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MN: Today is Monday, February 28th. We are at the Centenary United Methodist Church. We will be interviewing Mr. John Katsuyuki Marumoto. Tani Ikeda is on the video, and I will be interviewing, my name is Martha Nakagawa. Okay, Mr. Marumoto, let's start with your father's name.

JM: First name (is Tomitaro). Marumoto.

MN: And I'm gonna explain, he was born, actually, a Uyematsu, right? He was born Uyematsu and originally from Tokyo, but his father passed away and so your father's mother married a second time into the Marumoto family.

JM: Right.

MN: And then they moved to Wakayama prefecture.

JM: Yes.

MN: What is your mother's name?

JM: Fumi.

MN: Marumoto. And your, when your grandmother married a second time into the Marumoto family, there were (two) brothers. Your grandmother married Katsunosuke Marumoto, a younger Marumoto, and your mother is the daughter of the oldest Marumoto.

JM: Right.

MN: And your mother was born in Hawaii?

JM: Yes.

MN: And she was sent to Wakayama to get an education, and so that's how your mother and father knew each other growing up? Is that right?

JM: Right.

MN: So what year did your grandfather come to the United States and where did he land?

JM: I think he landed in Seattle, and he came down the coastline.

MN: Do you remember what year he came out here?

JM: I know it was early 1900s, but I forgot the date.

MN: And do you know what he did in Seattle?

JM: That's where the ship comes and from there people go south.

MN: So he --

JM: Some go to the railroads, some go to farming. And since he's a fisherman he was looking for (fishing ports). Stopped over in San Francisco, Monterey, then to Terminal Island.

MN: And then your grandfather built a ship and it was called the Kii-maru?

JM: Right.

MN: Tell us about the Kii-maru?

JM: It's a two-man boat, so my father, when he came he worked on the boat with my grandfather, so once he got settled then my grandfather left and (went) back to Japan and my father took over.

MN: Now, the Kii-maru, was that a motorized boat or was it just --

JM: Motor.

MN: Now, at the time your father and your grandfather were fishing, California prohibited the Japanese Issei from owning their boats.

JM: Right.

MN: How did your father get around that?

JM: He, oh, he went in partnership with the Van Camp seafood company and he was skipper in their boat.

MN: So Van Camp owned the boat and he was the skipper of it. And so your father, your grandfather went back to Japan, your father stayed here, and he decided it was time to get married. How did he come to choose your mother?

JM: Well, they wanted him to marry the oldest daughter, but there was some complication and he selected the younger, second daughter, which was Fumi.

<End Segment 1> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.