<Begin Segment 4>

MN: Now when you were two and half years old you lost your father. Can you share with us what happened?

MU: I don't remember anything about my father. And they said at the time I was in diapers so I would jokingly say I'm a slow learner because now they train the babies, the younger children, sooner than that. But I really don't remember my father at all. My brother who was, he passed away, he was two years older than I and he remembers my father but I don't.

MN: And what happened to your father?

MU: He was assassinated.

MN: Can you share with us what you had been told? I know you were too young but later on when you got older how did you hear... how was your father killed?

MU: He was coming home from a community meeting and because he knew English and could read English, and sometimes I think he was interpreting some of the farmer's leases or whatever. And for the community, the Issei community, I guess he was active in that group. And he would go to meetings and on his way home we have a long driveway from the house to the county road and I was told of course because I don't remember, there was some kind of wiring across the road and so he stopped his car and got out and he was shot. And I think I had heard later there were also some nails, nails put onto the roadway to the house.

MN: You said your father was shot. Did anybody hear the gunshots?

MU: Evidently my mother and a ranch hand, a Japanese fellow, and my brother who was thirteen at the time, he's the oldest, heard the gunshot. And so they went immediately to that area and it was towards the entrance of the long road to the house.

MN: And then what happened to your father? Did they take him to the nearest hospital?

MU: That I don't know. I assume, but from what I heard I think he passed away immediately from the gunshots. I did not ask my mother and it's something that we just didn't ask my mother about because I'm sure we felt that it was painful for her and it would be painful for us.

MN: Was the person who ever did this caught?

MU: No, but my mother seemed to have had information, some information about him and it seemed that he had moved to the Los Angeles area.

MN: So was there something controversial that your father was working on that would have somebody go out and kill your father? Or was there a reason why somebody would want to kill your father?

MU: I don't know that. There was discrimination as you know, and we should not come to such conclusions but my mother did not want to pursue it because she had to exert all her energy in raising the five children and carrying on the ranch work. And like I said, even between my siblings and I we just didn't ask, we didn't ask each other. I guess when something is painful you sort of put it aside.

MN: Now your mother is now in charge of five children. Did she ever think about returning to Japan?

MU: She was invited by her older brother to come back to Japan, he said, "Come back to Japan. Don't stay where it's dangerous for you and your family." But she had made up her mind that she wanted to stay here in America. She and her husband had worked hard to clear, dynamite the pine trees to clear the land to start the ranch. And she felt that her children are United States citizens and she would want to keep them here in America.

MN: Now growing up, did you have a neighbor or somebody who became a father figure to you?

MU: My brother, we're nine years apart and he more or less became a father figure. My mother would consult with him.

MN: Did you miss not having a father?

MU: In a way I sometimes would think, I wonder how it would be to have a father, for my mother to have a husband with her.

MN: Now did your mother ever remarry?

MU: No, I think that was way out of the question for her.

MN: But it's so difficult for a single female at that time, especially with five children to make a living.

MU: That's true.

MN: Your mother really must have went through a lot.

MU: She had to exert all her energy in keeping the ranch going.

MN: Well, thank you for sharing that story with us.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.