Kiki Hagimori and Dorothy Yoshida Nishimura ( c. 1951)
“There is always one memory of my mom doing
shibai that has always stuck with (me) …. There
was one scene where she turned into a devil, a
monster. It was literally just a mask. Ha-ha!
I was little and absolutely terrified!
I remember crying and crying, and my dad was
I remember crying and crying, and my dad was
beside himself trying to get me to calm down.
They performed that play more than once, and
I was terrified and cried each time thinking my
mom was going to stay that way.
I also remember all the makeup, wigs, costumes
I also remember all the makeup, wigs, costumes
and props. It was fascinating to watch my mom
and bachan (grandma) transform into these
completely different looking people.”
–Stacy (Yuasa) Nakata, granddaughter of Kiki Hagimori and daughter of Sharon Yuasa, shibai performers
–Stacy (Yuasa) Nakata, granddaughter of Kiki Hagimori and daughter of Sharon Yuasa, shibai performers
Courtesy of Seattle Betsuin Archives Collection