<Begin Segment 3>

TI: So let's go to your father next. Can you tell me your father's name and where he was born?

MY: Matahichi.

TI: I'm sorry, one more time?

MY: Matahichi.

TI: Matahichi. And where, where was he from?

MY: Kumamoto.

TI: And what do you know about your father's family in Kumamoto?

MY: Well, Dad was, he was an orphan. When he came here, he was sixteen, and he was already orphaned. So he had a rough start to begin with, I guess. And he came to Seattle in 1900, and then from what I could gather from what I'd been reading, he was in Seattle working in the restaurants and hotels cooking and washing dishes or whatever. So I was just wondering where he learned how to cook turkey and things like that for the holidays. Because every year, Thanksgiving and Christmas, Dad would do the cooking, you know, and Mom would do New Year's. I couldn't understand, why did Dad do all the holiday cooking, and I found out that he had worked in the restaurants around Nihonmachi, I suppose, and then he worked for a Caucasian family in South Park. And so he lived with a family, so then he learned how to do the American cooking there, and then Mom did the New Year's cooking.

TI: Now, how did your father meet your mother?

MY: It was arranged, I guess. 'Cause he came in 1900, and my mom came in 1907.

TI: And did your father go back to Japan to get married, or did she just come?

MY: No, he was here. He came in 1900, I guess.

TI: And where was your mother from?

MY: Kumamoto.

TI: Going back to your father, how would you describe him? What kind of personality, what was he like?

MY: Well, he kind of laid down the law to us, you know, what was expected of us. But generally he was supposed to be short and fat and jolly, and he loved to sing and dance and take part in shibais and things like that. And I don't know why they picked him out, but he was always the maid, you know, jochuusan, great big rosy cheeks and kind of a girl's wig.

TI: Oh, so these plays, these Japanese plays, he would dress up as a woman.

MY: Yeah.

TI: And play that. And kind of a comedic role, kind of?

MY: Yeah. And he liked to, he liked to have fun. He liked to have everybody join in and sing and dance with him. And so it seemed like he ended up with the jochuusan, or whoever happened to the comedian in the shibai.

TI: Oh, good, that's interesting. And the shibai, where did you guys have these performances?

MY: Oh, at the church, you know. In fact, I remember, I think about twice a year, they would have a shibai and stuff at the church.

TI: This is in Thomas?

MY: Yeah, White River Buddhist church.

TI: Okay, White River Buddhist church.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright (c) 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.