was a Japanese-born American businessman who founded
Uwajimaya
Uwajimaya, Inc., doing business as , is a family-owned supermarket chain with its corporate headquarters in the International District, Seattle, Washington, and with locations in Greater Seattle and Oregon. Uwajimaya sells mainly Asian food—wi ...
in 1928.
Biography
Moriguchi was born to a family of growers of
mikan
''Citrus unshiu'' is a semi-seedless and easy-peeling citrus species, also known as miyagawa mandarin, unshu mikan, cold hardy mandarin, satsuma mandarin, satsuma orange, naartjie, and tangerine. ''Citrus unshiu'' was named after Unshu (Wenzho ...
growers in
Yawatahama
is a city located in of Ehime Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 31,385 in 15638 households and a population density of 240 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Yawatahama is located in the wes ...
in 1898, the oldest of the children of Kenshichi Moriguchi and his wife Suwa. Upon graduating from middle school, he started working in neighboring
Uwajima
270px, Uwajma City Hall
270px, Aerial view of Uwajma city center
270px, Japan National Route 320 in Uwajma city center
is a city located in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 70,440 in 35429 households and a ...
. After several years studying food processing in Uwajima, he emigrated to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1923.
Having settled in
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...
, Moriguchi worked by farming and then at a restaurant before moving to Main Fish Company in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
where he met Shozo Tsutakawa, father of
George Tsutakawa
George Tsutakawa (February 22, 1910 – December 18, 1997) was an American painter and sculptor best known for his avant-garde bronze fountain designs.
Born in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, he was raised in both the United States ...
. He soon left Main Fish to found
Uwajimaya
Uwajimaya, Inc., doing business as , is a family-owned supermarket chain with its corporate headquarters in the International District, Seattle, Washington, and with locations in Greater Seattle and Oregon. Uwajimaya sells mainly Asian food—wi ...
, which he named for Uwajima, in Tacoma. At first, he sold homemade
fishcake
A fishcake (sometimes written as fish cake) is a culinary dish consisting of filleted fish or other seafood minced or ground, mixed with a starchy ingredient, and fried until golden.
Asian-style fishcakes usually contain fish with salt, water, ...
s and various cuisines regarding seafood to several
Japanese Americans
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
from the back of his truck.
Moriguchi's efforts caught the attention of Tsutakawa, who saw Moriguchi as a match for his daughter
Sadako
Sadako is a Japanese name, commonly used for women. Sadako is also a film. The same name can be written with a variety of kanji, and the meanings of the name differ accordingly:
*, "chaste child"; the same characters can also be read as a Korean fe ...
. According to family tradition, it was Tsutakawa who arranged the marriage between his daughter and Moriguchi. After being in a relationship for two years, they married in 1932.
In 1942, after the
attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...
and signing of
Executive Order 9066
Executive Order 9066 was a United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. This order authorized the secretary of war to prescribe certain ...
, the Moriguchis were moved to
Pinedale, California
Pinedale is a previously unincorporated community in Fresno County, California. It lies at an elevation of 348 feet (106 m). It was once a rural community located on the Southern Pacific Railroad north-northwest of Clovis but has since become su ...
, where their daughter was born, and then to
Tule Lake
Tule Lake ( ) is an intermittent lake covering an area of , long and across, in northeastern Siskiyou County and northwestern Modoc County in California, along the border with Oregon.
Geography
Tule Lake is fed by the Lost River. The elevat ...
, where the other two children were born. After the war, the family moved to Seattle. There, Moriguchi, with the money he borrowed from friends and former customers of Uwajimaya, bought a small building on South Main Street in Seattle's
Japantown
is a common name for Japanese communities in cities and towns outside Japan. Alternatively, a Japantown may be called J-town, Little Tokyo or , the first two being common names for Japantown, San Francisco, Japantown, San Jose and Little To ...
where he re-established his business in 1946. In 1962, Uwajimaya made exhibitions by opening their own gift shop at the
Century 21 Exposition
The Century 21 Exposition (also known as the Seattle World's Fair) was a world's fair held April 21, 1962, to October 21, 1962, in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States.Tomio, Akira, and Toshikatsu.