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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 Benji authored �A Book of Japanese Proverbs� in 1987 and �History of Loomis Mutual Store� (unpublished) in 1989, and his Autobiography in 1977
Type
sound
Format
Master Audio cassette
Extent
1 Tape of 1
Identifier
TC327 css_000095
Provenance
California State University, Sacramento California Revealed is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
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