Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1118/

Yoshitaro Amano’s Tuna Fishing Boat (Japanese)

(Japanese) This was not the ship that broke in two when Amano was riding it; this was his fishing boat. It was a boat he built and used to fish tuna in the seas of…not Panama…Costa Rica. They say that the one who taught the people of Costa Rica to eat tuna was Amano.

Apparently, they are a people who didn’t eat fish. After that, Costa Rica wasn’t enough; he came to Ecuador to fish for tuna, too. Sometimes, he would go into areas for which he did not have permission. When he did that, he said he would escape. He said it was a really good boat at that time. He made two of those boats, the Shimizu Maru, in Japan. His story is right over there. His son wrote it. Yep. So if a police vehicle ever called out a notification to him, he would escape just like that and go back, he said.


Date: April 18, 2007

Location: Lima, Peru

Interviewer: Ann Kaneko

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Miyoko Amano (nee: Watanabe) is a Nikkei Nisei born in Lima, Peru. In 1954, she married Yoshitaro Amano, a businessman and a researcher of the Andes Civilization. Taking over the vision of her late husband, she is currently the President of Amano Museum—established from the Yoshitaro’s private collection of artifacts—renowned for its extensive research into the Cancay Culture. (October 2009)

Funai,Kazuo

Bad business deal (Japanese)

(1900-2005) Issei businessman

Funai,Kazuo

Company in Tokyo burned down (Japanese)

(1900-2005) Issei businessman

Naito,Sam

Starting an import business after World War II

(b. 1921) Nisei businessman. Established "Made in Oregon" retail stores

Hashizume,Bill

Father’s success in farm business

(b. 1922) Canadian Nisei who was unable to return to Canada from Japan until 1952

Hashizume,Bill

Liaison between the Americans and the Japanese

(b. 1922) Canadian Nisei who was unable to return to Canada from Japan until 1952

Kobayashi,Bert A.

Getting involved in the family business at age 19

(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC

Kobayashi,Bert A.

A body, mind and spirit work ethic

(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC

Nishimura,Shunji

Learning skills by watching others work (Japanese)

(1911-2010) Founder of JACTO group

Nishimura,Shunji

Repaying Brazil by educating the technicians (Japanese)

(1911-2010) Founder of JACTO group

Kobayashi,BJ

No question about going into the family business

Hawaiian businessman, developer.

Kobayashi,BJ

About Albert Chikanobu Kobayashi, Inc.

Hawaiian businessman, developer.

Sakane,Hiroshi

How Yoshitaro Amano got to South America (Japanese)

(b. 1948) Executive Director of Amano Museum

Sakane,Hiroshi

Yoshitaro Amano continues his efforts in business in order to pursue his studies (Japanese)

(b. 1948) Executive Director of Amano Museum

Sakane,Hiroshi

On returning to post-war Peru (Japanese)

(b. 1948) Executive Director of Amano Museum

Sakane,Hiroshi

Returning to Japan on a prisoner-of-war exchange boat (Japanese)

(b. 1948) Executive Director of Amano Museum