Licensing

Noboru Hashimoto Interview

Noboru Hashimoto Phone Interview

Wednesday, May 10, 2017, 7:30 p.m.-8:20 p.m.

Edited with Nob's corrections

FP:     How old were you when you were sent to Amache in 1942? 

NH:   15

FP:       Where did you live before Amache?

NH:      Winton

FP         Who was in your family?

NH       Parents Juichi and Chiyoko Hashimoto; my brothers were Fred, William and Ben and my sister was Sumiko.

FP         What did your family do for a living before Amache?  

NH       Farming - boys helped; growing grapes, almonds,  just bought land 40 acres planted peaches a year before evacuation

FP          Did you get a peach crop in? 

NH       When we came back from Amache, Mennonite family leased the land  and had peach crop on return.   The Mennonites returned the land to us in Jan 1945 - he handed it  over,  and I started to prune the grapes.  The Mennonites were friends of my older  high school brother [Mennonites have no TV; ok to have computers,no radios]. I farmed until 1980 and then a drove truck,  I kept  the house,  but came to retirement community,  so wife wouldn't have to cook any more [now 90 and half years old].

FP       Where in Japan did your grandparents come from?

NH       Hiroshima 

FP        When and why grandparents came?

NH       My  father's side, grandpa came to Hawaii, worked in cane field then moved to States and worked on the  Yosemite RR, when that was finished, he moved to another community north--Winters-- and farmed fruit until 1936, retired and most Issei wanted enough money to build a house; aliens could not own land - he went back to Hiroshima - was there during the bombing.  Built a brand new house.  Atom bomb blew house away with Grandma in it.

             The other side of the family, mother's side, was bigshot at City Hall in Hiroshima City.  All our kin were gone from the bomb except Grandma who lived to age 106.

FP        How did they choose California to live

NJ        I don't know why