Seijiro Shibuya

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Seijiro Shibuya (1878-1917) gift me d Souko Okamura (1882-1957)

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Seijiro Shibuya

SEIJIRO SHIBUYA 1878-1917

Seijiro Shibuya was born on October 11, 1878 in Japan. He was the first son of 8  children of Asakichi Shibuya and Tsune Shibuya.

The following are the family and siblings of Seijiro Shibuya: 

Asakichi Shibuya and Tsune Shibuya

1. Seijiro Shibuya (m. Souko Okamura)

Kimiko Shibuya (m. Koji Shimomura Shibuya – yooshi)

Asako Shibuya (m. Dr. Michio Sekiya)

Michiko Shibuya (m. Akira Mochizuki)

Kyouko Shibuya (m. Hideo Sato)

Yoshiko Shibuya (m. Seijiro Inose)

Kenichi Inose (m. Kay Kayoko Sakai)

(Rose) Kiyoko Inose (m. Ray Yoshiyama)

(Helen) Hiroko Inose (m. Masa Sakamoto)

Lily Yuriko Inose (m. David Nakatani)

Yaeko Shibuya (m. Tsuneo Nagakura)

Yoshio Nagakura (m. Etsuko ______)

Chiyo Shibuya (d. 1919)

2. Tatsu Shibuya (m. Eikichi Inose)

_______Inose (died at birth)

*Adopted Naoshi Shibuya as their son

3. Tama Shibuya (m. Dr. Asazo Nishikata – USC School of Medicine, Los

Angeles,CA)

Aiko Nishikata (m. Eguchi)

Midori Nishikata

Yoe Nishikata

Hyoe (oldest son) Nishikata

Tetsuo Nishikata

Seifu Nishikata – born in Dalian, Manchuria

Mamoru Nishikata

Shogo Nishikata

3. Son – died at age 14

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4. Shoji Shibuya –Waseda Univ. (m. Fusa Hokura)

Akio Shibuya – Darien High College of Commerce(m. Takako Nakayama)

Kunio Shibuya-Tokyo Univ (m. Yohko Koyanagi)

Eiko Shibuya – Nara Women’s Univ.(m. Shiro Sakai – Kobe Univ – died

at age 58)

(m. Masahiro Matsuzaki – Hitotsubashi Univ)

5. Son – died at age 5

6. Matao Shibuya – died as young man

7. *Naoshi Shibuya Inose (m. Motoko Sakurai)

Akira Inose

Jiro Inose

Masako Inose

Kazuko Inose

8. Sister (deceased at young age)

Traditionally, the first son in a family takes over the family business. But after graduating from Dai Nippon Teikoku Tokyo Seiji Gakko (Hosei Daigaku) in 1901, Seijiro Shibuya applied to the Governor of Niigata prefecture to study Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. Seijiro had an American English instructor in Nagaoka (1889). This is where he received an English language background along with his friend, Masaharu Yamaguchi. Apparently, the English instructor was a blond, blue-eyed American instructor.

In 1901, age 23, Seijiro arrived in San Francisco. Somehow – he never made it to Philadelphia. He became friends with Takeji Kikuchi who was an employment and real estate agent. Seijiro became employed at Shin Sekai Shinbum (New World Newspaper) in San Francisco. This newspaper wanted to start a branch in Los Angeles of which Seijiro would eventually become one of the founding publishers  and editor of the Rafu Shimpo in 1903. Illustration 1 – Seijiro Shibuya – date unknown.

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Illustration 1 – date ?

Seijiro Shibuya, Masaharu Yamaguchi (these two were classmates in Niigata) and Michiharu Maruyama started the Rafu Shimpo in Los Angeles, California as a onepage Japanese newsletter. Illustrations II – Seijiro Shibuya in the Rafu Shimpo office. In 1903, the Rafu Shimpo was doing well with 250 subscribers. But not enough business to hire others. Maruyama was the first to suggest publishing with a mimeograph machine –he had a background in printing. For the Rafu Shimpo,

Yamaguchi paid $20.00 for a printing machine to print the weekly newsletter. At that time, $20.00 was a one-month average salary. Maruyama eventually returns to San Francisco and a 4th man comes into the picture - still in 1903 - Eitaro Iijima – a graduate of Tokyo University and one who also attended Stanford University in California.

Illustration II - Seijiro Shibuya at the Rafu Shimpo office

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Yamaguchi was a graduate of Tokyo University and had a real estate business in Los Angeles. Yamaguchi suggested the purchase of a printing press that had to be brought back from Japan. All three men agreed, and Yamaguchi travels to Japan to import a printing machine in June 1903. While Yamaguchi is in Japan to purchase  the equipment, Shibuya and Iijima decide to sell stocks for the Rafu Shimpo.  

In March 1904, Yamaguchi returns to Los Angeles with the printing press which cost either $500 or 500 yen. So, in 1904, Rafu Shimpo as a newspaper becomes a reality, and there were 400 subscribers. Iijima was Editor in chief (inside man), Shibuya was reporter, editor and delivery man, Yamaguchi was the typesetter. No one gets paid at this stage. In 1905, subscription increased, and Shibuya was paid $25.00/month. Shibuya and a friend drove a motor vehicle through Little Tokyo (East 1st St.) to deliver the Rafu Shimpo.

In 1904, all three men entered the University of Southern California. Seijiro Shibuya graduated on June 21, 1906 from the School of Law. He was the first  Japanese to graduate USC. Illustration IV and V.

Illustration IV - University of Southern California – 1906 Law School Class

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Illustrations V - Seijiro Shibuya graduation day – June 21, 1906

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California On September 4, 1905, Shibuya married Souko Okamura in Tokyo. Shibuya and  Okamura first met in Tokyo and they were said to be sweethearts. She was the daughter of Shibuya’s friend’s relative. It was very rare in those days to have this kind of relationship.

Shibuya returns to Los Angeles with his wife, Souko, and brings back two sisters, Tatsu and Tama. There are many eligible Japanese bachelors at that time. Tatsu married Eikichi Inose (a restaurant owner), Tama married Dr. Asazo Nishikata (an American-born medical doctor at Rafu Byoin). Tatsu Shibuya Inose and her husband, Eikichi had a stillborn baby boy in 1906 and he is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California.

Souko Okamura was born in September of 1882. Her parents operated a private elementary school named Okamura Elementary School in Kyobashi, Tokyo. In 1902, Souko graduated from Ladies School of Art – Jyoshi Bijutsu Gakko. Today the name is JB Daigaku. (Daigaku means college)

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The family grew and the Shibuya family moved several times. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Seijiro started a strawberry farm in Burbank, California. He and Souko lived in Burbank in a farmhouse on the farm.

April 22, 1906 Kimiko was born at the farmhouse on the strawberry farm property in Burbank. Illustration VI

September 16, 1906 –Seijiro Shibuya’s house – between Burbank and Roscoe areas. This area was called “Japanese Village” at the time. It was Shibuya’s plan to bring a water-pump irrigation system to the farmers of this area. Over 10 horse drawn buggies of his friends came to help celebrate the implementation of this  project. They came all the way from Los Angeles to attend a picnic. They had sushi, ice cream, watermelon, sandwiches and beer. There was a target shooting contest and prizes were awarded. 1st prize – a turkey, 2nd prize – a duck, 3rd prize – a chicken and 4th prize – pigeons.

The project was not successful and Seijiro and his family moved back to the Los Angeles city area.

Illustration VI - Burbank, California farm

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September 24, 1908, Yoshiko was born at Amelia St. in Los Angeles near the old Japanese Hospital. Yoshiko’s birth certificate was signed by her uncle, Dr. Asazo Nishikata. July 3, 1910 Yaeko was born at the Prospect Ave. house in Hollywood, California. December 8, 1912, Chiyoko was born in the same Hollywood house. That Hollywood house still stood as of 1996 

During this time, Hollywood was a quaint, quiet town. Besides the Shibuya family, there was Masaharu Takagi, married to an Italian woman. Takagi was also from Niigata. The Shibuya family lived here and had very friendly German neighbors.

The Shibuya girls often played with Marjory and Helen, the daughters. Shibuya mowed the lawn and raised chickens. He had an incubator in the basement and raised chickens from egg to stove top.

Illustration VII – Hollywood home, Kimiko and Yoshiko with the chickens

Illustration VII - Hollywood home with chickens

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During this era, to get American citizenship was not a “noble” thing to do. It shows no loyalty to the home country. However, this is a moot-point because in 1906, no Asians were allowed to get U.S. citizenship – Japanese were considered second class citizens.

In 1908 Shibuya becomes chief editor of Rafu Mainichi (L.A. Daily) which was a 
rival of Rafu Shimpo. Rafu Mainichi’s president was Asazo Nishikata, Shibuya’s brother-in-law. Nishikata was a medical doctor having graduated from the University of Southern California medical school.

The Nishikata family eventually moved back to Japan. The Nishikata family next moved to Manchuria for Dr. Nishikata to either practice medicine and/or become president of Manshu-hou (Manchuria Inform – a newspaper).

In August 1909, City Market of Los Angeles was established to help the Asian farmers. This market was the largest scale market west of Chicago. Frank Simpson was chosen President as he was considered the “front man”. Seijiro Shibuya was the Secretary and Corporate Lawyer.

In 1910 the Niigata Kenjin Kai of So. CA was created. Seijiro Shibuya was the first president of this Kenjin Kai. It started with 36 members. Shibuya continued as president until 1915 when his illness (tuberculosis) became worse.

As the Japanese population increases in L.A., money becomes power and intelligence is no longer a factor. Shibuya has less money power, so he becomes more family oriented. He decided to devote more time to his family. 

Shibuya wanted to raise his family in “American” lifestyle – like no taking off shoes when entering a house. The daughters spoke Japanese at home but spoke English between sisters and friends. They called their parents “papa and mama”.

His idea was that his family was going to be staying in the United States and wanted to adhere to an American lifestyle. 

The family had birthdays for the girls and always had their names on a cake.Christmas gifts were always given to girls next to their pillow. The Hollywood 

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house had a chimney, so the girls believed that Santa would come at Christmas.

From the Hollywood home, the family would go to downtown LA to go Christmas shopping. Santa asked Yaeko, “What would you like for Christmas?” Her reply was, “I would like to have a piano”. Christmas day there was a toy piano next to  her pillow. She would play her toy piano and sing songs that she learned in kindergarten. Seijiro would say, “I really enjoy hearing her sing and play the piano”. Illustration VIII – Hollywood home with the entire family.

Illustration VIII - Hollywood home - From left Yaeko, Chiyoko, Kimiko, Souko, Yoshiko, Seijiro

In 1911, Inosuke Inose purchased the Rafu Shimpo and then Seijiro Shibuya became general manager of the Rafu Shimpo.

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In 1911, the Los Angeles Japanese School was established. Students learned basic Japanese. There were 133 students at the school. Shibuya did not send his daughters to this school. This shows his intention of staying in the U.S. and integrating with American friends. Hollywood was Shibuya’s choice because of the environment. Kimiko writes a memo: “Enjoyed Hollywood home – clean air, beautiful mountains, surroundings and quiet life” 

In 1915, Shibuya sent the family back to Japan because of his worsening illness. Illustration IX – the last picture taken as a family aboard the ship returning to Japan. Seijiro Shibuya remained in Los Angeles, California until his death.

Illustration IX - On the ship in 1915 – Souko Shibuya and daughters returned to Japan

On July 20, 1917, Seijiro Shibuya died in Los Angeles of tuberculosis at age 39 years. The Rafu Shimpo at that time had 3000 subscribers.

Mr. Onosumiyo brought Seijiro Shibuya’s ashes back to Japan from Los Angeles. 

He is buried at Chokoji Temple in Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan.

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Illustration X – Souko Shibuya in 1956

Souko Okamoto Shibuya died in 1957 at age 74 and is also buried at Chokoji

Temple. Illustration X Souko Shibuya