Tomooka Brothers Farm

Doug Tomooka

The Tomooka family immigrated from the farming village of Kumamoto in Japan. Toyokichi came to America in 1903 and Toyokuma Tomooka in 1906. Toyokichi moved to the Santa Maria Valley by 1907 and Toyokuma followed. They both worked in the sugar beet fields for Union Sugar in Guadalupe making $10.00 per week and saved enough money to eventually lease 300 acres in Oso Flaco. They both saved enough money to request picture brides from Japan as well.

Toyokichi married Yone Matsuoka and together they had 8 children – Tsuyako, Masataka, Ayako, Chikayoshi, James, Ruth, Lillie, Fred. Toyokuma married Kane Akizuki and had 7 children - Masayoshi, Yoshito, Kikuye, Isamu, Suyeo, Tom, and Takashi.

There the two brothers raised sugar beets and potatoes at Osos Flaco until about 1924. During that time, tragedy struck the Tomookas. 17 of Toyokuma’s personally trained horses were caught in a hay fire in the stable. Toyokuma wept as he buried all 17 by hand. It was thought that the fire was set intentionally and was racially motivated. The Tomookas were also under a lot a pressure to buy tractors but refused to because of the excellent horse training by Toyokuma.

Around 1924, due to the Alien Land Law of 1913 and a revision in 1920, immigrants were not allowed to lease land anymore. So Toyokuma’s family moved to Avila where they helped grow bush peas in Shell Beach. It is unclear where Toyokichi’s family moved to due to the Alien Land Law.

In 1930, Toyokichi and Toyokuma decided to form a new produce company, Santa Maria Produce with Mr. Karasuda and Mr. Fujimoto. Mr. Ted Akahoshi was the Sales and General Manager who then hired Ken Kitasako, a Stanford Graduate and an Issei, a second generation Japanese American. Because of the Alien Law act of 1920, Mr Akahoshi put the farm leases under Ken’s name so the Tomookas could lease the land for farming. They leased land that is below the Nipomo bluff on Riverside Road from the Donovan and Souza families. There they grew cauliflower, lettuce, celery. Toyokuma later moved his farming to a 140 acre parcel next to Oso Flaco Lake owned by the Enos family. It was overgrown and wild with willow, weeds and junk but Toyokuma made that prime farming land. Toyokuma bought his first tractor in 1937, a McCormack model 35. The Tomookas farmed their leased land until 1941.

It was during this period that GM Akahoshi brought some seeds from Chicago. Italian Sprouting Brocolli. It was called that because they were going to market it to the Italian community in Chicago. Toyokichi started growing about 4 or 5 acres as a trial basis. No one in any of the farming communities in California had heard of or grown broccoli yet. Mr. Akahoshi claimed “It is going to be the ‘next big thing’. We have a market in Chicago if we cant sell it in California”. Everybody in the Valley came around to see this odd crop that no one had ever seen grown. When it came time for harvest, The Tomookas sent 10 crates to the Los Angeles market to see if anyone was interested in buying broccoli. A telegram came back stating that they would pay $5 for it. Toyokichi, who was known to have quite a temper, said forget it. Disc it all up! Well later, Toyokichi was informed that they would give $5/crate which was quite a lot of money back then.” OOPS. Needless to say, The Tomookas started growing broccoli as their main winter crop. That’s how broccoli started in California.

During the 1930’s, Depression or not, the vegetables were being grown, harvested, packed, and loaded onto railroad cars to cross the country. The produce going to Los Angeles was by truck. During the late 1930’s, the Tomookas sometimes didn’t have the money to pay the rent. Most of the time, landlords were understanding because they knew that farmers were doing their best and it was not their fault that the market was off. During this time, Santa Maria Produce had gone into heavy debt, similar to what other companies were going through. SMP owed money to places like the ice company who kept advancing them ice. They also owed money to a shook company in San Francisco. Shook was board used for making crates. The method of packing vegetables was also beginning to change over to packing them into ready made crates.

Around 1938, just when things were looking especially grim, things took a turn for the better for the farming community. By the end of 1940 sales started to pick up and SMP was able to get out from under some of their debts.

Ironically enough, the good fortune coincided with the beginning of WWII. But as history would tell it, life was going to deal another blow. The bombing of Pearl Harbor on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, sent the Japanese-American community into turmoil and upheaval. Around 11:00/midnight of that day, the FBI arrived at the Tomookas house in Oso Flaco. They emptied Toyokuma’s desk and put all of the papers into a duffel bag and took Toyokuma from his home and family. The two youngest children, Tom who was 9 and Takashi who was 5, and Kiku were living in the house with their parents, but the older boys were living in another house on that same property. The FBI went into that house as well and searched the premises with flashlights. One of Toyokuma’s sons, Suyeo, who was 15 years old, and cousin Mitsuki were sleeping when they got woken up first by the FBI and wanted to know where Grandfather was. Details get cloudy after this, but Toyokuma was taken from his home and family, and for about a week, no one knew where her was. Somehow they learned that he was in the Santa Barbara County Jail with about a dozen other Issei. So Kane and Massey drove down to SB and were led to the jail. Very shortly after they met with Toyokuma, he and Toyokichi were sent to Missoula, MT and interned there for 6 - 7 months. Toyokuma and his family were able to exchange letters, however all mail received was opened and censored. Toyokichi was sent to Louisiana after Missoula while Toyokuma was sent to Gila.

So while Toyokuma was in Missoula, MT, Masataka, Toyokichi’s oldest son, who was about 24 or 25 at the time, and Toyokuma’s eldest son, Massey, 21 years old, took over the farming operations of their respective ranches. They had workers to help them out. Their other siblings were still going to school during the week and would work on the ranch during the weekends. Everyone pitched in to help. Masataka oversaw the harvesting and shipping to the packing shed.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Issei could not live near the ocean within so many miles. And since Grandma Kane was Issei and living in Oso Flaco, she had to move inland to Guadalupe and stay with her relatives, the Oishi family. She took Takashi with her. The rest stayed in Oso Flaco. Kikuye cooked for them all. Toyokichi’s wife, Yone, and their youngest son, Fred, also went to live with the Oishi family.

Roosevelt’s proclamation 9066 to evacuate all Japanese from the coasts to the interior was announced. This included Issei and Nisei, Japanese immigrants and their American born children who were citizens of the United States.

Some provisions needed to made for Santa Maria Produce, since all of the principals were Issei and Nisei. Leo McMahon proposed that Puritan Ice Co. would act as trustees for Guadalupe Produce under the Aratanis, the Minami’s and Santa Maria Produce and operate all three operations for the the duration of the war. GP had about 4500 acres, the Minamis about 5000 acres, and SMP had about 1500 acres, totaling around 10,000 acres.

Without the trust, they would have been assured of losing it all, crops, equipment, everything. With this trust, at least they might have a chance. So by day they shipped vegetables; by night the principals from the Minamis, GP, and SMP worked until 2:00 a.m. to work out this deal with Puritan Ice and the attorneys to form a trust called California Vegetable or Cal Veg.

April 29, 1942, all of the Japanese on the Central Coast were sent to the Tulare County Fairgrounds in the San Joaquin Valley. From there, the Tomookas and others tried to communicate with the packing shed. They obviously were prohibited from leaving the Assembly Center. They were not allowed to use the telephone and there was no way to communicate. Cal Veg’s secretary/bookkeeper did her best to keep in touch, but she had her own work to do for Cal Veg as well.

The operations kept going as it was until a time when Leo McMahon, the attorney, said that Puritan Ice wanted to buy all three companies out. The principals of GP, Minamis, and SMP had their ideas of what a fair and equitable buy out would be, but of course, Cal Veg’s ideas were a lot lower. They felt that the way things were going, the best they could do was to grab what they could then and do the best they can. And so Santa Maria Produce, the Minamis operation, and Guadalupe Produce was sold.

The plan after that was to then later go to Uncle Sam to get compensation for the farms because after all, the government put them in camp. A very prominent Los Angeles law firm specializing in civil rights later took on the case for SMP. Masataka had worked out the details of case with this LA law firm. In the end, SMP was compensated, though not sure of how much or any of the details.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the order that all Japanese had to evacuate the coastal areas, Masataka and Massey were advised they could go out to Blythe to farm instead of going into the concentration camps. The Blythe area was beyond the No Japanese boundary. Several Japanese relocated to different parts of the country such as Utah and Colorado. And remember, most all of the Issei were already interned elsewhere, so their families were on their own. So Masataka and Massey planned to move their families and a few other families to Blythe to farm. They picked up materials at the junkyard to make trailers into which they could put their belongings on their trip out to Blythe. They worked on those trailers until late at night for many nights. Then about a week before the evacuation date, they felt that it would not be fair for only them to leave, leaving the other SMP families behind, so they ultimately decided to forget about going to Blythe and instead they were evacuated to Tulare Assembly Center together as a group.

As with every other Japanese family in California who were evacuated, they left all of their belongings behind taking only that which they could carry. They had been informed that they should burn old photographs of relatives and friends in Japan and anything that was connected to Japan.

April 29, 1942 the Japanese were put on Greyhound buses to Tulare County Fairgrounds. That was the first time that Massey and his siblings had ever been on a Greyhound bus. This was the assembly center to which all of the Japanese on the Central Coast was sent. The Tulare Assembly Center was fenced in by barbed wire and guard towers. The Japanese lived in barracks, some were forced to stay in the horse stables, but as Massey, recalled, “We were lucky. We had barracks.”

In the fall, they were sent by train with curtains drawn, to the Gila River concentration camp in Arizona. When they arrived, the camp was not yet finished. Sewer lines and pipe lines were still open. It was dusty, windy, and hot. No photos during this time - cameras weren’t allowed until later. At Gila, Toyokuma was reunited with his family.

While Toyokichi was still interned in Louisiana, his wife, Yone, became gravely ill in camp. After getting all of the necessary permits to leave Gila, Masataka took a train to Louisiana to bring his father back. Masataka had to have guards accompany him on his journey, and he was required to render their pay as well as pay for their train fares. Yone passed away at the age of 48 only one day before Toyokichi arrived at Gila River. Sometime later, Toyokuma and his family relocated to the Tule Lake concentration camp in Northern California.

After the Toyokuma Tomookas were released from Tule Lake in Jan 1946 with only about $150.00 that the government gave them, they boarded a train to the Glendale area in Arizona where Toyokichi was already farming having been released from Gila River concentration camp quite a bit earlier.

The Toyokuma Tomookas ended up living in what was little more than a shack. When it rained, the roof leaked so badly that the ceiling fell down. It rained hard and thundered a great deal in Glendale. Eventually, they were able to purchase 40 acres under Massey’s name as Massey was old enough to do so. They grew lettuce and canteloupe. They worked day and night to buy one tractor.

After 5 years, the Arizona heat grew to be rather unbearable for the Toyokuma Tomooka family, and with Massey’s insistence, the family returned to Santa Maria in 1952 while the Toyokichi Tomooka Family stayed in Arizona. This was the first time that the Issei brothers had parted company. Toyokichi lived in Arizona for the rest of his life and died at 71 years of age in 1962, but Santa Maria became his final resting place.

When the Toyokuma Tomooka family returned to Santa Maria, they were touched and overwhelmed to be given a welcome home party by their Santa Maria Valley and Arroyo Grande friends who had already returned to the area.

Toyokuma and Massey got their start again in farming in this area through the generosity and assistance of Mr. H.Y. Minami. Mr. Guerrera, a landlord, had some land to farm and asked Mr. Minami to farm 90 acres on Riverside Rd. in Nipomo. Instead, Mr. Minami let Toyokuma and Massey start farming those 90 acres which were then leased under Massey’s name.

In the meantime, Toyokuma’s wife Kane’s American Dream came to fruition. From having moved from rented home to rented home ever since her arrival in the U.S. she was able to finally call a house on the eastside of Santa Maria, her home in 1953. Toyokuma was 65 years old and Kane was 53 at the time. After Toyokuma lived in the US for 49 years and Kane for 35 years, they earned their citizenship at the swearing in ceremony in Santa Barbara on Dec. 15, 1954.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Toyokuma and Massey were beginning to expand their farming operations in Nipomo to 450 acres, internally known as ranches 1 - 6. These leased properties comprised of the Guerra ranch, which is now owned by the family, the Amoral ranch, the Souza ranch, the Canada ranch, and Joe Souza ranch. The ranches were numbered to help distinguish the different plots that needed to be fertilized or inspected. Prior to numbering the ranches, the pest control operators made mistakes and sprayed the wrong field. 

Two of Toyokuma’s sons, #2 Yoshito and #4 Isamu, joined the farm as acreage increased. Yoshito was mainly in charge of the tractor work and irrigation. Isamu’s primary responsibilities were cultivation and planting. Massey did the general managing of the farm, pesticides, and the harvest. Toyokuma was the father, and was generally overlooking the whole operation. As Massey, Yoshito, and Isamu’s sons and their cousins grew up, they, too, helped on the farm on weekends and during the summer.

The farm operations expanded to about 1000 acres being farmed which included 100 acres on division road which was bought from Bud Gracia, 160 acres leased from Sutti, 200 acres across from the Guadalupe cemetary bought from Mrs. Donovan, and 300 acres leased from Ralph Mareti, near the Guadalupe beach area.

Toyokuma taught Massey all he needed to know about growing lettuce and broccoli. Massey also learned a few of Grandfather’s superstitions along the way one of which are - Never start the first harvest of the year on a Friday. Never conduct major business on a Friday.

Tomooka Bros. grew lettuce and broccoli which remained as their two crops throughout their farming years. Lettuce was planted during the spring and harvested during the summer. Harvesting was usually between April through the end of November.

In 1970 two unions, the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee headed by Caesar Chavez and the Teamsters Union were attempting to organize the farm workers in this area. The fields at the Tomooka Bros. ranches, identified as a major grower along with others in the area, were targeted and picketed by the UFWOC, Chavez group. The fact that Tomooka Brothers were Japanese Americans--started by immigrants--was ironically ignored. Their operation was subject to demonstrations, vehicle vandalism--sugar in the gas tanks--, and their fields were flooded at night by irrigation equipment being turned on. As a response to protect their business assets, from July - November 1970 two security guards were hired to patrol their office and fields round the clock. UFW became the fieldworkers choice.

Toyokuma worked on the ranch until he suffered a stroke at the age of 78 at which time he was confined to a wheelchair. He passed away in 1972 at the age of 82. Kane passed away in 1994 at the age of 94.

The Buddhist Church played a large part in Toyokuma’s and Kane’s lives. They gave generously to the church. Toyokuma was also one of the Issei who participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the then new Buddhist Church on Obispo St. in Guadalupe. Likewise, Kane was very involved in the Fujinkai, the women’s auxiliary group of the Buddhist Church.

Toyokuma also was a strong contributor to Marian Hospital, now Marian Medical Center, in Santa Maria. Tomooka Farms supported many local non-profit organizations. Loving baseball as they did they naturally supported local baseball teams, from semi-pro to the small youth leagues. Toyokuma received two honors from the Japanese government for his contributions to agriculture.

Yoshito and Isamu retired in 1991. Massey bought them out and farmed independently until 1993. At this time, he became partners with Betteravia Farms. Massey grew the lettuce and broccoli, but Betteravia Farms did the harvesting and shipping. In 1995, he sold his business to Betteravia Farms and retired. In 1997, Massey was honored as Farmer of the Year at the Santa Barbara County Fair.

Toyokichi married Yone Matsuoka and together they had 8 children – Tsuyako, Masataka, , Ayako, Chikayoshi, James, Ruth, Lillie, Fred

Toyokuma married Kane Akizuki and had 7 children - Masayoshi, Yoshito, Kikuye, Isamu, Suyeo, Tom, and Takashi

Hamada Family nurseries: Blossom City, Garden City, Batavia Garden

By Ellen Crane • April 30, 2021
At the turn of the 20th century Yasaburo Hamada came to America from Jigozen, Hiroshima, at the age of 15. A man of small statue and a quick temper, “Harry” Hamada was adept in judo and kendo and was not afraid to use his skills. One family story recounts a job he had in San Francisco in the basement of a building. He argued with his boss and walked off the job. The next day the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake happened and buildings everywhere collapsed killing thousands including the people in the basement of Yasaburo’s building. At the age of 38, after more than twenty years in the U.S., Yasaburo returned to Hiroshima to find a wife. He was recommended to the beautiful youngest daughter of a prosperous farming family, Shiki Nagaoka. Shiki’s older sister had left several years earlier to marry a man in Hawai’i and she was also open to going to America. Shiki agreed to marry Yasaburo, 18 years her senior. She recalls the initial meeting he had with her father where she was expected to serve tea. Too afraid to even look at him, Shiki didn’t know what Yasaburo looked like until after she consented to marry him. They wed in Japan in 1920 and left for the U.S. soon after. Their son, Ben, was born in 1921 in Hollywood. Two more children followed, Namiye in 1923 and George in 1925. Ben recalls living in various places in Southern California: San Fernando Valley, Hollywood, San Pedro. They family worked hard at various endeavors but gravitated to farming and the nursery busines. Yasaburo, a man of many talents, had a gift for growing, not just plants, but animals too. Namiye remembers moving a lot but said they always had nice houses. The family spent the war years in internment camps, initially in Jerome, Arkansas, and later at Tule Lake, California, camp for the infamous “No-No Boys.” After the war, like everyone else coming out of camp, the Hamada’s worked hard to make a living. By then, Namiye was married to Manabu Okada who farmed with his brothers Taka and Shigeru. Yasaburo and Shiki had various jobs and 24-year-old Ben worked as a gardener, using trimmings to propagate new plants. Through their friends, the Gotos, who had a thriving flower shop in Montebello, the Hamada’s arranged to open a nursery next to the shop on Beverly Blvd, and called it Blossom City Nursery . Meanwhile, Ben who also wanted to farm, leased land in Huntington Beach on Talbert Ave. and Beach Blvd, while still helping his parents with Blossom City. By then he was married to Masako and they eventually had four children: Ellen, Ron, Kent and Joanne. The family’s nursery business was joined by George and his wife, Hazel, in 1950 when they returned from Chicago, baby Karen in tow, soon to be followed by Gerry, Teri and Parry. In 1953 the family purchased four acres in Garden Grove on Harbor Blvd and opened Garden City Nursery . The thriving business supported Ben and George’s families, Yasaburo and Shiki. They remained there until 1963 when the nursery was forced to move because of the construction of the Garden Grove Freeway. Garden City Nursery relocated to East Chapman Ave, Orange, in 1963. In 1971 brothers Ben and George parted ways and took ownership of separate properties and nurseries. George and Hazel continued operating Garden City and Ben and Masako opened Batavia Garden Nursery next to their home in Orange. Garden City Nursery closed in 1987. Batavia Garden Nursery remained in business until 2019, operated initially by Ben and Masako and and their children, Ron, Kent and Joanne.

Sakuma Farm

April 29, 2021
In 1907 Takeo Sakuma left Kyushu, Japan to go to America. He moved to Bainbridge Island, west of Seattle and began farming; taking the ferry he sold produce at terminal markets and Pike’s Place Market. Returning to Japan, he married Nobu in 1914, immigrated in 1915 and they started a family. Takeo became known for strawberries, challenging due to growing conditions on Bainbridge Island. The fertile Skagit Valley near Burlington was recommended as ideal for strawberries. Atsusa Sakuma moved to Burlington in 1935. Atsusa was the oldest Nisei, first born in the U.S., and first to grow berries in Skagit Valley. One by one, Atsusa’s brothers moved to Skagit after high school to help with harvesting. In 1941 the brothers farming in Burlington supported the family remaining on Bainbridge Island. Then Pearl Harbor was attacked in December. The Sakuma family was imprisoned at Manzanar in March. In June the brothers from Burlington were ordered to Tule Lake (northern California), five hundred miles from the rest of the family. While family was treated as the enemy, three of eight Sakuma boys joined the famed 442 nd Infantry Regiment. Three other sons served with the MIS. After the war, the Sakuma family returned to Bainbridge, but their property was lost, so they moved to Burlington. During the war, their farm was maintained by the Oscar Mapes family—a never forgotten act of kindness. With success, the brothers went into the certified plant business in 1948. They provided the start for strawberry farmers throughout the West Coast. Two brothers in Redding, northern California, ran the growing Norcal Nursery around 1970. Norcal acreage covered Oregon and California. The Sansei generation started management from 1997 until 2000 when the last Nisei retired. Bryan, Glenn, and Richard managed Washington operations; Ron and John managed California operations. The Sakumas entered fruit processing in 1990, and Sakuma Brothers Processing, Inc. began in 1997. Since 1997, plant propagation, research, commercial operations and sales, berry and fruit farming, harvesting and beginning a fruit stand. Sakuma berries sell throughout the U.S. and worldwide. 2004 brought the first female board member and first Yonsei to the business. The tradition of excellence continues today. The new generation is committed as the first to their corporate vision: “Honoring our past, growing our future.”

Nawa Farm

By Jane Bongiorno • May 20, 1985
In September 1903 at the age of 23 years, Juichi Nawa, the eldest son of nine siblings, left Gifu, Japan for America, arriving in San Francisco he worked for several years and by 1911 saved enough money to purchase ten acres of farmland in Norwalk, California. At the age of 19, Sakaye Okawa, one of eight siblings left Wakayama, Japan for America to marry Juichi in a marriage arranged by family and friends. On the Norwalk property they grew oranges, vegetables and raised chickens for eggs. They had four children, Jimmy, Mary, Stella and Jiro. Juichi and Sakaye were active in starting the Norwalk Gakuen, now the Southeast Japanese School Community Center in Norwalk. Life changed suddenly in April 1942 when the U.S. Department of Justice identified Juichi as a dangerous enemy alien and was detained at the Tuna Canyon Detention Center, Tujunga, California. In May 1942, unknown to his family he was transferred to the DOJ Internment Camp in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In August Juichi was reunited with his family at the Santa Anita Assembly Center and in September the Nawa family was transported to the Rohwer Relocation Center in Arkansas. Fortunately after the war ended the Nawa family was able to return to the Norwalk property. Starting over, they farmed and egg production became the primary family business again. Eventually, egg production gave way to a successful wholesale nursery business that lasted for many years. In 1977 the land was sold and within the residential area built on the property a street was named Nawa Lane.

Nakagawa Family Farm

By Kerry Yo Nakagawa • May 20, 1985
Our Jichan Hisataro Nakagawa immigrated from Nukushina, Hiroshima, Japan to Olaa, ( Big Island, Hawaii ), when he was fourteen years old. He worked at the Kaiwiki Sugar Cane Company and in 1886, moved to the mainland of Bowles, CA. He obtained twenty acres of wine grapes. Hisataro, his wife Sasayo, sons Johnny and Dyna would run the farm from the turn of the century to the 1960’s. During WWII, The Nakagawa family entrusted their farm to neighbors and friends Jeppe and Alma Raven during their 'incarceration' at Jerome, Arkansas. After the war the Ravens picked up the Nakagawa’s from the train station and brought them back to their home and farm. Jeppe Raven gave our Jichan ( Grandfather ), Hisataro a cigar box. Inside was filled with the cash profits the farm made for four years! Not only did the Raven work the farm, they gave them back the profits too! Baseball has been in the Nakagawa family for five generations and Uncle Johnny was the Shohei Ohtani of the 1920's and 1930's. We feel very blessed to come from 'Earth People,' Baseball Ambassadors and great family cooks. Aloha and Mahalo Nui Loa from the Nakagawa family!

Hoshino Farm

By Hitochi Morimoto • May 20, 1983
Like so many new arrivals of Japanese immigrants to the West Coast of the United States in the early 1900’s, Tomejiro and Kino Hoshino were no exception. Japan had sapped most its wealth financing the Sino-Russian war of 1904-1905. The rural and farming community suffered the most. Therefore, the Japanese government encouraged “kuchi herashi” (reducing mouths) and assisted these folks to immigrate to North America, South America and Hawaii for better opportunities. Tomejiro Hoshino, born 5/15/1887 in Sobue-cho, Aichi-Ken, left home and arrived with his older brother and his older brother’s friend in Mexico on 11/17/1906. When they came upon the Rio Grande River, the older two built a raft, enabling Tomejiro to cross into the United States as he could not swim. After struggling along the West Coast, Tomejiro found a job as a farmer in Elk Grove, California, and settled there. On 3/29/1915, he was able to send for his fiancee Kino Hattori to join him. The following year his first child Sakiko was born on 6/6/1916. In 1926, Tomejiro and Kino were able to purchase 20 acres located at Route 2, Box 2408, Elk Grove, Sacramento County, California, for $12,800 under their first-born daughter’s name (American citizen). This property consisted of a house, a warehouse, 8 acres of fruit trees, 2 acres of grapes and 10 acres of working fields. In 1939, registered owner of the land was transferred to their eldest son Jack Hoshino. That same year Jack entered the U.S. Army, and his sister Michi was given power of attorney. When war broke out in 1941, the entire family was sent to the concentration camp at Manzanar. The Hoshino property was left in the care of a neighboring farmer, but the annual property tax of $300 accumulated to $1,200 in 3 years. Unable to pay the tax, in 1943, the family had to let go of the farm for $4,100, one third of what they paid 17 years earlier in 1926. In 1951 upon his release from the Army, Jack sought compensation under a newly created law and received $2,500, a mere moral bandaid. Seven of Tomejiro and Kino’s children settled in Southern California with Jack being the exception, who elected to remain in Sturgis, South Dakota, where his army career ended. They all fondly remember the farming days. Though the work was hard and the world was cold and left bitter memories, the experience and discipline learned on the farm became a good foundation upon which to build their own families. None in the Hoshino family went into the agriculture field after the war. Elk Grove, where the Hoshino farm was located, has now become partially residential. That 20 acres purchased in 1926 for $12,800 is now valued around a million dollars. Yes, the prejudiced, unjust and uninformed did not help the Hoshinos during the Tomejiro-Kino era. All the descendants of the family feel very grateful for the sacrifices made by them and for the lives we enjoy today. Let us always remember! Now, it is our time to lend a helping hand to others toward creating a more just world.

Farms of Ichitaro and son Kaneo Makishima

By Julie Yamashita • May 20, 1983
Ichitaro Makishima sailed from Iwakuni, Yamaguchi-ken, Japan in 1896 at age 17 to work on a sugar cane plantation. But when he witnessed whippings, he ran away. Sixteen years later he was settled in Sacramento, California, and his mother sent him a bride. Twenty-year-old Yoneyo Makishima arrived in 1913. Ichitaro started a general store, and the family lived in a boarding house in town, but Yoneyo contracted tuberculosis so doctors told Ichitaro to move to the country. That is when they started farming, about 1925. They grew strawberries, tomatoes and lettuce on 18 acres of leased land in the Florin area of Sacramento. The farm included a house and a dormitory for a seasonal crew of as many as 15 men. Yoneyo did all the cooking for her large family and the crew, and all nine children worked in the fields. When the family was evacuated in May 1942, they locked their belongings in the chicken coop. They were at Tule Lake until 1945. After camp the current tenants refused to return their belongings. Most of the family then worked as sharecroppers in Woodland. Everyone pooled their money to buy 12 acres of farmland in Rio Linda, CA, but they were not able to live as a family again. Eldest son Kaneo ran the farm and mostly grew strawberries. Ichitaro left the farm in 1955, and Kaneo sold the farm in about 1973.

Uyeda and Kudo Farms

By Elayne Shiohama • May 20, 1982
Story as told by Elayne Shiohama and extended family: In 1917, Sanzo Uyeda sailed from Chikushino, Fukuoka-ken, Japan to San Francisco seeking a better future for him and his wife, Wasa, née Kawaguchi. He found work on a Caucasian family’s farm in Cutler, California. Wasa and Sanzo had two girls and two boys, starting with Mitsue, my dad Nobuo (later named Jimmie by a neighbor who couldn’t pronounce Nobuo), born June 17, 1921, then Kimiye, and lastly, Joe. As a youngster, my dad accompanied his father in many trades, including truck farming and running a pool hall in Lindsay. They farmed the area until WWII, 1941. Sanzo was torn away from the family when the FBI sent him to a prison camp in Santa Fe, New Mexico due to his membership in a kendo club. The daughters, married with families of their own, were interned, but Dad took his mother and little brother to Brigham, Utah. He worked on a sugar beet farm, in a cannery, cut the leather jackets for the US Bomber pilots, and also learned the building trade. Auntie Kimiye married a flower rancher and resided in San Diego County. Upon release of the internees, the Uyedas returned to California in 1946. Although faced with discrimination, Dad and Grandpa eventually found work in the building trade. Dad married my mom in 1947. She grew up on a tomato farm in Pomona. When Sanzo retired, he and Wasa moved to Lucerne Valley where his sons built a home. Two hours away from family, the ever busy Sanzo, built a koi pond and Japanese garden and grew Asian pears (nashi), for the Los Angeles markets for 15 years. He built a small “reservoir” but told the grandkids it was their swimming pool. He added a packing shed, refrigeration and taught Wasa, who never learned to drive a car, to drive the tractor. Stricken with cancer, Sanzo returned with Wasa to LA, where he passed away in 1976. Wasa remained in LA until her death circa 1986.

Kiyo "Kay" Ueda Hiatt Farms

By Cynthia Benedetto • June 18, 1980
Kiyo (Kay) Ueda Hiatt (1926-2020) was a pioneer in the Florida Citrus Industry. She was one of the first women executives in the fresh produce business and wielded tremendous influence during her career. As one of the top sales agents of Florida citrus, she played a leading role in the tremendous growth of exports to Japan in the 1970’s to the 1990’s. Kay was a first-generation Japanese American citizen born in Fife, Washington. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Kay’s family was forced into an internment camp along with tens of thousands of other Japanese Americans. But she rose above the injustice and indignity of the long three years there to persevere and achieve success in the business world. Against great odds, she was accepted to Bucknell University soon after being released from the internment camp. After marrying Roy Hiatt, they moved to Florida where she began working at a citrus packinghouse grading fruit. Because of her insatiable appetite for learning, she queried employees in other departments at the packinghouse and gained a deep understanding about the overall operation. Soon, her curiosity paid off and she was asked to run the shipping office. That experience led to an offer to join the sales desk. In a few short years, she was promoted to sales manager. Kay was known for her keen intellect and love of language. She was a voracious reader and a talented writer. Kay was an iron-willed woman full of strength and stamina tempered by patience and self-sacrifice.

Higashi Farm

By OCO Tanaka Farms • May 20, 1979
“Mr. Higashi was a farmer. He saw the wide prairies filled with waving grasses dotted with wildflowers. He decided it was the perfect place for a harvest of happiness.” So begins the story of the Higashi Family Farm in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Shiichi “Sam” Higashi immigrated from Hiroshima, Japan, to western South Dakota with his brother, Sanichi “Tom” Higashi, around 1916. They discovered the area after working during the sugar beet harvest. Sam returned to Japan to marry Kiwano, and after a short partnership with Tom and his family in Belle Fourche, SD, Sam and Kiwano moved to rented land in Spearfish, SD. Their children Clarence, Kenny, Mae, Jean, and Lily helped with planting and harvesting, providing the surrounding community with produce. Kiwano was widely known for her ability to raise strong, healthy greenhouse seedlings in the spring despite the frigid northern climate. Unfortunately, Sam passed away in 1940, but Kiwano and the children kept the truck farm going, raising sugar beets, cabbages, potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, and other vegetables. During WWII, Kenny enlisted in the military so that the family would be permitted to remain on the farm rather than face internment. From 1942-1946, he served in the 100th/442nd RCT, the only American of Japanese Ancestry from South Dakota in that unit. Clarence and Kenny eventually purchased the property, allowing Kiwano to remain in the family home until her death in 1978. Though the acreage is smaller, family members still reside there today. In total, the Higashi Farm operated for over 50 years. (Quotes and illustrations used with permission from the children’s book, “A Place for Harvest: The Story of Kenny Higashi”, by Lauren R. Harris, illustrated by Felicia Hoshino, copyright South Dakota Historical Society Press, 2022. www.SDHSPress.com)
Show More