GOTO-HEALTH

My mother, Mary, like Jacquline Kennedy, similarly agreed to an arrangement. Like the Bouvier/Kennedys, my paternal grandfather was ambitious, and had resources in Japan. My maternal grandfather had political capital with the Japanese in America of the early 1900s on the West Coast and particularly in Washington State. In the years up to the 1930s, most marriages were also still arranged within the Americans of Japanese heritage here in the United States. 

 

K. Miyamoto, my paternal grandfather, suggested he would forgive the debt owed him by K. Tsukamaki, my maternal grandfather, if his daughter would agree to the arrangement. My mother told me, “I knew that Dad had gone to college and his family was wealthy, so I agreed.” She was 18-years-old. My father was age 28 and that was common marital ages for families to consider arrangements.

 

My father, Sago (Americanized from the famous Japanese warrior Seigo Takamori) born in 1908, was one of the first “NISEI” (second generation American of Japanese heritage).  My father was a "born again" Christian, was not an ambitious entrepreneurial individual like most other Nisei and against smoking.  I had lunch with one of my Tsukamaki cousins recently and he said, “Do you know how poor you were?” 

 

Therefore, all my growing up years, my Tsukamaki Grandpa and my Tsukamaki Uncles took care of us a lot financially. My Miyamoto grandparents and Uncle had gone back to live in Japan in 1936, because of impending war of the US and Japan - leaving my father penniless in hopes of enticing him to Japan to oversee the inheritance of being the oldest sons.

 

When I married, it was more important to me that my Uncles approved of my choices, than my father and mother approving. I married someone who understood this family heritage responsibility.  We bought a house for my parents to live in for several years and they ended their years helping my sister raise her family and living with her.

 

For several years after I left home, my mother called “ME”, to keep my father in-line. When I was with them in the car, my mother would say, “Turn left Sago”, and my father would turn right. Gradually understanding life dynamics, it became a joke and I learned to appreciate how Dad handled life his own way. He hated Japan and chose to be a independent American. I've learned to appreciate him more and proud now of his "Self-made Social Worker" life!

 

My mother out-lived her husband twenty eight years until she was 90 years of age. She led a lot of my growing up years in bed sucumbing to her weak physical nature, and disappointing marrital life.  But I learned to be strong as a result!  She changed in her later life and left us with her story of a fulfilling life with her husband. They are buried together in Kent, WA, where she was born.