Interviews

1. Coming to America (Japanese)

2. First work in America (Japanese)

3. Bad business deal (Japanese)

4. Japan vs. the United States (Japanese)

5. Company in Tokyo burned down (Japanese)

6. Match-making (Japanese)

7. Two race horses (Japanese)

8. Buying violin (Japanese)

Kazuo Funai

(1900-2005) Issei businessman

Two race horses (Japanese)

(Japanese) I had two race horses at Santa Anita. That was when I was 39—37, 38, 39. They raced at Santa Anita and at Pomona. When I had gone home to Japan, they won two times. I had asked a guy named Noda [?] to watch them for me. While I was in Japan, he sold the horse equipment and the horse—everything. The two of them--he and the trainer split the money and ran off somewhere.

contests horse racing racehorses racing sports

Date: October 14 & 17, 2004

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Eriko Yamamoto

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum.

Interviewee Bio

Kazuo Funai, 104-year-old pioneer Issei from Wakayama Prefecture in Japan, owned and operated a market on Central Avenue in Los Angeles. In 1941, prior to the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Funai had made arrangements to move to Tokyo to set up a business enterprise. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he was unable to travel to Japan and was financially ruined. In addition, he and his family were incarcerated in an American concentration camp. He survived these obstacles to later start several successful businesses.

Mr. Funai passed away on Thursday, March 3, 2005 at the age of 105. (August 16, 2005)