<Begin Segment 3>

TI: So let's talk about your parents a little bit now. So tell me what was your father's name.

CH: My father's name is Kokichi Sasaki, and I think that's how he spelled his name. But he's always been... because he was heavy, heavy-set, and President Taft was president at that time, and so they called him Taft, and that name Taft stuck on him. So he always was called Taft. All the people that he's associated with, the hakujin people called him Taft. So he was known as Taft Sasaki.

TI: And that's because of his body type.

CH: Because he was heavy.

TI: Just like the President.

CH: Just like the President, yeah.

TI: Oh, that's funny. Do you know who gave him that nickname?

CH: The Fruit Association where my dad would harvest the fruit and take it to be shipped through this association, either back east or to Hawaii or to... generally back east. There was a Harvey Carlisle, and Harvey was very close to my dad, I mean, knew my dad. I kind of think Harvey named him Taft, because he was kind of heavy and boisterous. My dad was very sociable. He spoke quite a bit of English, I mean, it was a little bit on the broken side. And he joked around with Harvey a lot, and I kind of think Harvey named him Taft, as I recall, I'm not really too sure.

TI: That's a good story. So going back to your father? Where in Japan was he from?

CH: Fukushima-ken.

TI: And do you know what his family did back in Fukushima?

CH: They were farmers, rice farmers, I think. So I think my parents, my mother too, her parents lived in the same village. I'm not sure they knew each other real well, but their kind families knew one another. Because when my dad decided to get married, well, she was a "picture bride," so they called, I guess, wrote to the family to say, "Send a woman over." [Laughs] So she came over.

TI: So it was an arranged kind of marriage.

CH: Arranged marriage, uh-huh. In those days it was very common.

TI: Because the families knew each other.

CH: Uh-huh. And then, yeah, if you want a wife, you just say, "Send me a woman," and so they pick somebody age-wise. And, well, of course, the families kind of knew each other, and if she was willing to go to America. But in those days, America was a big deal, you know, to go to America. So she came on a boat.

TI: Now, do you know if your mother knew who your father was?

CH: They were... you know, they didn't know each other that well. The family kind of knew each other, but I think it's in the same village, but they didn't... I don't think they talked to each other or anything. That's the way I understood it, I don't know.

TI: So now that we're talking about your mother, can you tell me your mother's name?

CH: Mother's name was Asa, A-S-A, Sasaki.

TI: And what about her maiden name?

CH: Oh, maiden name is Goto.

TI: And do you know what village they came from in Japan?

CH: Fukushima-ken. Village? In...

TI: Fukushima, right. But that's a larger kind of area, I was wondering what the village name...

CH: I don't know. Just Fukushima-ken, that's all I knew, that they were...

[Interruption]

TI: Yeah, it's interesting, because sometimes, for these arranged marriages, although it was a big deal to come to America, a lot of people didn't want to come. So it's, I guess, a comment that possibly your mother was previously married?

CH: She must have been married once before, and I don't know what happened to the... whether he died or what, but evidently she was willing to come, so she got on a boat and came.

TI: But I guess that's kind of interesting when you go back and do some research in the family, these things kind of emerge.

CH: Yeah.

[Interruption]

CH: He was going to do some, he was doing some...

TI: Some research?

CH: Research work, I think. But I never did hear... oh, yeah.

TI: Oh, so in the papers they noticed that she was previously married.

CH: Well, I guess I didn't know that.

TI: Well, it was probably the type of thing that, thinking of the Isseis, it wasn't probably information they really shared very much.

CH: Oh, no. That was kind of, you know, a no-no, in those days.

TI: Right. And I'd think probably back then, if you were previously married, you were perhaps viewed as sort of not as good.

CH: Well, yeah, not as good.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2014 Densho. All Rights Reserved.