Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: George Fugami Interview
Narrator: George Fugami
Interviewer: Dee Goto
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: June 15, 1998
Densho ID: denshovh-fgeorge-01-0002

<Begin Segment 2>

DG: Now, tell me some more about what you said about your family and the battle. Was it samurai battle?

GF: Oh yes, they had samurai -- long time ago there was a Genji and the Heike. I have that in here, and I, I don't have it but I'll -- Genji and Heike. There was two warlords and, unfortunately, we were in the (Heike) side. And Genji was all -- (the Heike) were all beheaded, most of them were, or they were isolated someplace else and what happened to my father's --

DG: And this was closer to Kyoto.

GF: Yeah, this was Kyoto.

DG: At that time.

GF: That's where the capital was, in Japan was Kyoto. That's when you hear about Nara and Kyoto. And under this Fujiwara family, they took control and they were the Genji side, and we were the Heike side. So my father, my father's whatever, grandparents or whatever, they went to Oshima-gun. The reason why they ran to Oshima-gun Agenosho is that the emperor used to obtain salt. See he, they used to have a lot of salt. They take the ocean water and they make it into salt. And that's the reason why my grandfather's father, or grandfather whatever it is, they went to Oshima-gun, and to avoid getting prosecuted. So they went there. And that's when one of the brothers turned to be a bonsan, minister, to hide himself. And this is what happened to ourselves. And the name --

DG: At that time, the ministers, or the bonsans, were kind of higher than --

GF: Higher, yeah.

DG: -- right, than the emperor.

GF: They were much more respected, yeah. So that's... and what they said is usually the people would go for. However, this is what happened and then my --

DG: So we're talking about 1700?

GF: Oh, wait a minute now.

DG: 1600?

GF: [Laughs] Long time ago.

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