty, I just wanted to ask you to think back into the past and tell us about the background of your family, and where they are from in Japan, and a little bit about how they're related.

BS: Okay, my father was from Okayama, the countryside, 'cause they farmed, I guess the family farmed. And my mother was from Okayama city. And they were related in, I guess they were like second cousins, because, I think it was my father's grandfather was a sibling to my mother's grandmother. And so they knew each other, but there's seven years difference. So my father was, would maybe take her with a group of people, they'd go playing and things like that. She was a little kid. [Laughs] But they knew each other. And my great-grandfather on my father's side was a farmer. But I guess in those days they had sake speculation and he lost his money on that. So he remembers, my father remembers his sister crying because he had lost, the father had, his father had -- well, not his father, his grandfather, had lost money and they came to take, take... or they lock up, I guess they lock up your possessions. And he remembers his sister crying because she couldn't get into her dresser to get out a kimono. And so, I guess that's why my grandfather came to the United States. But he was yoshi, which is adopted. He... my grandmother, who he married, was the only girl, well, I think, only child, and so my grandfather took my grandmother's name. His name was, last name was Terada, but he took the Morita name. And I've heard stories about yoshi, are, they're maybe not the strongest person 'cause, willing to give up your name, and they're kinda spoiled by the family that he marries into. And my grandfather was rather, I guess he was kind of weak and he was spoiled. And, but he had to... so he came to the United States. Well he, my father had told me that he, I guess he signed a contract; my grandfather had signed a contract to work with some company in Mexico. So he was signed to go to Mexico. But when his ship, my grandfather's ship landed in Seattle, they said that they needed workers in Seattle, too. So my grandfather jumped ship. And so he landed, so he remained in the United States instead of going down to Mexico. Otherwise, we'd be Japanese Mexicans, I guess. [Laughs] And so I guess he worked on the railroad. I think that's what he must've done. And he was kind of irresponsible, so he was supposed to send money home, and I guess he didn't send money home as often as he should have, so eventually my father came. He was... my father came when he was seventeen years old. And that was 1910. And so he came to -- he worked, and, on the railroad.

AI: So, that was a little bit unusual. There were some other cases of that, but it wasn't real common for a father and a son to come over at the same time and be both working in the United States.

BS: Uh-huh. Well, they came separately.

AI: Oh, that's right.

BS: My grandfather came, my grandfather came early. I'm not sure what year he came. But another thing is -- which is unusual -- is my father's grandfather, which would be my great-grandfather, came to the United States, it had to have been in the 1800s and he worked as a schoolboy, or a houseboy in Watsonville. And I don't know how long he was in the United States, but my dad would tell me that his grandfather would tell him stories about working in Watsonville. And he even spoke some English, my great-grandfather. And so, when my father decided to come to the United States, his grandfather told him that, "When you go to the United States you have to learn English. You have to learn English, so whatever method you have, you have to learn English because you will not be successful." And so that remained in his mind. And so my dad, I guess, once he settled in Oregon... there was a Caucasian, I think she was a German young girl, blond, pretty girl, was tutoring him, English. And her family liked my dad. And so my father spoke English. And so we spoke English to my father. And, but he would tell us that the family, the girl's family really liked him and when the family decided to leave Oregon they wanted my father to go with them, and I guess probably, eventually marry their daughter. But my father knew that he had the responsibility of relatives in Japan, his, his grandparents. And so he didn't go.

AI: How interesting. Well, do you happen to know how your father got to Oregon?

BS: I don't know.

AI: Or what drew him there?

BS: I just know they worked in the railroad. And then, I don't know when they decided to, he decided to go to settle in Oregon. But I think, like, well, we call Mr. Hachiya, his... well, his, they're kinda related, in-law kind of a thing, cousin. He was married to my father's cousin. And they came down together, I think, to Hood River.

<End Segment 1> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.