Densho Digital Archive
Manzanar National Historic Site Collection
Title: Gloria Toshiko Imagire Interview
Narrator: Gloria Toshiko Imagire
Interviewer: Richard Potashin
Location: Sacramento, California
Date: October 17, 2008
Densho ID: denshovh-igloria-01-0002

<Begin Segment 2>

RP: Tell us about your father. First, his name.

GI: My father's first name was Taro. His English name was Fred.

RP: And do you know much about his background, his family background in Japan?

GI: Well, I've gone back to Japan about three times to try to find out more about his family. And in fact, last year, I guess, we made a quick trip to Japan because I finally found his first cousin who was now about eighty-eight. She had taken care of my grandmother, so she wrote and said she was not in good health. So we quickly got plane tickets and we went over to see her.

RP: What was that like?

GI: It was, it was, again, very emotional, because I never thought I would get to see these people. And then out of the blue, I had a picture -- I was a year old and my mom took me to Japan because I was the first grandchild. And it was my grandmother and her, I think two or three sisters. And two young girls, maybe like nine and something, and I later found out -- it's so crazy because I found out this young girl was, she was the relative of my father's cousin who we had know in this country. And all of a sudden, to go back there and find out she's his relative. And then I also found this one woman who was about eighteen in that picture, she's the woman who's eighty-eight now, that I got to meet. So it's, I mean, it's kind of, those throwbacks are like you can't believe it. I mean, they're pictures, and all of a sudden you meet them, you know. So yeah, it was exciting for me to be able to do that.

RP: What was your father's family involved in economically?

GI: My father's family were merchants. And I know one of his aunts who was in that picture, I always heard about this woman who was a midwife who had ridden a horse to Manchuria or whatever, you know. And when I went, they showed me, "Oh, this is where your grandmother had lived, and this is where that lady lived." So it was really, I couldn't believe it.

RP: It really came to life.

GI: Yeah. But they were merchants, and in Japan, I never realized that the merchants are way down on the totem pole, you know. And my mother's family were farmers, but they were, after I was older I realized that in that hierarchy, my mother's family was really higher up than my father's.

RP: And you said they were, your father was from Wakayama?

GI: Wakayama, yeah.

RP: And do you know the village?

GI: Yeah, I know the village. It's from, well, let's see. I just remember this Kada Line. It goes along this Kinokawa River in Wakayama. And that line, it's got all these stops. I think he's from Koya, a place called Koya. And the train station you get off is called Hachiman-mae. To me, that was such a rhythmic name, I loved it. I said, "Oh, I have to go to that Hachiman-mae place, and get off the train, and you're right there. The street's right there. It's such a cute thing, you know. And then when we went to this little store, because I was looking for our relatives, this lady asked me where I was from and I said, "America." And then we got to chatting, and she says, "You know, your mother was here several years ago." And I said, "Oh, do you remember her?' And she said, "Oh, yeah," because she says, "I have relatives from Vacaville." I said, "Oh, yeah, that's where I was born." Isn't that a weird connection? And she says, "Your relative is right up the street," she says, "I'll walk you up there." So she just took me and we went up there and found the place.

RP: Beautiful.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.