Densho Digital Archive - Art Ishida Interview (denshovh-iart

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MN: You're in Hiroshima from 1929 to 1937. When did you start wanting to return to the U.S. or did you always want to return?

AI: 1936.

MN: Why did you want to return to the U.S.?

AI: 'Cause I wanted to see where I was born.

MN: But your family is in Hiroshima.

AI: Yes, but I wanted to see... go back to where I was born.

MN: How did you mother react to your wish to return to the U.S.?

AI: She was okay, she sent me back when I asked her to send me back. Then she was going to come back and join me later which didn't happen but that was our thinking that we'll go, my brother and I will go first, reestablish, then she'll come back and join us because if she comes together immediately we have no place to live. Who's going to have the job? She won't have a job, but of course I assume that she didn't have to work immediately, financially she was okay. But the other thing I think she was kind of debating to go or not because in Japan that's where she was born and all her friend is there and she's very comfortable living there. Although I asked her let's go back and she was almost ready to go but didn't happen.

MN: Now when you left Japan in 1937, had Japan invaded China yet?

AI: No, we heard that two days after I got on the ship when we left Yokohama.

MN: Did you return to the U.S. by yourself?

AI: My brother, two of us together.

MN: What port did you leave Japan for the U.S.?

AI: Pardon me?

MN: From what port did you leave?

AI: Yokohama.

MN: Do you remember the ship's name?

AI: Asama maru.

MN: Did you get seasick again?

AI: After two days, first two days got seasick, then after that was okay.

MN: Did the ship stop in Hawaii?

AI: Yes, we got off, we didn't have much money and beside when we got off the boat was late afternoon it was getting dark, we don't know where to go, we weren't speaking English. So we got off the boat but we came right back into the boat because we don't know what to do and where to go.

MN: Where did you land in the United States? Did you go to L.A. or San Francisco?

AI: L.A.

MN: Now when you landed in L.A. was there someone there to pick you up?

AI: Yes. What we called uncle, my father's friend, Mr. Hamano, who I lived with.

MN: Mr. Hamano, was he a bachelor?

AI: He was a widower, yes.

MN: How were you able to make arrangement to live with this man?

AI: Well, my mother called and asked him to take of us, take us in so it was pre-arranged.

MN: And what did this man do?

AI: He was farming.

MN: Where?

AI: Artesia, California.

MN: How big was his farm?

AI: His farm was twenty acre.

MN: And did you have to help out on the farm?

AI: Yes, definitely, yes.

MN: What did you do on the farm?

AI: Well, I never worked up 'til that time and I don't know what the work is so first we kind of watched whatever they do and we had a lot of Mexican labor working for us and we kind of look over what they do. And whatever we can we try to help but I don't think we were much of a help.

MN: What was he growing?

AI: Truck farm. We used to grow, I remember we used to grow beans, cauliflower in the winter time, beets and Chinese cabbage whatnot, but mostly beans, carrots, we took it to a cannery, carrot and the beans and we used to take it to cannery also.

MN: Now when you returned to the U.S. you received a lot of gifts. Who were these gifts from and why were they giving it to you?

AI: I think that's from because of my father helped so many people that came into U.S. through his farm and a lot of people appreciate and so all those people that give us the gift because father was gone, so returned the favor.