Historic Hood River
Ray Yasui (no, Renichi Fujimoto!)
1-23-2020
Notes
I’ve heard many stories about Ray “Chop” Yasui, but I didn’t realize we had this portrait. Ray was involved in so many things around the community it’s hard to decide where to start, but fortunately this website provides a very nice biography. And we even learn he was an accomplished trapshooter!
[ed. note] As the comments show, this is Ray Yasui’s uncle Renichi Fujimoto. I don’t know why it was mislabeled in our files. Fortunately HHR helps us sort this out so we can make corrections.
Charlott
This is NOT Ray “Chop” Yasui. I knew him very, very, very well. I haven't a clue who this might be
ArthurB
Thanks Charlott. I've talked before about my frustration at the number of misidentified images in our collection. I'll leave this up for now to see what others can come up with.
The negative appears to have a note on the left side. If you reverse it, it seems to say “J. Yasui” but the writing is not perfectly clear. It could easily say something else.
Maija Yasui
This is Chop's Uncle “Dotso” . His name is Renichi Fujimoto. He was the brother of Masuo Yasui, Chop's father. He was the main face at the three Yasui Stores in Hood River. He took the name of his wife's family to carry on their name. HIs wife remained in Japan for the first 35 years of their marriage. He lived in the basement of the store in what is now Ground Coffee. He was interned during World War II but returned to live on the farm on WIllow Flat Road in the house Flip and I lived in for the first 10 years of our marriage.
Kyle
^ That's amazing to learn. Thank you!
Bill Seaton
The building Malja mentions is the one that Mr Downing acquired during World War 2 while the Yasui's were in internment. I lived up on the top floor of it from 1946 to 1952.
nels
Maija, could you explain a little about the custom of marrying but remaining apart? There must have no been any children as a result. And at least she did not experience American imprisonment. But she would have experienced WW II in Japan?
Charlott
I am so very glad that Maija saw this. I thought about her and was going to give her a call, but mystery solved…..
Also many Japanese men came to better their lives in America as very young. They got themselves established and then sent for what we would call “mail order brides.” It is hard for us to imagine marrying someone you have never seen or met………..This also happened with men from other countries…..
Maija Yasui
Renichi Yasui married into the Fujimoto family as a younger man. His wife's family had no male heirs. To carry on the family name “Fujimoto” Renichi took his wife's family name. They were from the same village in Japan and married by proxy in 1904 while he was in the states. Renichi was in the US from the early 1900s but his wife remained in Japan to care for her mother and father as was tradition. Renichi brought his wife back to the US in 1931 and they lived in the Yasui Store (Ground Coffee building on the lower floor, not upper apartments. ) Obasan, Matsuyo Senno, worked in the fields of the Yasui orchards. She lost her home when the Store was sold for a dollar in 1941 and was interned with her husband, Renichi. They returned to Hood River after internment and lived out their years in a small cabin on the Yasui Massee Grade orchard. It was Flip and my first home for 10 years, 1970-1980 . Renichi had passed away and Obasan returned to Japan to live out her years with her ninety plus year old brother and his wife. I visited the Sennos in 1972.