Densho Digital Archive - Lois Yuki Interview (denshovh-ylois-01-0004)

<Begin Segment 4>

RP: Your, your grandfather, while he was in Helper, Utah, the first time, had a hobby. What was that?

LY: His hobby was photography. And he must have enjoyed. And according to my other brother, he said when he went back to Japan he saw many pictures. And it's very interesting.

RP: Do you, and you've seen some of those pictures?

LY: Yes.

RP: What did he take pictures of?

LY: He took a pictures of, let's see, in Helper, Utah, when you come in from highway there's a mountain. And the tip of it you'll see a little (rock), looks like a flag to me, but it's called Balanced Rock because it has never been, I mean, always been there for many, I guess, hundreds or thousand year, we don't know. But it's still there. And he has picture of that with his living quarter where he had a Asahara Studio, photography. So it's very, very interesting and he also has taken the pictures of many trains and what else did I see? I have to see that...

RP: Did he take pictures of other Isseis, you know who worked on the railroad?

LY: Right, workers, too.

RP: you know, other Japanese that were in the town?

LY: No, I didn't see any Japanese people, you know, other nationalities. Yeah.

RP: Is it possible that --

LY: He may have, but we, I never seen because I was little and... so, it's hard to say.

RP: Is this the hobby that he might have started in Japan and brought with him to the United States or...

LY: We don't know but I imagine he must have learned here. Because think that photography and video things, visual technology, probably started from here, I imagine.

RP: He was kind of on the ground floor of it. Did, and so he had a studio? So he must have taken pictures for other people, possibly, you know, portraits?

LY: In town too, you know, Helper, Utah, picture of the towns and vehicles and what else did I see? Anyway, I'm trying to remember. But I have to see the pictures. And it's in a book now. One of the museum director, she published a book on May 2007.

RP: So your grandfather went back to Japan and then came back with your father. And they were in Helper, Utah, for a little while. And then they... where did they go after that?

LY: My father only stayed... let's see, August 'til October, 1919. Then my grandfather, Tomojiro, stayed 'til I imagine December 1919 or January 1920.

RP: Then he moves, he goes to San Francisco.

LY: Right.

RP: And your father goes back to Japan?

LY: (...) Yes, my father went back (October 1919).

RP: And you said that your grandfather worked on the --

LY: Sorry.

RP: Oh.

LY: That's not correct. My father came to Helper, Utah, first time on August 1919 with my grandfather. And my father went back to Japan 1919, October. And when he came, he was only seventeen and eight month. So he has to finish school, equivalent of a present day high school.