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  • Yutaro Uyeda, Monrovia’s Strawberry Kingppolinks.com/monrovia/Yutaro Uyeda.pdf · Yutaro Uyeda, Monrovia’s Strawberry King When he passed away in 1949, the Los Angeles Times dubbed
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Yutaro Uyeda, Monrovia’s Strawberry King When he passed away in 1949, the Los Angeles Times dubbed Yutaro Uyeda “Monrovia’s Strawberry King.” Yutaro planted acres of strawberries and was an integral part of Monrovia life before World War II. He was a community leader for the Japanese Americans of Monrovia. Yutaro Uyeda (1877-1949) originated from Fukuoka and went to Hawaii in 1903. Like other immigrants, Yutaro was lured by the promise of work opportunities. He came to the mainland and found work laying tracks for Pacific Electric’s Monrovia-Glendora line. When that work led him to Monrovia near 1907, he stayed. In 1919, Yutaro sent for a picture bride, Naka Shinohara (1889- 1988), originally from Kumamoto. The Uyedas had three children: Isamu, Toshiko Ethel (1922-1995), and Mary Yoshie (1923-2018). Mary Uyeda Sakatani said, “My father was a small man, very loud, and very hardworking.” Farm life in Monrovia was hard work for the Uyedas and other Japanese pioneers. Many Japanese were in the production of strawberries and other labor-intensive crops to avoid competition with Caucasian farmers. Japanese Americans knew to avoid cultivation of citrus, grapes, and nuts; and concentrated instead on faster growing annual vegetables, fruits, and flowers. A 1910 survey showed that about 80% of strawberry growers in Los Angeles were of Japanese descent. Such strawberry farms were concentrated in Gardena, Anaheim, El Monte, Oxnard, and elsewhere. Strawberry crops took hours of back-breaking hand work and stoop labor. The success of strawberry farms in the early 20 th century was linked to the development of the refrigerated rail cars, and truck farming - which brought fresh vegetables and fruits weekly to the growing urban communities. Japanese Americans formed supportive strawberry growers’ associations like the San Gabriel Valley Berry Growers Co-op. Yutaro was able to use City land between Mayflower and Magnolia – just north of Huntington. But Yutaro would often take advantage of other empty unused lots wherever he found them. If owners complained, he would gift them flats of strawberries. He even gave strawberries to police officers and others in Monrovia. Despite his broken English, he got along fine and everybody knew him. He did own the home at 331 West Huntington Drive. As the 1913 Alien Land Act prevented resident aliens from buying land, it was probably purchased in his son, Isamu’s name. Isamu died after being kicked by a horse when he was nine years old. Yutaro first used Japanese laborers from Los Angeles to help pick the strawberries. But that gave Naka the responsibility to cook and feed them. The seasonal workers would sleep over in Yutaro’s Monrovia garage. Soon after, Yutaro started hiring Mexican neighbors who would go home for lunch and in the evenings. Naka and her daughters worked the fruit stand on Huntington Drive. Huntington Drive was Route 66 and a busy thoroughfare. Mary said, “In those day, my sister and I were never allowed to sit

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  • YutaroUyeda,Monrovia’sStrawberryKingWhenhepassedawayin1949,theLosAngelesTimesdubbedYutaroUyeda“Monrovia’sStrawberryKing.”YutaroplantedacresofstrawberriesandwasanintegralpartofMonrovialifebeforeWorldWarII.HewasacommunityleaderfortheJapaneseAmericansofMonrovia.YutaroUyeda(1877-1949)originatedfromFukuokaandwenttoHawaiiin1903.Likeotherimmigrants,Yutarowasluredbythepromiseofworkopportunities.HecametothemainlandandfoundworklayingtracksforPacificElectric’sMonrovia-Glendoraline.WhenthatworkledhimtoMonrovianear1907,hestayed.In1919,Yutarosentforapicturebride,NakaShinohara(1889-1988),originallyfromKumamoto.TheUyedashadthreechildren:Isamu,ToshikoEthel(1922-1995),andMaryYoshie(1923-2018).MaryUyedaSakatanisaid,“Myfatherwasasmallman,veryloud,andveryhardworking.”FarmlifeinMonroviawashardworkfortheUyedasandotherJapanesepioneers.ManyJapanesewereintheproductionofstrawberriesandotherlabor-intensivecropstoavoidcompetitionwithCaucasianfarmers.JapaneseAmericansknewtoavoidcultivationofcitrus,grapes,andnuts;andconcentratedinsteadonfastergrowingannualvegetables,fruits,andflowers.A1910surveyshowedthatabout80%ofstrawberrygrowersinLosAngeleswereofJapanesedescent.SuchstrawberryfarmswereconcentratedinGardena,Anaheim,ElMonte,Oxnard,andelsewhere.Strawberrycropstookhoursofback-breakinghandworkandstooplabor.Thesuccessofstrawberryfarmsintheearly20thcenturywaslinkedtothedevelopmentoftherefrigeratedrailcars,andtruckfarming-whichbroughtfreshvegetablesandfruitsweeklytothegrowingurbancommunities.JapaneseAmericansformedsupportivestrawberrygrowers’associationsliketheSanGabrielValleyBerryGrowersCo-op.YutarowasabletouseCitylandbetweenMayflowerandMagnolia–justnorthofHuntington.ButYutarowouldoftentakeadvantageofotheremptyunusedlotswhereverhefoundthem.Ifownerscomplained,hewouldgiftthemflatsofstrawberries.HeevengavestrawberriestopoliceofficersandothersinMonrovia.DespitehisbrokenEnglish,hegotalongfineandeverybodyknewhim.Hedidownthehomeat331WestHuntingtonDrive.Asthe1913AlienLandActpreventedresidentaliensfrombuyingland,itwasprobablypurchasedinhisson,Isamu’sname.Isamudiedafterbeingkickedbyahorsewhenhewasnineyearsold.YutarofirstusedJapaneselaborersfromLosAngelestohelppickthestrawberries.ButthatgaveNakatheresponsibilitytocookandfeedthem.TheseasonalworkerswouldsleepoverinYutaro’sMonroviagarage.Soonafter,YutarostartedhiringMexicanneighborswhowouldgohomeforlunchandintheevenings.NakaandherdaughtersworkedthefruitstandonHuntingtonDrive.HuntingtonDrivewasRoute66andabusythoroughfare.Marysaid,“Inthoseday,mysisterandIwereneverallowedtosit

  • downonasofaduringtheday.Momwasalsoahardworker.Shewasalwaysbusywithourfruitstandat331W.HuntingtonDrive.”YutarotooktheefforttobeapartofMonroviawithhisfloatsfortheMonroviaDayParades.Hehadhisdaughterssitonthefloatandpassoutstrawberries.YutarowasalsooneofthecommunityparentsthathelpedbuildandsustaintheJapaneselanguageschoolonMayflower,southofDuarteRoad.Likeinothertowns,thegakuenwasaplacefortheJapaneseAmericanstotakeprideintheirethnicheritage.Andonceayear,theJapaneseAmericanswouldget-togetherfortheNewYearmochizuki(ricepoundingevent).Yutaro’sdaughters,ToshikoandMaryattendedSantaFeElementary,Clifton,andMAD(Monrovia-Arcadia-Duarte)HighSchool-andwentstraighttoworkeachdayafterschool.ButYutarodidhaveaspecialfriend:OrmanGood.OrmanGoodwasaneighboronLemonAvenue,andanagentforStandardOilCompany.Yutarohadagaspumponthispropertyandthetwomenbecamedrinkingbuddies.AftertheattackonPearlHarbor,YutarowaspickedupbytheMonroviaPolice,atthebehestoftheFBI,andsenttoahighsecurityfacilityinSantaFe.FBIhadpre-identifiedandtargetedJapanesecommunityleadersaroundCalifornia.Marysaid,“TheMonroviapoliceseemedkindofembarrassedbecausetheyknewmydad.Iwas18yearsoldandforcedtoleavemyschoolingatPasadenaJuniorCollege.”ExecutiveOrder9066unjustlyforcedMonrovia’sJapanesetoevacuatetothedetentioncenteratthePomonaFairgrounds.Fromthere,theyweretransportedtoHeartMountainconcentrationcampinWyoming.Marysaid,“ThemosthumiliatingpartformewasbeingforcedtowearnumberedtagswhilestandinginlineatthePomonaFairgrounds.”TheUyeda’swereveryluckybecauseOrmanGoodlookedaftertheirMonroviaproperty.“WegavetheGoodsoursugarrationsandMrs.GoodbroughtuscookieswhilewewereatPomonaDetentionCenter.Mr.Goodwouldsendusmoneyfromleasingoutourhome.Hehadbeengivenpowerofattorney.Mr.Goodpickedusup–alongwiththeAsanos–fromtheMonroviatrainstationwhenwereturnedfromcamp.Wehadahardtimeevictingourtenantssowelivedinthegarageforawhile,”saidMary.Mary’sdaughter,Keiko,added,“Foryears,myfatherwouldbringaboxoffruitsandvegetablestotheGoods.They,inturn,wouldbakeusdatenutandorangebreads,arealtreatforuschildren.”TheUyedasreturnedtoMonroviaafterWorldWarII.Toshikoandhernewhusband,YoshitoSakatani,livedinthefronthouseonHuntingtonDrive.Maryandhernewhusband,MasatoSakatani,livedinaconvertedgarageoffofthemainhouse.MaryandToshikohadmarriedbrothersfromElMonte.Yutarodiedin1949.MaryandherfamilymovedtoWalnutAvenueinMonrovia,andToshikoandherfamilymovedtoBaldwinPark.Afterthe1952Walter-McCarranAct,Nakagainedhernaturalizedcitizenshipin1955.TherearestillSakatanislivinginMonrovia.FormerCaliforniaSecretaryofFoodandAgricultureandstrawberryfarmerinOrangeCounty,A.G.Kawamura,said,“Fornearlyacentury,CaliforniastrawberryfarminghasprovidedaladdertosuccessforJapaneseAmericanandotherAsianfamilies.Ithasallowedgenerationstoriseupfromthefieldstoimprovetheirlives,assimilateintoAmericansocietyandassumeleadershiprolesinbusiness,academiaandgovernment.”YutaroUyedawascertainlyonestrawberryfarmerthatusedhishardlabortobuildhisfamilyandhiscommunity.

  • Uyeda’sProduceStand,331W.HuntingtonDrive.PhotocourtesyofKeikoSakatani.

    1938MonroviaParade.PhotocourtesyofKeikoSakatani.

  • Monrovia’sJapaneselanguageschoolonMayflowerinearly1930s.Notetheouthousetotheleftofphoto.PhotocourtesyofKeikoSakatani.


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