I never knew my maternal grandfather. He died in 1946 before I was born; but I have a tangible connection to him in the form of a koi (carp) wood carving.
Originally from Mie Prefecture, Hikojiro Mabuchi was a carpenter by trade and a self-taught woodcarver. He did carpentry work at the 1915 San Francisco World’s Fair, and he built greenhouses for Japanese American nurseries in the Richmond/El Cerrito area before the War.
Made from scrap wood likely scavenged from a Topaz trash heap, my grandfather’s wood carving still manages to capture the spirit of the koi climbing a waterfall against all odds. Compared to his pre-camp carvings, which are more refined because good pieces of wood were available, this koi has a rough appearance, but holds pride of place in my heart because of its symbolism and provenance.
About the contributor: Carol Yoshimoto was born after the War in Berkeley, CA. Her grandfather, Hikojiro Mabuchi, was a master carpenter who helped design and build many of the East Bay’s pre-War nurseries. Her family operated Contra Costa Florist in El Cerrito, CA for many years. Carol has an MA in classical Japanese literature from UC Berkeley and a JD from Hastings College of the Law.
Copyright 2018, Carol Yoshimoto. All rights reserved.