Saki's World - Family

The issei are the generation of Japanese who left Japan starting in the late 1800's to come to the United States. All of my grandparents are issei.

My father's father, Masutaro, was born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1887. He emigrated to Folsom, California with his wife and worked in the farming industry. He passed away in 1953.

My father's mother, Sakuyo, was born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1898. She had 11 brothers, most of whom died in the war between Japan and China. Sakuyo left Japan to live in Folsom, California with Masutaro. After a divorce, she married Mitsutaro Kawamoto. She passed away July 29, 1956.

Here is Masutaro and Sakuyo.

My mother's father, John Shinji (last name not included), was born in Onjuku, Chiba-Ken, Japan on January 5, 1897. He moved to the United States with his younger brother Riichi. Brother Ichiji remained in Japan. Below, John Shinji appears on the left with Riichi on the right. Their father is in the middle.

John Shinji worked in the farming industry in Sacramento, California growing walnuts, grapes, and strawberries. He passed away on November 9, 1984.

My mother's mother, Mary Tomomi (last name not included), was born in Japan on January 15, 1895. She emigrated to the United States and gave birth to nine children with John Shinji. Mary Tomomi passed away on July 5, 1977.

The nisei are the second generation of Japanese-Americans living in the United States; descendants of the issei. Both of my parents and my mother's siblings are nisei.

My mother, Marian, was born in 1934 in Sacramento, California. She grew up on various farms in the west and mid-west and was interned with her family at Poston Relocation Camp. She spent much of her life as a California state employee. She is the eighth of nine children. This is her family in 1940. Shown left to right in front: Grandpa John Shinji, Aunt Kiyo, Uncle Steve, Uncle Don, Uncle Ronald, Uncle George, Aunt Kay, Uncle Pete, and Mom (Marian). Shown left to right in back: Uncle David (being held) and Grandma Mary Tomomi.

Now that we live in the digital age, photos are commonplace. But back in 1948, they were a thing to be cherished.

Here's a pic from May 1986. From left to right and back to front are Uncle George, Aunt Kay, Uncle Steve, Mom (Marian), Uncle Ronald, Uncle Pete, Aunt Kiyo, Uncle Don, and Uncle David (on the far right).

On New Year's Eve 1986 my relatives had a gathering at our house. Dad is on the left, Cousin Scott is on the right, and Uncle Steve is in the middle. Steve is probably thinking, "Go for broke!" which was the motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the unit in which he served.

This snapshot was taken on August 14, 1999. From left to right are Uncle Ronald, Aunt Kay, Uncle Steve, Uncle George, Uncle David, Aunt Kiyo, Mom, and Uncle Don.

Also taken on August 14, 1999, these are the spouses of my mother's siblings and Dad. From left to right are Uncle Ed, Leland, Cousin Jodi, Aunt Audrey, Aunt Shirley, Aunt Bonnie, Aunt Trudy, and Dad.

My dad and the spouses of my mother's siblings on August 14, 1999

My father, Kay, was born and raised as an only child in a pear orchard with domestic turkeys and chickens in Folsom, California in 1928 before the present-day Folsom Lake existed. Back then, the town was so small that if you needed to see a doctor, you went to the prison because that's where the only doctor worked. He did farm labor for much of his childhood, then as a teenager, he was sent with his father to relocation camp at Tule Lake, California. Dad worked for Southern Pacific railroad and was later drafted to serve in the Army during the Korean War. Following the war, he attended community college, studying electronics. Over the years, he had numerous jobs: television repairman, florist, bus driver, and groundskeeper. His hobbies included gardening, bowling, fishing, golf, watching football and baseball, ballroom dancing, and weight lifting.

One of the people my dad grew up with was Tommy Kono. Tommy was a world champion Olympic weightlifter and bodybuilder. Here is a pic of the two of them (Tommy on the left) in 1992 at the Tule Lake Relocation Camp reunion. Tule Lake is a dried up lake to where many Japanese Americans were interned during World War II.

On November 29, 2002, my parents and I did a tour of Australia. This is us enjoying a fine meal at the Waterfront Restaurant in Sydney.

My parents and me seated at a restaurant

Here's my folks at the Sacramento Buddhist Church on June 2, 2007.

My parents at the Sacramento Buddhist Church

On April 27, 2023, my father passed away at the age of 94. His death was not a surprise so I got to spend time with him April 5-11, 2023 while he was in hospice. That is a time I will cherish forever. How will he be remembered?

Dad was a generous person, frequently sharing whatever fish he caught or vegetables he grew with loved ones.

Dad was a hard worker who took care of his friends, helping them with construction projects or tending to their yards if they were unable to do so themselves.

In my opinion, the greatest gift you can give to someone is your values, and Dad passed many of his onto me.

When I was in elementary school, I remember Dad lifting weights and jogging regularly. Up until Covid hit, you could still find him exercising in the gym at the age of 91. For him, physical fitness was a way of life.

Though not the most educated person, Dad was very smart and knew the importance of education. He fueled my academic interests and encouraged me to learn. We didn't have a ton of money but it seems we always had money for books. Education always came first.

Dad had lots of literature about bugs because he was a groundskeeper. This got me curious about the natural world. I remember the first time he showed me an ant lion and how he taught me about the four stages of insect metamorphosis. I don't know if I would have ever picked up beekeeping had it not been for his influence.

Dad was a do-it-yourself kind of guy. There were times when he would call a professional to do something but it wasn't all that often. I do a lot of things myself but I'm nowhere near as self-sufficient as he was. To this day, I have a great deal of respect for people who are able to work with their hands, learn how things work, and can fix things themselves.

Dad was a great father, mentor, provider, role model, and friend. I would not be the man I am today without his influence. The below photo is of him at age 90.

Here's my favorite photo of my parents, Norma, and me, taken October 13, 2018.