Topic 34: N. Y. K. San Francisco Branch Picnic (1930, at Rings Point)

On May 18, 1930, the NYK Line San Francisco Branch held its annual picnic. As in the previous year, it seems they went to Ring Point, across the bay from San Francisco. The day before the picnic, Mr. Ikoma, who had been transferred to the Los Angeles Branch, was in San Francisco and came to visit the Matsukuma family in Spruce. His daughters, Ayako and Yoko, had a wonderful time playing and apparently joined them on the picnic.

While the 1929 NYK Line picnic was a celebration of the 3rd anniversary of the branch’s opening and a farewell to Mr. Ikoma, who was being transferred to Los Angeles, the 1930 picnic also served as a farewell to Branch Manager Yamamoto Takeo.

In this article, I will introduce the group photo and snapshots from the picnic that remain in the Matsukuma family’s collection, and look back on the events of that time through articles from Japanese-language newspapers.

Transfers of NYK Branch Managers

Shin Sekai (San Francisco, CA), 1930.04.27 https://hojishinbun.hoover.org/?a=d&d=tnw19300427-01.1.1

Major Shuffle of NYK Branch Managers; Eleven Placed on Administrative Leave

Mr. Yamamoto (Port of San Francisco) Transferred to Hong Kong

[Tokyo, 26th] NYK Line carried out a major reshuffling of its staff yesterday, placing eleven employees — including those in London, New York, Seattle, Nagoya, and Moji — on administrative leave. The newly appointed branch managers are as follows:

New Post: Previous Post: Name London: Shanghai: Takeo Saito New York: London (Deputy Manager): Kazuo Takahashi Nagasaki: Shanghai (Deputy): Toshio Okuno Shanghai: Head Office: Kenkichi Fukai Nagoya: New York (Deputy): Yoshio Yabuki Hong Kong: San Francisco: Takeo Yamamoto San Francisco: Head Office: Seiichi Nakase Pompei: Nagasaki: Shohei Ogata Moji: Pompei: Masao Fujita Shanghai: Hong Kong: Shohei Kinosita

(Shin Sekai Shimbun, April 27, 1930)

In 1930, the branch manager positions at Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) were reshuffled. Among the announcements was the transfer of San Francisco branch manager Takeo Yamamoto to the Hong Kong branch. The branch assignments reveal the extensive network of NYK Line at that time.

The position of the San Francisco branch in 1930

Nichibei Shinbun (San Francisco, CA), 1930.04.29 https://hojishinbun.hoover.org/?a=d&d=jan19300429-01.1.3

Adding the Port of San Francisco to the Four Major Branches: A Hub for the U.S. NYK Line’s New Policy: Observations from the Displacement

NYK Line announced major personnel changes for branch managers and deputy managers at each branch ahead of its general meeting in May. At the San Francisco branch, Branch Manager Yamamoto was transferred to Hong Kong, and Head of the Head Office’s Furnishings Department Nakase was appointed as the San Francisco Branch Manager. However, a second round of personnel changes is expected to be announced in March, and further personnel changes are anticipated. In short, the results of this major personnel reshuffle at NYK Line indicate a significant shift in NYK Line’s policy toward the United States. Specifically, the newly appointed Mr. Nakase, who previously served as deputy chief of the Seattle branch, wielded real power at the branch when an American was appointed branch manager, and then moved to New York before becoming head of the furnishings department at headquarters. In terms of status, he is on par with the four major branches, Yokohama, Kobe, Shanghai, and London. The fact that he has been appointed as the new San Francisco branch manager means that the San Francisco branch will become one of the five major branches, with the San Francisco branch serving as the central hub for all of the United States across the Pacific Ocean. It seems that this was the result of an attempt to achieve great success, and especially as the Pacific era was about to begin with the commissioning of three excellent ships, San Francisco, the western gateway to the United States, was deemed to be of paramount importance in the future, leading to the appointment of a high-ranking official as the new branch manager.

(Nichibei Shimbun, April 29, 1930)

Until then, NYK Line’s four major branches were Yokohama (head office), Kobe, Shanghai, and London, but with the addition of the San Francisco branch, there were now five major branches. The article also reports that the company decided to prioritize activities in America and make great use of the Pacific routes.

Farewell Picnic for Branch Manager Yamamoto

Nichibei Shinbun (San Francisco, CA), 1930.05.10 https://hojishinbun.hoover.org/?a=d&d=jan19300510-01.1.3

Farewell Picnic for Branch Manager Yamamoto On the 18th at Ring Point The Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) has decided to hold a farewell picnic for Branch Manager Yamamoto, who will soon be returning to Japan, and a social gathering for all employees on the 18th Sunday. The location is Ring Point, across the bay. Fishing competitions, baseball, and various other competitions are planned for that day.

Nichibei Shimbun (Japan-US Newspaper), May 10, 1930

The date and location of the NYK Line’s picnic can be confirmed. It will be held on Sunday, May 18, 1930, at Ring Point, across from San Francisco.

Like the 1929 picnic, it will be held at Ring Point, the name of a cape that once existed on the Tiburon Peninsula in Marin County. It was located at the foot of Ring Mountain, a high point on the peninsula, and jutted out into San Francisco Bay.

Just like the previous year, they likely chartered a large bus, crossed San Francisco Bay by ferry, and headed to Ring Point from Sausalito Harbor.

The Matsukuma family still possesses snapshots showing them enjoying boating on the waters off Ring Point.

Mr. Matsukuma was rowing a boat with his children on board. Yoko, her younger sister Kyoko, and other children were also in the boat. Ring Point is a cape jutting out into San Francisco Bay, and the sea surface appears calm with almost no waves. It might be quite shallow. Was the person who took this photo on another boat?

Group photo

N. Y. K. Picnic at Rings Point, Calif. May 11th 1930. Photo by Harada Studio

The group photo is dated May 11, 1930, but newspaper articles and Yoko’s diary suggest the correct date was May 18th. The weather appears to have been fine, just like the previous year. The gentle hills of Ring Mountain are visible.

Sitting prominently in the center was Branch Manager Yamamoto, the guest of honor at this farewell gathering. Immediately to his right was Ms. Ikoma, who traveled from Los Angeles for the occasion. Members of the NYK table tennis team can also be seen.

And here were the members of the Matsukuma family. It seems Yoko’s mother was nowhere to be seen. She was probably staying home with newborn Ichiro. That’s right. The Matsukuma family’s third child, Yoko’s younger brother Ichiro, arrived on April 24th. This means Yoko’s mother moved while pregnant. It must have been very difficult. I think the day when we can introduce Ichiro in a Medium article isn’t far off.

Next to Yoko was Miss. Ikoma’s daughter, Ayako.

Comparing this to the 1929 group photo, the 1930 group photo seems to show a more harmonious mix of Japanese and Americans. In the next article, I’ll introduce the character of Branch Manager Takeo Yamamoto and the Americans who worked at NYK Line.

Yoko’s DIARY Sunday, May 18, 1930 “NYK Picnic”

It seems Ms. Ikoma only stayed in San Francisco for the weekend before returning to Los Angeles. You can feel the bond between her and Branch Manager Yamamoto, who served as deputy manager alongside him since the branch’s opening. I wonder if Yoko and Ayako Ikoma “danced around” at Spruce’s house and ran around at Ring Point too.

References:

[embed]Topic 12: NYK Line San Francisco branch 3rd Anniversary picnic ①To Ring Point Today we went on a picnic and had a race. (May 19, 1929)medium.com