<Begin Segment 2>

AI: He heard about the recruiting?

TM: Yeah, because that's big wages because one dollar day, one dollar day pay. That's pretty big wages. I stay home and my grandpa is hired one girl, one man, and do the farm. And he didn't make so much, so much money, but he thought that, "If I make one dollar a day, maybe three years make pretty good, pretty good money." So he went recruiting office and tried to put a application in. Well, they said, "No more because it's all filled up, but the only thing, you still want to go is a married man." So he really stuck. "I'll come home," and I guess told to Dad, "Only way I can go to Hawaii is I have to have a wife." "Well, you can't find a wife in overnight." I guess, I don't know how they did talk, but finally they decided is marry to my mother and take her. Well, but my mother, that was a cousin.

AI: One of your father's cousins?

TM: Yeah. But even cousins, they can't, no choice because they are the only way if you want still, want come to Hawaii. Well, then they married. They get permission to get into that recruiter. That's what started came to the Hawaii.

AI: And that's how he got to Hawaii.

TM: Yeah. One is a company pay his fare. You have to stay so many years in that sugar company in Hawaii. But if you pay your fare, then you don't have to stay too long in the sugar company. You be free. So I guess he paid the fare and then came to sugar company. According to the, what I heard, he don't stay too long, too long in sugar company.

AI: And then when did you... when were you born?

TM: Well, you know --

AI: And when did your mother... when did your mother go to Hawaii?

TM: Mother went together to Dad. And it, they both went to the Spreckelsville, Maui. That's where the cane sugar farm is.

AI: Spreckelsburg, Maui? [Ed. note: Interviewer misunderstood the name of the town.]

TM: Yeah, and they have a record that. Well, but after when I was a kid, from my grandpa and grandma, and after came to this country, I hear from my dad. I think they were in Honolulu.

AI: When you were born?

TM: Yeah. And he start to work at a Sam Damon's. Anyway, big, big place in Hawaii. It's a Hawaiian, Hawaiian owner. And Dad was first was working, but little bit work. And pretty soon they rent a small place and tried to -- it was a farm, you know. And they said real small place, but it's one part is another Japanese, my Dad; and another one was a Chinaman was next, I think. And grow the all kind of vegetable. Then Dad said, "Oh, I used to peddle -- before, in the morning, is the harvest those vegetable." Then he peddle around the Japanese house in town in Honolulu. That's what he said that he was doing there.

AI: When you were born?

TM: Yeah.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.