<Begin Segment 3>

MU: So, after living up here like that, he went to California and that's where you were born?

HW: Yes, my mother was a picture bride and came into San Francisco.

MU: Can you tell us a little bit about how the picture bride arrangement works?

HW: Well, picture bride arrangements work by supporters of each side. And they would then send pictures over and exchange pictures. If that was then suitable then they would be married, although they weren't together. And that would then allow the bride to come over.

MU: We've heard some horror stories about -- on that arrangement. But, in your family's case, everything worked out all right?

HW: I think, I think there were some little shenanigans pulled, because, you see, my uncle who was not married at the time brought my mother back with him. He was visiting in Japan and brought her back.

MU: What was the significance of that?

HW: Well, you see, the way I figured out is my father had "wetbacked" across the Canadian, U.S.-Canadian border, so he couldn't use, they couldn't use his name. Because there is some mix-up -- my sister looked into it, and she had some questions. And it just struck a light in my mind here, what my father had been telling me.

MU: Yeah.

HW: Yeah.

MU: Well that's good. Then, possibly your mother came over as your uncle's bride?

HW: Yeah.

MU: Well, that's interesting. Thanks for sharing that bit of private information.

HW: I think that's possible, yeah...

MU: But, apparently your father was determined to come to America...

HW: Yes.

MU: ...if he did this "wetback."

HW: I found out about that later during my teenage years. Mentioned to me one day, he says, "I want to ask you a question." I says, "Sure, what is it?" He says, "I have some property in Japan and if I die, it's supposed to go to you." He said, "Do you want the property?" I said, "I don't have any use for it, because I'm not planning to go back to Japan." And previous to that, as a nine-year-old I had visited Japan for a few months. I met my cousin over there and another cousin was over here. He had migrated to the U.S., the older cousin. And so I told my father, "I have no use for it, so why don't we give it to my cousin?" So he went, we went to the consul and...

MU: Had that arranged?

HW: ...made the arrangement. And so all the property there was -- in Japan, was -- my cousin fell heir to it, yeah. So that's when he first let me know that he had no intention of going back to Japan. I mean...

MU: Burning the bridges, right there.

HW: Yeah, he was burning the bridges, yeah, uh-huh. And this was in the middle '30s, during the Depression.

MU: Well, a lot of the Isseis -- I think at about that time -- were wondering which way to go.

HW: Yes.

MU: Go back to Japan, or stay here. And your father apparently made up his mind early that he wanted to stay here.

HW: Well, I think, I think wanting to and staying here are two different things, you see. I mean, you know, because of the situation, political situation -- not legalistic, but still political -- they could've rounded up everybody and kicked 'em out. So, my father always mentioned that, he says, "You're an American citizen, and I'm not. But if anything happens between U.S. and Japan, I'm staying here. And I want you to remember you're an American citizen." You know, he said that to me many times.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.