Historic Japanese American Farm to become Silicon Valley Housing

Japanese-Americans operating a spinach harvester while they wait for final evacuation orders.

Five days a week, I drove past the patch of land owned by the Sakauye family and worked by the Tsukuda family when going to work at my tech job. When I was doing that commute along Montague Expressway in 1990s, I wondered how that patch of farmland was still there despite amid all of the Silicon Valley tilt-ups around it.  Soon, it will no longer be there, as that farmland will be sold to become apartments.

When I read that story, I had mixed feelings.  Silicon Valley certainly needs more housing – high real estate prices and a large homeless problem confirm that. Still, I feel sad one of the last non-museum pieces of the agricultural history of the Santa Clara valley and the history of Japanese American farmers and agricultural workers in particular, would be gone.

The family business of the Japanese Americans I knew growing up in the Bay Area centered around agriculture – flowers in their case. There aren’t many Japanese American farmers left, although  I see some occasionally when I go to local Bay Area farmers markets.   Japanese American farmers were a major force in California agriculture before World WWII when they produced 70% of the state’s greenhouse flowers and 40% of vegetables.  Many lost their land during the internment.  The Sakaueye family managed to retain their land when a white neighbor held onto it.

San Jose’s city council has asked its park department whether it can somehow preserve the Sakauye’s farmhouse as a historical monument.  That doesn’t guarantee that it will be preserved. The developer had previously offered to put up some historical plaques about the life of Eiichi Sakauye.  Eiichi Sakauye was a prominent figure in the Japanese American community in the Santa Clara valley and donated the land that was to become the Japanese American Museum in San Jose Japantown. Interestingly enough, Sakauye’s children don’t think that the house is worth saving.

The Tsukudas will close down their operations and stand after the persimmon harvest in the fall.

(photo credit:  Lee Russell, public domain)