“Seima 125.”
Born 125 years ago, I’ve been thinking about my grandpa’s life and all that he lived through and things that would amaze him. If there was a Wikipedia on grandpa Seima, it would include these facts:
Seima Munemitsu
Japanese American Farmer
Born November 24, 1899, Kochi, Japan
Immigrated 1916 to California
Died June 29, 1978, Garden Grove, CA
Married to Masako Munemitsu in 1921
Father to 2 sons, 2 daughters
Grandfather to 13 grandchildren
Farmer / Major Crops: Strawberries, green beans, tomatoes, asparagus, Sunkist Grower of oranges and lemons, avocados.
Arrested by the FBI in 1942 and accused of being a WWII spy for Japan.
Incarcerated 1942-45, Department of Justice camps, Lordsburg and Santa Fe, NM.
Released from parole in 1945.
How many grandpas do you know who were arrested by the FBI? I never thought of that as a kid. It was communicated as “we were forced to go to the camps.” But I’m grateful that my grandpa wasn’t a bitter man despite the injustice. He was actually a pretty fun and funny guy! And he loved playing with us grandkids. He was a man generous of spirit and had many friends.
An April 1940s article in the local Westminster newspaper headline read, “Seima Munemitsu, Successful Truck Gardener, is Well Thought of Here.” The article recounts how generous my grandpa was with his crops, letting people in need of food come and pick tomatoes, beans or whatever he was growing without paying. But 2 years later, he would be arrested by the FBI accused of being a spy for Japan, at that time, a WWII enemy of the US.
(For the full article, click here.)
When I think of all he survived in his lifetime, I also often think of all the things he would marvel at today. He would be amazed by:
● The popularity of students/adults learning the Japanese language.
● How easily accessible Japanese grocery items are now. I remember when there were no Asian markets in Orange County and we bought Japanese groceries off a truck that stopped at the farm and sold fresh fish and Japanese groceries only.
● The popularity of sushi and how restaurants have mainstreamed sushi menus by westernizing ingredients! He would be appalled to see avocados and mayonnaise on sashimi grade tuna!
● The high cost of strawberries, oranges and lemons!
● The number of Japanese and Asian faces on television/movies, in sports, Olympic athletes, etc.!
As the Dodgers won the 2024 World Series, I couldn’t help but think how excited and proud my grandpa would be. For the first time ever, the World Series Championship team has a manager, Dave Roberts, and star players in Shohei Otani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, all of Japanese descent, and Tommy Edman of Korean descent. He would be so elated to see Japanese/Asians take center stage in the World Series!
It's not because he was such a big baseball fan. In his life, he suffered for being Japanese in California. And now to see these star Japanese athletes celebrated, he would beam with a big smile for weeks!
Being Japanese wasn’t celebrated for much of his lifetime and it would take many, many decades for this shameful WWII wrong to be recognized. As history would play out, the US government wrongly incarcerated 125,000 innocent Japanese Americans, 70% of them were US born citizens like my dad, and over 50% were youth under the age of 18.
I am forever grateful that this history did not make my grandpa or dad bitter. They never spoke of the injustice it was. It was more, this happened, and we survived. This attitude just makes them practical, to work hard, move on, and make their lives better
As I look back, there were so many times when I was encouraged to get involved at school: High School Drill Team, Girls Club, ASB Secretary, Yearbook Editor, etc. I now realize that “involved” meant “accepted” to them. There was an unspoken desire by my grandparents and parents for my generation to be “accepted” in the mainstream. During WWII and for much of their lifetimes, they were not.
In 1975, Tritia Toyota became a news anchor for KNBC TV, Los Angeles. My grandpa was SO proud of her. He talked about this for weeks! We are not related to Tritia Toyota, nor did he ever meet her. But to see a Japanese American anchor the NBC news was “representation.” I remember grandpa saying to me, “maybe one day you can be a Tritia Toyota too.” At that time, I told him I didn’t want to be a broadcaster or on TV, but he insisted that maybe I could be a Tritia Toyota too. In his heart, he meant maybe you can be widely accepted by the mainstream too, in whatever I do. That would make him proud.
I think my grandpa would be amazed that his story is not just in my book, but appears on the US National Parks Service website as part of the Mendez, et al v. Westminster history. He would hardly believe that a documentary film grad student chose to make an animated film of his WWII story. If he knew how many students, teachers, and other groups I’ve shared his story with at speaking events, he would be amazed - and that 11th grade students in Santa Ana will be studying my book next spring! It might make him a bit embarrassed to know that I’ve posted his picture on this website for the world to access. After explaining the internet to him, he would surely marvel about that! In his own humble way, I think this would make him proud too.
Happy 125, Grandpa Seima! I’m so very proud of you!
In the Press
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