From Claude Morita on Donna Tamaki's translation of the family tree:
A narrative of the Terada part of the family tree will have to suffice for now since I don't have a scanner. The Terada Family lineage is important for understanding all our paternal grandfather's relationships as the late Mrs. Shizuko Komano Hachiya (Homer's mother) pointed out to Donna Tamaki (nee Kaneko). Obviously, Mrs. Hachiya spent a great deal of time writing out the document and explaining it to Donna because it is detailed in a way that only someone close to Murasaki Shikubu would have been able to provide details of a bygone court life.
This may be affirmed or altered when Fumiko Terada (nee Morita) translates the Morita lineage from the formally written document that she has and is undertaking. Fumiko has personal experiences and observations that will alter this basic narrative, I'm sure. There probably will be some modifications when Homer (and Frances) Hachiya comes on-line with his own documentation.
Interestingly, I can now make a connection between war hero, Frank Hachiya, the Forty Seven Ronin, and their celebrated incident of 31 January 1703 as well as what will come out of the Fujiwara lineage.
Mrs. Hachiya's maiden name was Komano Yasuhara (Fumiko and I remember her also being called Shizu for Shizuko), one of three sisters. Her two sisters were Yoshie and Tamae. Yoshie died when 17 years old. Tamae had six children and carried on the Yasuhara family name. Komano married Junkichi Hachiya (died at the age of 76) and had two sons, Frank and Homer.
Mrs. Hachiya's parents were Yasu Yasuhara nee Terada (mother) and Genzo Kaihara, a master carpenter specializing in palace and shrine buildings. Mrs. Hachiya remembered her father as stern, but kind and helpful to others. Genzo died at the age of 71 years.
Mrs. Hachiya's mother, Yasu, dob: 1865, died: 11Aug1939, was the oldest of the Terada siblings, numbering a total of five, three younger brothers (including Kashichi Morita, nee Terada) and a younger sister. The brothers were, oldest to youngest, Jitsuzo, dob: 15Feb1867, died: 06Jun1927; Kashichi, Fumiko says the preferred pronunciation even though the kanji can be read Kahichi, dob: 10Oct1873; and Masaji, dob: 22Jul1877; died: 25Nov1957. Her younger sister, Nao, was born on 07May1875; died: 11Jan1969. From having met three of them, I can see the strong resemblance between Mrs. Hachiya, Frank, Mototsugu, Great Uncle Masaji, Great Aunt Nao and Kashichi. (For some reason, I remember Frank having big feet, size 13s. Rodney also has size 13s. Maybe samurai had to have their feet firmly planted on the ground for advantage.) In plain terms, Shizu Hachiya (nee Yasuhara-Kaihara) was Mototsugu Morita's first cousin.
Yasu Yasuhara (nee Terada-Kaihara) was quite a lady. She assumed motherly responsibilities for the Terada family when her mother, Shio Yasuhara (in the modern sense she would have been Shio Yasuhara-Terada), died on 07Jul1880.
Yasu was only 14 years old. Shizu Hachiya remembered her as loving mother who was supportive of everyone around her. She found employment in the estate of the Ikeda Daimyo of Okayama (Bizen and Bitchu provinces in ancient times), a prestigious appointment no matter what the calling. Although the Ikeda Daimyo held sway and gained prominence during Tokugawa times (1600-1868), modern Okayama pays much homage and respect to the Ikeda family. Yasu was a believer, and likely a leader, of the Konkokyo, a syncretist Shinto sect, founded by Kawate Bunjiro (1814-1883) in Bitchu Province. This explains the reason why Kashichi and Seki Morita were followers of Konkokyo in Portland as well as in Okayama. This belief did not interfere with the fact that the Morita Family has traditionally been Zen Buddhists.
Jitsuzo Terada, the oldest son, was Sei's father and the entrepreneur in the Terada family. He had one of the largest textile factories in Osaka at which Mototsugu spent some time visiting and studying. Jitsuzo was contemporaneous with the founder of the Toyota Motor Company, Toyoda Sakichi (1867-1930). Since they did similar textile work, it is likely that they knew each other.
Paternal great-grandfather (husband of Shio Yasuhara), Rihei Terada (nee Suzuki), dob: 11Jan1841, died: 07Jun1904), was himself adopted as heir by Seikichi Terada, a member of the Ako hatamoto (bannermen, literally) or direct samurai retainers of the Tokugawa Shogunate. They occupied positions analogous to the officer corps of a standing army or the bureaucracy of a central government.The Forty Seven Ronin were from the Ako clan.
I don't remember if there is a Terada at Sengakuji (temple) in Shinagawa or not. Japanese pay homage to the Forty Seven Ronin all the time, especially in December. In an interesting sidelight, the late Rep. Sidney Yates, Mrs. Yates, Dina and I paid a late night visit to Sengakuji in the 1950's or 1960's because he wanted to do so. It was closed (late at night), but I learned of Mr. Yates' knowledge of Japanese history and traditions-more so than a lot of JACL guys who used to buddy up to him. He commented that it was important for Japanese culture and traditions to be honored.
There's still a lot more to be explained, just on the Terada Tree