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VY: Okay. Today is Tuesday, March 22, 2022, and we're here in the Densho studio in Seattle, Washington, and we're here with Kenji Ima. Dana Hoshide is our videographer, and my name is Virginia Yamada. So, first of all, Kenji, thank you for joining us here today. Let's get started by having you tell us when and where you were born.

KI: I was born in Seattle, July 15, 1937.

VY: And what was the name that you were given at birth?

KI: Kenji.

VY: And what was your last name?

KI: Imayanagita.

VY: And your name is different now. Did you officially change your name?

KI: My parents officially changed the name, I believe, around 1947, after the war.

VY: Do you know why they did that?

KI: Well, because the name was so long and people had difficulty with the name, they shortened it.

VY: So they legally shortened it.

KI: Yes.

VY: And how do you identify generationally?

KI: Well, I guess I'm Nisei, but I'm really in between. My mother was born here, my father was born in Japan.

VY: Okay. And in just a moment, we're going to talk about your parents. Before we do that, tell me just really briefly about your current family.

KI: Well, I'm widowed, and I have two adult children, Kim and Matt. And that's my, if you will, family. Of course, I have cousins and other relatives.

VY: Okay. We'll talk more about that later, too. So before we talk about your childhood, let's talk about your parents and their story, and what you know of your grandparents also. So first of all, where was your father born?

KI: My father was born in 1901, and my mother was born in 1913, twelve years' difference.

VY: And where were each of them born?

KI: My father was born in southern Japan, in Kyushu, and my mother was born, I believe in Bainbridge Island.

VY: And where were your mother's parents from?

KI: Well, my mother's parents on the father's side, he was from Kumamoto, but that's about all I know. I have no idea about his background, but I presume he'd come from a modest farming family. And my grandmother I knew until she died, I knew her all my life. Was born in Kumamoto province to a landowning family. And apparently they were ex-samurai, because my uncle mentioned that when he visited Japan, in the attic there were swords and armor. And obviously they owned the land, and so they were ex-samurai but still privileged. My grandmother's father was a doctor. So they were, my grandmother's family were, if you will, well-off, and so there was probably a significant class difference between my grandfather and grandmother. And to explain why they would marry, in spite of the fact in Japan it would probably not have occurred, is that my grandfather came probably around 1900. I'm not sure exactly what his profession was at the time, but he probably worked in the sawmills. And at the time on Bainbridge, other Japanese decided to go into farming, and so did my grandfather. I do not know how he was able to obtain twenty acres of farmland on Bainbridge. But I do know that he hired a lawyer later, and when my uncle was born, his name was used as ownership because Japanese were prohibited from owning farmland. So there was a lot of, if you will, unknowns, manipulations to find a way to own land and farm it.

VY: And so when your grandmother came to the United States, what was she expecting, do you know?

KI: Her name was... let me think. I think it was Nakamoto or something like that. It was not a name that I heard a lot, but since my uncle had twenty acres, now, if you lived in Japan and you said you owned twenty acres, you must be a person of substance. So that became, if you will, the breaker of any barriers. And at the time, Japanese bachelors would come to the United States needing to find a wife would send a letter back to the village looking for a go-between to find a woman who would be willing to come to the United States. Now, my grandmother was approximately thirty when she came. I think that she came around 1910. I have papers on that someplace. But if you're thirty years old... let me see, she was, if you will, an old maid. And being an old maid meant that the barrier to marrying across class boundaries was less effective. [Laughs] At any rate, she came... but I'm sure she must have had some regrets because what twenty acres means in the U.S. versus Japan was poverty. They were very poor farmers and they had to work very hard. And so what she faced was a house that was unpainted, water from a well, probably kerosene lamps, and other Japanese who were in a similar situation of being, if you will, poor or modest. And so she came from a family of privilege into a marriage of poverty. I don't mean absolute poverty, but it was a struggle to get by.

VY: Do you know how long she was here before they, your grandparents had children?

KI: Well, I think it must have been two to three years. And my mother was born in 1913 and my uncle was born in 1915.

VY: And what was your mom's name and your uncle's name?

KI: My mother was called Mariko, and in the American context, Mary seemed to be the easiest translation. My uncle was named Tsutomu, and the easiest name they could pick was Tom.

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