<Begin Segment 38>

MN: Now, your other brother, Richard, also became a photographer.

AM: Yes.

MN: What sort of places did he work at?

AM: He worked for a studio, and then after, after a while he went on his own and worked at another studio where he, he would have Sunday off, because he was quite active at the church that he belonged to, so he wanted to do some work at the church. So that was one of the reasons why he left the studio because he wanted to do some church things, help at the church, not in photography, but other things and church activity on Sunday, so that's why he went on his own. But he passed away quite young, but he, that's what he was doing. And then when we were real busy or something like that I used to help him, have him help at the studio and he would come and help.

MN: And then you said Minnie married Edward Takahashi from, the son of the reverend at Koyasan.

AM: Yes, yes.

MN: And your family actually has a long history with Koyasan.

AM: Yes, because my parents were members of the Koyasan temple. And see, the Koyasan Temple had a temple, a church in Zentsuji, Shukoku Island in Japan, where my father and mother came from, and then when they were living, when they, when they came here there was a Koyasan temple on Central Avenue near where the Japanese American National Museum is. So I used to go to that church every Sunday for Sunday school, and my parents were pretty active there. And then we got to know this reverend, head of the, head minister of the Koyasan temple, who was Edward's father, and so, well, I guess that's how my sister got to know Edward, so they were eventually married.

MN: I wanted to ask you, so your family has this association with Koyasan and yet you married at Nishi Hongwanji. Why not at Koyasan?

AM: Well, when we were in Manzanar this reverend at Manzanar happened to be a Buddhist minister who was connected with the Nishi Hongwanji, and so when we got married he was like our, so like a go-between for us, so we got married at Nishi Hongwanji.

MN: Would that be Reverend Arthur Takemoto?

AM: No, that was Reverend Nagatomi, who's originally from San Francisco. And so we got to know the family very, very much and we were very close to them, so when we got married we asked him if he would be like a, well, we didn't need a baishakunin, but he was more like, he had more like a title of a baishakunin for us, so we got married at Nishi Hongwanji.

MN: Now, your family has a huge trove of negatives and photos from your father, from your era, and of course now your sons. What is your family intending to do with all this?

AM: Well, I have it in, all in my garage because I don't have a car anymore, and the garage is all filled up with all those negatives. And I've been sorting them out and I've been thinking of what to do with it. I thought of the National Museum. Also, there's the cultural center, because there's a person who knew my father quite well and he's an artist himself, and my father used to do a lot of artwork, so my father used to see this fellow all the time. His name is, he was a former minister of Koyasan Temple, his name is Kosaka. And so Reverend Kosaka knows my father quite well, so I've been debating whether it should go to the cultural center or the museum. And it's been, I haven't still decided yet where it should go. So, well, I think it'll be good if it was preserved in Little Tokyo someplace because that's where my father got his name and that's where he's, had his business, so it'd be nice if things could be preserved in Little Tokyo in memory of my father. So I still haven't decided yet where I want it to go, so I don't know if... I can't announce it yet, so... [Laughs]

MN: But you, you do have intentions to donate it? You're not gonna keep it in the family?s

AM: Well, my son said he'll take care of it, my second son who's running the business now, but I have to discuss it with him, see... because we get a lot of calls for, especially the pictures taken at the Manzanar Relocation Center, because people writing books on it, and I've seen book cover made from my father's photograph. So I have to discuss that more with my son about it, what to do. There has to be some place, I'd like to have it left in Little Tokyo someplace, whether it's the museum or the cultural center.

MN: So you, you're not thinking about Manzanar Interpretive Center?

AM: No, I don't think so. Well that's another possibility, too, but only the Manzanar photographs there because there's no point in sending some of these old Little Tokyo pictures to, over there because they wouldn't know what to do with it. There were a lot of old Little Tokyo pictures, too, before it changed the way it is now.

MN: Anything else you want to add, Archie? I've asked my questions.

AM: I can't think of anything, no.

MN: Well, I want to thank you very much for giving us this time.

AM: Oh, well thank you for having all your patience with me.

MN: Oh no, I really enjoyed this, this interview. Thank you very much.

AM: Well, thank you.

<End Segment 38> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.