The collection documents personal and business records of Ishibashi family, one of the pioneer Japanese farmers on the coastline of Palos Verdes Peninsula, California. The Ishibashi’s is a three-generation produce farmer, started approximately in 1910 and closed in 2012.

Kumekichi Ishibashi was born in Hidaka, Wakayama in Japan in 1874 and came to the U.S. for the purpose of dekasegi (labor abroad) in 1899 when he was 26 years old. Kumeichi started farming in the Portuguese Bend in Rancho Palos Verdes, near San Pedro in 1906. In 1910, along with C. Hayashi and K. Ozaki, Kumeichi started leasing a 50-acre land parcel from the Palos Verdes Company, at a rental of $6 per acre for one year. Kumekichi married Take Hanaoka who was also from Hidaka, Wakayama in 1911 in San Francisco. Kumekichi and Take had five children, Masaichi, George, Yasuko, Kay and Akira. Take died in 1928. The eldest son Masaichi took over the business and worked with Kumekichi. Masaichi married Miye (May) Washimura from San Jose in 1937. Miye’s father Kumataro was a fish merchant. After World War II broke out, the company from which their land was leased ordered them off of the property.

3 boxes,plus oversized materials [1.5 linear ft]

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

There are no access restrictions on this collection.