<Begin Segment 8>

AI: And then something happened then when, I think it was after you had been in the third grade. And I guess some of your other relatives were planning to go to Japan?

RM: Well, this --

AI: To visit your great-uncle?

RM: My, my grandfather had a younger brother. But his mother remarried after my great-grandfather passed away, I think, and then went to Yamaguchi prefecture, that's south of Hiroshima, and then married Mr. Muranaka is his name. And he worked for my grandfather and helped him learn trade. And he decided to visit his home in Yamaguchi and going to Hiroshima so asked me whether I want to visit with my grandfather. So I thought summertime vacation so I said, "I agree," with my other Takeshi brother. And they went there, then almost the summer, end of vacation over and he say, great-uncle stop by and, "Sayonara." He says he's gonna go back. So, "How about us," you know? [Laughs] "No, you're not gonna go back. You stay here." That was a big disappointment because I won't be able to... that's the way I end up in staying there.

TI: But during this time, as your great-uncle was going to Japan, what was your father doing in terms of a job at that point?

RM: Well, Father was, he didn't go in the field but he took the produce to Seven -- Ninth Street Market in Los Angeles. First, they using a wagon and a team of horses, they took him to the wholesale market. And then he do the bookkeeping, things like that, but he never worked in the farm. In the meantime, his hobby was photography. That's why he took some of those pictures. Then as soon as my grandfather left, he went down to San Diego and went to school and learned photography with the camera. So he became a professional photographer. At the same time, he didn't do any farm work but my mother the one that took care of the farm, and also he had a, some relatives helping. And the thing, what next to plant, he asked a seed man or fertilizer people come down, then they advise, what's grow in that sandy soil there. [Laughs] And anyway, so we had a irrigation ditch, and water, turn a hay ranch into farming truck farm areas.

TI: So when you say your mother took care of the farm, what does that mean? I mean, what kind of things did she have to do?

RM: Well, she did, well, of course, the house watcher and have to cook. He have to cook for the people, Japanese people working for her and also manage and see, so that, you know, need to see, well, need... take weeds out or somethin' like that. He, she, she was the boss to say and she learned from my grandfather. Because she was not the farm lady, 'cause family was, see, working for the Lord Asano, so family is not the farmer, but my father's side was farmers. So she learned that and she was very efficient and she man-, not only managed but she paid workers and she did everything, only she, so she was a hard-working lady, my mother. And...

AI: Well --

RM: She just passed away a few years ago at the age of 102.

AI: That's a very long life.

RM: Uh-huh.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.