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KL: So they were not, their marriage, they had a marriage ceremony in San Francisco, after she came?

MM: Yeah.

KL: Do you know anything about what, how they were, how they were selected for each other or how they were put together?

MM: Well, my grandfather sent his photo to, sent his photo to, I think it was Okayama -- that's where my grandmother, great-grandmother was -- and asked the village people to find a wife for him.

KL: What was his story? What was his background?

MM: My grandfather?

KL: Your grandfather, yeah. What was his name?

MM: Risaburo, R-I-S-A-B-U-R-O, Ninomiya.

KL: And he was an immigrant?

MM: Yes. And he served in World War I as a soldier.

KL: Yeah, you were telling me a little bit about him before, but for the recording, would you tell us how you know he was in World War I and what you know of his experience?

MM: My cousin did some research and he found out that Grandpa served in World War I, because he found a copy of his muster papers. When they come out of the army they get papers and pay, a pay, so he found that.

KL: Do you know what motivated him to immigrate, or where he came in?

MM: Probably for a better life. Anybody who comes to America, there's only one motivation, for a better life. See, my father wanted to come to America because he had no inheritance from his family. He was the youngest member of the family, so the oldest son got the home and land and everything, and he, as the oldest son of any family, is to take care of the parents. That's why you get the land and the house. And all the other children have to fend for themselves. So Papa was, he had nothing.

KL: Was Risaburo a younger child also? Do you know?

MM: I can only surmise that he was.

KL: Do, was he from Okayama?

MM: I think so, the same village. That's why he sent his photo back to that village, 'cause he wanted a girl from the same village.

KL: Did he, what was his citizenship after his World War I military service?

MM: Gee, that I don't know.

KL: So they met in San Francisco and were married. Around when were they married?

MM: What year? I don't know.

KL: What would they do for work? What was --

MM: Farming. My grandfather was a farmer. But he didn't have very good luck farming, but he kept at it.

KL: Did he farm anywhere else before coming to Salinas? Or how did they end up in Salinas?

MM: No, in Salinas. In Salinas. I have pictures of the farm and the animals.

KL: Do you know how they ended up in that community?

MM: I don't know. He just ended up there, and it said that he rented horses. I didn't know you could rent horses, but he rented horses for his needs on the farm.

KL: He rented horses from someone else, to pull his equipment and stuff.

MM: Yeah. Yeah, I thought that was interesting.

KL: Yeah. What can you tell us about the farm?

MM: I can only show you a picture of it, somewhere.

KL: Do you, was it still around in your time? Were they still operating it?

MM: Well, not that particular farm. They moved to Boronda Road, I believe. That's the last place before going into the camp.

KL: What'd they grow?

MM: I don't know. I really don't know.

KL: And then your mother was one of several children?

MM: My mother was the oldest of the Ninomiya family, Yasuno and Risaburo. She was the oldest, and so when my mother had her first baby, then my grandmother had her last baby, so Grandmother and my mother had a baby about the same time. Yeah, I remember that.

KL: How many, so how many children did each of them end up having?

MM: My grandmother had nine, but two she lost, so she ended up having seven.

KL: And does that include you? Are you including yourself?

MM: No, that's my grandmother.

KL: Your grandmother's biological children.

MM: Then my mother, my mother had eight children.

KL: And did you say that she, that you were raised by your grandmother some of the time?

MM: Yeah. And then we went into the camp, concentration camp.

KL: Yeah, from there.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2014 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.