Densho Digital Archive
Preserving California's Japantowns Collection
Title: Kiyo Nikaido Morimoto Interview
Narrator: Kiyo Nikaido Morimoto
Interviewers: Jill Shiraki (primary); Tom Ikeda (secondary)
Location: Sacramento, California
Date: December 9, 2009
Densho ID: denshovh-mkiyo-01-0002

<Begin Segment 2>

JS: Can you tell us about your father's family? So the names of your grandparents and then the names of all the children.

KM: My grandfather's name was Teijiro, T-E-I-J-I-R-O, Nikaido, and my grandmother was Kane, K-A-N-E, and the oldest one was Kazuo, that's my father, and then she had Kiriyo, K-I-R-I-Y-O, Kiriyo, he passed away. And then Tsudako, she was, she went to Japan after she married a doctor in Walnut Grove, she married a doctor, I think his name was Okita, O-K-I-T-A, she married him, and she brought all her children to Wakayama. They went, they moved, I don't know when. So then my grandfather, I remember, he went to Japan also first. Because what I remember about him was he went on the boat from Sacramento to San Francisco, they had a boat. And that's the last time I saw him. And then in no time, my grandmother went back to Japan also. So everybody was back except Roy Nikaido and Dale Nikaido. Dale stayed in... I don't know, they must have moved from Walnut Grove. They must have sold and moved to Sacramento, they lived on Fourth Street.

JS: So the family, your father was the oldest, Kazuo, and then Kiriyo...

KM: Kiriyo...

JS: And then Tsudako, and then Roy?

KM: Yes.

JS: And then Bill.

KM: And Bill, and then Tomiko.

JS: Tomiko. So your father was born in Japan?

KM: Yes.

JS: And came with your parents. Were any of the other --

KM: No, he was sixteen when they called him, and so he came by himself.

JS: He came by himself.

KM: He was sixteen.

JS: And were the other siblings born in Walnut Grove?

KM: They were all born in Walnut Grove.

JS: In Walnut Grove, except for your father. Okay. And so your father was working out at, on the ranch.

KM: Canal Ranch, Canal Ranch Number 8.

JS: When you were born.

KM: Yes.

JS: And your mother's name, maiden name?

KM: Yamada. Kiyoe Yamada.

JS: Kiyoe Yamada, and you said your grandmother went and brought her back to the United States.

KM: Uh-huh.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2009 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.