<Begin Segment 2>

TI: So going again, so your father, you were talking about how he came to the United States?

ET: Okay, he came to United States because Shozo started the business somewhere around 1900. And he was, right from the beginning he was an importer/exporter, and that's all he did. And my father joined him somewhere around 1910. And Father actually was a, there were other brothers also came, but he was the very first one that came and helped Shozo.

TI: Now, was this a pretty large business back then?

ET: Yeah, I would say that probably the biggest business... maybe some of the others like, oh gosh, there were some other, Furuya company, and there were maybe one other. Pretty big, but then I think Shozo's business was Nichibei something or other, Nichibei, something like a Shokuhin, food business. And importing and exporting food business, I mean, food from Japan, and some things he exported from here, from Seattle to Japan.

TI: And so this business, the customers were other businesses, or did they go retail? Did they do...

ET: Yeah, and then, of course, we, we had some retail business also, like Uwajimaya. Compared to Uwajiyama it's much, much smaller scale, but this importing and distribution business was fairly big for that time. But well, after the war, the situation changed, and of course the workers all changed, too. So it's quite a, quite a fairly big business, with maybe about, between twenty-five and thirty people working for the company.

TI: Yeah, that would be large. Now, I wanted to talk a little bit more about your father. What was he like?

ET: Oh, he was... he was quite a bit like us, I guess. I always loved sports, and I know he used to take me to, take me to baseball games, and we went to many fishing trips together. And well, eventually, that's become a, pretty much chief hobbies.

TI: And how would you describe him in terms of, was he a really a very talkative person?

ET: Not very much. He was, I really got to know him after he had a couple strokes, so he was pretty... he was having a little problem and I was quite a problem to him, too. Around that time I was growing up and already in high school. And I didn't lose too much time because of... I guess most Kibeis took some time in establishing, reestablishing their relationship with the family. My dad and I were no different; it just kind of took time to, really got to know each other. But he was, at times, just surprised me, because some thing he said just stayed with me.

TI: Can you recall any of those things?

ET: Well, I think he'd talk about the responsibility as a human, and he always talked about, "Don't worry about successful as a rich person or a well-known person." He said, "Just be a great, successful human being." That's all he kept on saying, so that stuck with me. There were other things that kind of surprised me, but before he died -- he died in camp in 1944 -- and he started to talk about things that he really didn't mean to pressure me on the responsibility thing. Only thing is, "You may have to look after your family," and it's, no longer he was able to do it. And that's the last thing he said. I came home to find a telegram saying to come right home because he passed away. So I was kind of sad, because I didn't know him too well, as much as I should. But I did one thing. You know, we were not able to buy liquor in Twin Falls, but this is where I really thank Keith Oka and somebody with, some of his very good sort of strategist kind of a person to establish a relationship with this town of Twin Falls.

TI: And this is Keith Oka?

ET: Keith Oka, yeah. And he was a great guy. I used to really marvel because of the fact that he was such a fun-loving guy, and we always had fun. But at the same time, he talked about the great thing about, well, being nice to people and tried not to get too anti-, sort of, American thing. And he himself was a Japanese citizen; he didn't have citizenship until quite late. So he became a, kind of like my father-figure, but he was only five years older than me.

TI: So Keith Oka just -- so I can summarize, so this is, we're jumping around a little bit -- but this was someone that you met in Seattle at the Nichiren...

ET: Right, Nichiren Church.

TI: ...Church. And now you're talking about, he helped establish some ties in Twin Falls during the war years.

ET: Yeah, I think we did because of the fact that wartime shortage of farm help, Mexican, usually, so we took over Mexican farm labor camp and then found this beautiful social, multi-purpose social hall. And we had the Mikado band members, the Mikado was as good as any big band, and we had them, about half of 'em came with us to the farm security camp. And Keith was absolutely the head of that group, and well, make things short, we were practicing and we suddenly see all these people surrounding that whole social hall. And I thought, oh-oh, we're going to be in trouble. And that's when he said, "Well, let's go out, you and I go out and talk to them." And they were all young high school kids, and they couldn't believe they were hearing this wonderful music coming out of this place. And Keith realized it because he immediately said, "How come you guys are out here? Why don't you come on in?" And kids couldn't believe it, that they could come in. And I guess that they had a kind of a, maybe... you know, the family talked about, "Don't get too close to these Japanese Americans," and they knew that we were in there. But Keith has that kind of special kind of a relationship skill, and we went out there and talked and invited them in, and then told them that, "We are not having enough partners in dancing." So said, "You guys" -- the girls, the girls should be, come on in. And they couldn't believe it. At the same time, listening to modern music, well, we knew all about modern dancing also, so kids were just starving. And we didn't think anything of it, but that night, Keith was saying, "You know, this may be the greatest thing we've ever done." And sure enough, the town just completely changed.

But going back to my dad, first thing I did was went to the liquor store and got the nicest, biggest, most expensive scotch I could find. And he's not supposed to drink because he had a stroke, and my mother was not too happy because she thought I was killing him because, in giving him such a thing. But I can never forget his smile, you know. He had that, and I guess he kind of sipped all the way through, for the next, about a year or so.

TI: So that was a very --

ET: So that was a great moment as far as I was concerned. I give it to him because of the fact that he needed that, and probably, I might have killed him, too, because he hadn't had that for a long time. But, well, he, he was very happy.

TI: Okay.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.