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AI: And I think you mentioned that your father immigrated to the United States about 1910?

RM: Uh... before that. See... well, I figure that he might have stayed in Hawaii maybe five or six year. I don't know how the term of the contract was, but he went to California around 1900, so it must be about --

AI: Your grandfather.

RM: Yes. Father probably went there, maybe, 1907, '08, something like that. And my mother came to United States 1911 or something like that. Because about... let's see... my father and mother's five years different, so...

AI: And excuse me, what's your father's name?

RM: Wakaji Matsumoto, and people call him George, George Wakaji, everybody said, called him George because they hard to remember Japanese names.

AI: And your mother's name?

RM: Mother's name Tei.

AI: And please tell me a little bit about your mother's family, your maternal grandfather and maternal grandmother. What was your maternal grandfather's name?

RM: Shinjiro Kimura. And he happened to be the family of samurai and he was a kendo instructor, fencing instructor for Lord Asano. That was before 1900, so still, let's see... I have a figure in somewhere but I could tell exactly what day it was. But anyway, my mother happened to be the youngest girl in the family so he must have been pretty old. But unfortunately I never had a privilege of meeting him, but, however, I met my maternal grandmother and she told me about that.

AI: And what was your maternal grandmother's name?

RM: Tomi. And she was the nicest person I'd ever met.

AI: Well, that --

RM: Probably I'm coming into, but compared to my paternal grandmother, but...

AI: Well, we will get to that in --

RM: Yeah, get to that.

AI: -- in a little while. But before we get there, I wanted to get back to your, your father and your mother marrying. Do you happen to know how their marriage was arranged?

RM: Grandfather and mother?

AI: No. Your mother and father.

RM: My mother and father? Well, my mother's elder brother, Mr. Koichi Kimura, happened to be a classmate of my father, Wakaji Matsumoto, and also second cousin. So they knew each other. And so my... well, my father is five years older than my mother. So my mother... it's the same village, well, about two or three miles away, but when he go to the town, she said, my mother -- I mean, my mother says my father always studying. And so they knew each other so they didn't... my daughter mentioned that my mother was a picture bride, but just a formality. They knew each other and relative, so, very easy 'cause --

AI: That's right.

RM: -- she came to, yes, the United States.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.