Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Minoru Tajii Interview
Narrator: Minoru Tajii
Interviewer: Martha Nakagawa
Location: Gardena, California
Date: February 14, 2012
Densho ID: denshovh-tminoru_2-01-0001

<Begin Segment 1>

MN: Today is Tuesday, February 14, 2012. We will be interviewing Minoru "Min" Tajii at his home in Gardena, California. We have Tani Ikeda on video, and I will be interviewing, my name is Martha Nakagawa. So, Min, I wanted to start with basic questions like what is your father's name?

MT: Jitsuo.

MN: And which prefecture is he from?

MT: Hiroshima.

MN: Now, who on your father's side came first to the United States?

MT: Grandfather.

MN: Do you know about his early life, your grandfather's early life here?

MT: Well, they were farmers in Japan, in Hiroshima, and they came over here and they started farming over here.

MN: And when did your father come over?

MT: My...

MN: Father?

MT: Father? Well, he came over here when he was sixteen, he said. That's what he kept telling me, sixteen. So he knew America better than Japan.

MN: Let me ask you [your mother's name].

MT: Sadako.

MN: Do you know what her maiden name is?

MT: Ikeuchi.

MN: And which prefecture is she from?

MT: Hiroshima.

MN: Do you know what year your parents got married?

MT: No. Well, she came over to... well, she came over because she was going to get married. It was more like these "picture marriage."

MN: So in total, how many children did your parents have?

MT: Four.

MN: Where are you in the sibling hierarchy?

MT: I was the third son.

MN: Now where were you born?

MT: I was born in Brawley, California.

MN: Were you delivered by a sambasan?

MT: That I don't know.

MN: When were you born?

MT: When? February 23, 1924.

MN: And what is your birth name?

MT: My birth name? Gee, I don't know.

MN: Is it Minoru?

MT: Just Minoru Tajii, yeah. I don't have any middle name or anything else, just Minoru.

MN: So later on, you didn't adopt an English name?

MT: No. It's just Min, short, they called me Min.

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