Densho Digital Archive
Densho Digital Archive Collection
Title: Frank H. Hirata Interview
Narrator: Frank H. Hirata
Interviewers: Martha Nakagawa (primary); Tom Ikeda (secondary)
Location: Culver City, California
Date: February 23, 2010
Densho ID: denshovh-hfrank-01-0020

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MN: Well, in fact, your father returned to the United States in 1949, which was pretty soon after the war. Why did he return to the United States?

FH: Because he had been living here so long, and he even had the property in Spokane, Washington, hotel and so forth, which was in custody of one of his friends out there, and so he decided to come back. It was more or less temporary that he was staying in Japan, farming over there. The rice, crop, farming.

MN: So he considered the United States more of a home rather than Japan?

FH: I think so. Maybe half and half, but definitely, U.S. was home, yes, correct.

MN: And why did your mother stay behind?

FH: Because she had tuberculosis, and so she could not be cleared to enter the United States.

MN: And how about your brother and sister?

FH: My brother and sister, they, you know, followed my dad. They were called back to this country. In those days, there were two things. One was whether one was a communist or not, that was very strict. And the other was the financial obligation for those who are to call their kids and so forth to this country. So my dad, you know, he signed the paper and they gradually called him to return to the United States.

MN: And he was living in Spokane again?

FH: No. This time, my dad, instead of going to Spokane, he first, there was a friend that was in Los Angeles area, and so he visited Los Angeles and then went to Spokane. But then decided to get rid of the property up there and then come down here. And he bought the property at 1911 Colby Avenue, which now is in my possession. But he bought the property there. Because he had a couple friends from Okayama, there was very strong Okayama prefecture here in Los Angeles, and like Miyake and Naramura, Naramura was a realtor, and so he bought the property from them and settled down here in West L.A.

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