Oral History Interview with Benji Takahashi

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Title
Oral History Interview with Benji Takahashi
Alternative Title

Date Created
August 19th, 1993
Description
Issei male, born February 6, 1898 to a farm family. As the second son, he would not inherit the family estate, so he came to California at age twenty to earn money and eventually return to Japan. Benji worked at his uncle�s store in Loomis, California and lived briefly in San Francisco at Pine Methodist Church. He was affiliated with Methodism for the rest of his life. He decided to remain in America working at Loomis Mutual Store from 1921 to 1988. As customers included Spanish speakers, Benji learned basic Spanish and attracted many Hispanics. Benji attributes two elements which set Loomis apart from other rural Japanese American communities: Loomis had a larger Christian presence than other areas and more Loomis area Japanese farmers owned their farms than other areas. He attributes this to the formation of corporations in which members are share holders and land is purchased by the corporation. In the spring of 1942, when Benji was forty-four, the Takahashis were evacuated to Marysville Assembly Center then to Tule Lake, California and finally, Amache, Colorado. A Caucasian friend took care of the store and another friend rented their house. Upon the family�s return in March 1945, the store was safely boarded up and the home was in good condition. They did not open the store for business until September
a thoughtful teacher advised them to wait until rampant anti-Japanese feelings subsided. In March, many businesses had �No Japs Allowed� signs in their windows. Benji authored �A Book of Japanese Proverbs� in 1987 and �History of Loomis Mutual Store� (unpublished) in 1989, and his Autobiography in 1977
Transcript
Transcript available at Sacramento State University, Sacramento University Library
Creators and Contributors
Creator: Florin Japanese American Citizens League
Interviewer: Nakagawa, Mark
Contributor: Goto, Courtney
Contributor: Goto, Naomi
Contributor: Takahashi, Florence
Interviewee: Takahashi, Benji
Language

Media type
Sound
Format
Audio cassette
Extent
1 Tape
Generation
Master
Copyright Statement
Copyright status unknown. This work may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, its reproduction may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. This work is accessible for purposes of education and research. Transmission or reproduction of works protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. California State University, Sacramento Library attempted to find rights owners without success but is eager to hear from them so that we may obtain permission, if needed. Upon request to info@csus.edu digitized works can be removed from public view if there are rights issues that need to be resolved.
Country of Creation
US
Source Institution
California State University, Sacramento
Call Number
TC327
Link to Internet Archive
https://archive.org/details/css_000095
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