James M. Imahara, by Diane Toale
James Masaru Imahara was born on Sept 4, 1903, in Watsonville, California, a son of immigrants from Hiroshima, Japan. At age 20, Pop bought 60 acres of farmland for the family in the outskirts of Sacramento, where they raised strawberries, grapes, and an orchard of fruit trees.
Pop married Haruka Sunada in 1927 and they began their long, productive life together. Starting a few years before the war, they also raised poultry for meat and egg production until Dec. 7, 1941. The onset of World War II brought total disruption to the life of Pop and Mom, who at the time were raising a growing family of seven children. In spite of the turmoil, not only in their life, but in the life of all the Issei, Pop, being bilingual, helped the Japanese immigrants who couldn’t speak or write English as he was among the oldest of the Nisei.
From May 1942 to 1945, the Imahara family was relocated to the internment camp at the Fresno Assembly Center in California, and then to camps in Jerome and Rohwer, Arkansas. After the war, Pop moved his family of ten to Louisiana to start a new life. “In those years,” he said, “I crawled and I cried…those days in New Orleans were rough, rough.”
With endurance and a never-give-up attitude, Pop and Mom worked very hard to provide for their growing family of 9 children. He founded his own landscape company in Baton Rouge, along with a greenhouse nursery and sod farm. He liked to say he started “with a shovel,” but with hard work and tremendous expertise, Imahara’s became a real success story, a million-dollar business which would become the leader in Baton Rouge’s largest corporate landscape accounts. Working with his son Walter and daughter May, they built the business to one that continues to this day, now owned by his granddaughter, Wanda Chase. Higher education for his children was always his priority and motivation, and despite the struggles and the hard times, all nine of his children received Louisiana college degrees.
In the year of Showa (1977), Pop was honored when he received the Fifth Class of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, conferred upon him by His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan, for his help with the Issei prior to being sent to the relocation camps.
At the age of 79 (1982), he wrote a book, James Imahara – Son of Immigrants, the story of his life. The book characterizes his never give-up attitude which brought he and Mom a vision of giving each of their children higher education and a better life. Indeed, he was a man of determination, endurance, courage, patience and love.
After 45 years of being in Louisiana, and the passing of Mom in 1990, Pop moved back to California with an invitation from his son-in-law, Ralph, and daughter Flora. This was his heart’s desire and proved to be a blessed time for him.
After his retirement, Pop pursued his favorite hobby of Japanese calligraphy wood carving with his chisel and mallet. His greatest pleasure was sharing hundreds and hundreds of his wood carvings as gifts to friends and family.
In the Plum stage of his life (Bai-Ume, the final years) at the age of 96, James received the best gift of his life from God, when he accepted Jesus Christ in his heart as his Lord and Savior and had the peaceful assurance that he would have eternal life in heaven with Mom and his loved ones.
James Masaru Imahara passed peacefully from this life into the presence of his Lord Jesus Christ on April 24, 2000. He was truly a blessed man who had a grateful heart and a non-complaining spirit. His heart was full of love for each of his 10 beloved children, 19 grandchildren, and 16 great grandchildren.
We’ll miss you Pop and we’ll remember you forever.
James M. Imahara, by Diane Toale
James Masaru Imahara was born on Sept 4, 1903, in Watsonville, California, a son of immigrants from Hiroshima, Japan. At age 20, Pop bought 60 acres of farmland for the family in the outskirts of Sacramento, where they raised strawberries, grapes, and an orchard of fruit trees.
Pop married Haruka Sunada in 1927 and they began their long, productive life together. Starting a few years before the war, they also raised poultry for meat and egg production until Dec. 7, 1941. The onset of World War II brought total disruption to the life of Pop and Mom, who at the time were raising a growing family of seven children. In spite of the turmoil, not only in their life, but in the life of all the Issei, Pop, being bilingual, helped the Japanese immigrants who couldn’t speak or write English as he was among the oldest of the Nisei.
From May 1942 to 1945, the Imahara family was relocated to the internment camp at the Fresno Assembly Center in California, and then to camps in Jerome and Rohwer, Arkansas. After the war, Pop moved his family of ten to Louisiana to start a new life. “In those years,” he said, “I crawled and I cried…those days in New Orleans were rough, rough.”
With endurance and a never-give-up attitude, Pop and Mom worked very hard to provide for their growing family of 9 children. He founded his own landscape company in Baton Rouge, along with a greenhouse nursery and sod farm. He liked to say he started “with a shovel,” but with hard work and tremendous expertise, Imahara’s became a real success story, a million-dollar business which would become the leader in Baton Rouge’s largest corporate landscape accounts. Working with his son Walter and daughter May, they built the business to one that continues to this day, now owned by his granddaughter, Wanda Chase. Higher education for his children was always his priority and motivation, and despite the struggles and the hard times, all nine of his children received Louisiana college degrees.
In the year of Showa (1977), Pop was honored when he received the Fifth Class of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, conferred upon him by His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan, for his help with the Issei prior to being sent to the relocation camps.
At the age of 79 (1982), he wrote a book, James Imahara – Son of Immigrants, the story of his life. The book characterizes his never give-up attitude which brought he and Mom a vision of giving each of their children higher education and a better life. Indeed, he was a man of determination, endurance, courage, patience and love.
After 45 years of being in Louisiana, and the passing of Mom in 1990, Pop moved back to California with an invitation from his son-in-law, Ralph, and daughter Flora. This was his heart’s desire and proved to be a blessed time for him.
After his retirement, Pop pursued his favorite hobby of Japanese calligraphy wood carving with his chisel and mallet. His greatest pleasure was sharing hundreds and hundreds of his wood carvings as gifts to friends and family.
In the Plum stage of his life (Bai-Ume, the final years) at the age of 96, James received the best gift of his life from God, when he accepted Jesus Christ in his heart as his Lord and Savior and had the peaceful assurance that he would have eternal life in heaven with Mom and his loved ones.
James Masaru Imahara passed peacefully from this life into the presence of his Lord Jesus Christ on April 24, 2000. He was truly a blessed man who had a grateful heart and a non-complaining spirit. His heart was full of love for each of his 10 beloved children, 19 grandchildren, and 16 great grandchildren.
We’ll miss you Pop and we’ll remember you forever.