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BN: Today is February 6, 2012, we're here at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii with Harriet Masunaga, Harriet Sato originally, and going to talk to her about her family, the well-known family store in Aala and later Ala Moana, her father's internment, and after the war, the return after the war. And we'll get started.

HM: All right.

BN: And maybe if you could start by telling us a little about your, what you know about your parents and what they told you, and maybe with your mother first.

HM: Oh. Well, you know, you had interviewed Robert, and I read his story. And essentially, it's true that my father was from Hanaoka and my mother from Kudamatsu in Yamaguchi. And my father came to Hawaii, immigrated, in 1907. And he, I guess he came to work in the fields, actually, that was his intent. But according to my mother, she said that he was turned down when he went to get a job in Ewa at the sugar cane fields, I guess. And the manager asked him to show his hands, and he looked at his hands and said, "These are not the hands of a laborer, so sorry, we can't use you." And that was the best thing that happened to him because he looked at the fields and he decided he didn't think he wanted to work there anyway. But then he had to find work, and he knew a friend who worked at Oahu Country Club, and he asked him if he could help him get a job there. And he did get a job at Oahu Country Club and he worked there as a gardener and waiter for many years. And he had made enough money to buy a hat cleaning business. And so that was his first business here, cleaning hats. In those days, all the men wore panama hats, and they eventually had to be cleaned because they were white. And the women wore hats, too.

And when, well, my mother came many years later, I guess his family decided that he needs a bride. And so it's true. She was a picture bride, but I understand from what she told me that the wedding was held in Japan six months before she arrived (...) without the groom there. He was here in Hawaii. And so essentially she was already married when she came. So she came January of 1917, but she was married in June of 1916, and she said she was about nineteen, twenty years old. And she told me that when she went through the immigration, the immigration doctor told her that she was too well-educated, so, "Turn around and go home." [Laughs] But she decided to stay. I guess in those days, especially the women, were not educated beyond maybe sixth grade or something, but she had gone to seventh and eighth grade. So she could write Japanese beautifully. Her writing was really nice.

She decided to stay, and so I guess at that time he already had the hat cleaning shop so she helped him with the business. And then, so many years later, he bought a hat store, a regular hat store that (sold) ready-made hats. Well, they also could make hats for people if they wanted, custom hats. And that was, I believe, back in 19... oh, I forgot. 1920, maybe around there. And eventually, I guess in those days, everyone wore suits made by a tailor. But then I guess the time came when ready-made suits became available to people, and I guess he felt that ready-made suits would be a good business to go into. So he made arrangements with the manufacturer to make the suits to fit the Japanese body, which is much shorter than the (Caucasian) body. So he was able to get clothing to fit the Japanese body, so a lot of Japanese did come to his store.

BN: These were Western-style?

HM: Western suits.

BN: That were made in Japan?

HM: No, they were made in America.

BN: Oh, I see. So the person making the suits was...

HM: Yes, from what I understand. So he had them custom -- well, he had them made to fit the shorter bodies, and so I guess that was the only place that (Western) clothing fit. So a lot people did come to the Aala Sato Clothiers where he first opened in 1928, I understand.

BN: Then to go back a little bit, first of all, what was your father's name?

HM: Taichi. Taichi Sato. My mother's name was Tamiyo Sato.

BN: Did he ever talk about why he wanted to come to Hawaii?

HM: No. You know, he was so busy, I never really sat down to talk to him. But I did get a chance to talk to my mother about a lot of things. But from what I understand, times were really bad in those days, especially in the early 1900s. So he came, I guess, like everyone else did, to just make some money and then send some money home or go back eventually. But I guess he decided to stay, which was a good thing. [Laughs]

BN: Do you know what the family, his family in Japan did?

HM: Oh. From what I understand, they had a store. My visit there at that time... I noticed that they had a small store there. But before that I'm not sure what his family did. I guess I didn't get to talk to him. But he was the only boy in the family, so it was difficult for him to leave.

BN: Unusual.

HM: Yes, the only son. So from what I understand, his cousin took over so-called being the chonan, which is the oldest son. So his cousin took over, and they adopted him. Because he had all sisters, he had so many sisters.

BN: Do you know when, what year he was born?

HM: I do, but I have to refer to my (notes, in) 1886 maybe.

BN: So he was about twenty.

HM: He was about twenty when he came, yeah.

BN: And then he came, he must have not been a contract (laborer)... well at that time he wouldn't have been in contract...

HM: No. He was... at that time, 1907, I think all the contracts had stopped. So I think it was just a private company. But, you know, I don't know the details of how come he was able to come, who paid his way, and, but he was about twenty, and then about twenty-nine, I guess many years later he took on a bride.

BN: And she must have been quite a bit younger.

HM: She was about nine years younger than my father.

BN: Which isn't even... for Issei period, that's not even that big a gap.

HM: Well, (...) according to (my mother), he walked to Ewa to get his job, first job in the fields, but that's a long walk, I know. [Laughs] So I'm not too sure because I know he didn't have a car when he first came, so it's a possibility. But he was turned down, so he worked for Oahu Country Club. That was the best thing to happen to him.

<End Segment 1> - Copyright &copy; 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.