“…I asked my grandmother about the Japanese things she could not keep. She strongly told me in her broken English that ‘we here now’ (in America), that we should not worry about Japan or what was lost.”
Growing up, there was always the presence of my Grandma Yaki, who always held her head high and her back straight. As long as I can remember, her hair was long—below her knees—and always up in a bun at the nape of her neck.
She was born into a samurai family (military noble class), where she was a privileged daughter with all that entailed. She never had to cook, clean, wash or iron. She learned to sew and diligently studied at school. If it rained, someone from the household carried her on their back to school.
At the age of 18 in 1911, she was sent to the United States to her new husband. Theirs was an arranged marriage between two samurai families from the same Kagoshima area. My grandfather wrote telling of his financial “success” in the United States, and that he would provide a good home for his new wife. In reality, like many Issei (first-generation immigrants), he struggled to make a living through a series of odd jobs. My grandma came, saw the truth of the situation, and silently acknowledged her transition from being a daughter of privilege to a wife, working domestic, and mother. She worked hard to feed her family of four daughters and one son.
Thank you, Gail, for sharing your family story. It is bittersweet and filled with love.
Satsuki
Thank you, Satsuki, for your kind words. Gail
Gail,
You have a wonderful history. I had no idea. Your grandmother had such strength and integrity. So Japanese, so noble, and yet able to endure and accept the hardship of life with her husband and children. To me, she is the epitome of a person with immense Japanese pride and strong sense of moral principles. Wow! You were very fortunate to know her so intimately.
Gail ,
Thank you for sharing your Grandmother Yaki’s story . Her being “ostracized from the mess hall because her son volunteered “ hit me like a ton of bricks . My father wrote that Grandma “had been given a hard time by the hardheads”. I hadn’t really considered what that might have meant until I read your story.
Joe Yoshino