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From Returned Missionaries

George McCune's Tribute to Tatsui Sato

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A Tribute To

BROTHER TATSUI SATO

 Part II

Nippon Metal Industry Company Researcher.

Professor Sato continued in this research until November 1935 when he was sent by the Japanese Government to become chief of the Research Department of the Nippon Metal Industry Company located in Kawasaki near Tokyo. This position necessitated a move to Yokohama from which Brother Sato took daily trains of 1.5 to 2 hours one way to and from his work. The company produced stainless steel exhaust pipe for Japanese aircraft. It is interesting that Tatsui and his family lived 10 years in Yokohama, the same city where future LDS prophet Heber J. Grant had dedicated Japan for the preaching of the gospel as a young LDS apostle on September 1, 1901. 

On April 9, 1939, Brother Saw and his wife Chiyo were blessed with their first and only son, Yasuo. This son took a liking to trains as much as Tatsui and later entered a lifetime profession working for the Japan National Railroad. Two years later, they were blessed with a daughter named Atsuko, but tragedy struck the family when she died of malnutrition and dysentery following the war. Just a. little medicine, if it had been available, would have saved her. 

When America entered World War II, Tatsui vividly remembers the day in August 1942 when the first air strike of the Tokyo area by American bombers took place. He recalls looking out the window of his factory office towards the adjacent ocean and suddenly a bomb exploded in the air over the ocean. Another hit in the middle of a road and later Tatsui examined the crater left in the aftermath. But Tatsui remained employed in this factory until the end of the war when on August 31, 1945, he resigned, `Two days later, Japan formally signed its unconditional surrender of August 15. 

Return to Narumi 

Japan was devastated, especially the Tokyo area. Food was scarce and people were starving. Rationing of food had been implemented. He and his family returned to his hometown of Narumi and began to sell miso (bean curd) and shoyu (soy sauce) on the yamiya (black market). Acquaintances in the rural area of Narumi still were able to produce abundant quantities of these important Japanese food staples. 

While engaged in this work, local kimono merchants also looked up their long time acquaintance and asked him to help them barter with the newly arrived American Military Occupation Forces obtaining US military C Rations the GI’s all had hung in pouches on their uniforms in exchange for kimonos. Kimonos were in high demand by the American Servicemen as souvenirs. They were beautiful silk robes worn by Japanese women. This was a thriving trade.

The “Top Brass” Mormon 

Brother Sato remembers many a time acting as the go-between in the trading operation around the US Replacement Depot near Narumi. Most of the time “top brass” drove US jeeps. 

One time a jeep pulled up and an older man got out. He extended his hand to Tatsui and after introductions said, “I am a Mormon,” Unfortunately his name is not known but he played a significant part in preparing Tatsui for the gospel message just by that short plain phrase, “I am a Mormon,” 

Tatsui recalled in the back of his mind some articles he had read in the Asahi newspaper about a group called Mormons, One was adverse about polygamy and the other was favorable about a large spacious building they had built in Western America. These articles—one favorable and one unfavorable—confused him. He also recalled a Narumi town drunk who had told Tatsui about meeting a Mormon elder named Heber J. Grant many years back who did not drink coffee, tea or alcohol, nor smoke. Tatsui asked the soldier about the spacious building and was told it was a “temple.” This meeting with a “Mormon” was to remain in Brother Sato’s mind for future events. 

The Two American Soldiers 

Then on the evening of Thursday, November 15, 1945 about 7 P.M., two American soldiers were seen by Brother Sato walking west on the main street in Narrumi. Brother Sato remembered seeing one of them before when interpreting at a silk shop in the bartering trade. He said to them in English, “Good evening,” and the one soldier remembered Tatsui and introduced his friend as “Mr. Mel” and said Tatsui might call him “Ray.” This was Raymond Hanks and Mel Arnold.

During their conversation, Tatsui told the two soldiers he was a Christian and belonged to the Methodist Church. At this, they were very pleased and shook his hand warmly and said they were “Mormons,” They were on their way to visit a friend, Mr. Miyata, now living in Narumi, who had lived in the States several years. Brother Sato went to the Miyata home entrance with them and then excused himself and departed but asked them to come back and see him again. The soldiers said they would in about a week. 

Brother Hanks went back to his base and told his good friend Reed Davis he had met “this wonderful Japanese man” and asked Brother Davis to go with him the next week to visit Mr. Sato again. 

One week later on Thursday, November 22, Ray Hanks, Mel Arnold and Reed Davis walked for about four hours to Narumi. As they crossed over the Narumi north bridge, they came into what seemed a town square. Brother Sato was in his traditional yukata (male equivalent. Of the female kimono) waiting to greet them. Brother Davis was so pleased to meet a local Japanese who could speak English. After finishing speaking to some Japanese, Brother Sato asked the three soldiers to go with him into a little tea house to the side of the square. He invited them to come nearer the hibachi (charcoal stove) to warm their hands. Those in the tea house were surprised to see Americans in the shop but soon became friendly. 

Brother Davis recalls Tatsui Sato wanted to be hospitable and first offered the soldiers some coffee. They replied, “Well, we just don’t drink coffee.” Next Brother Sato said, “Well, would you like to smoke some very poor Japanese tobacco’?” The soldiers once again declined saying they did not smoke. Lastly, Brother Sato said, “Well, I know. I have some very fine Japanese tea.” Surprisingly, the soldiers said no to that. Then Brother Sato looked up and said, “You must be Mormons.” They said they were and then Brother Sato told them the story of the old drunk in town who had told about meeting Heber J. Grant. Then he said, “Oh, I want you to come and meet my wife and to let her know about Mormons.” 

So he took the guests and walked around the rice patties and narrow paths to Mr. Sato’s home where they were introduced to his wife Chiyo. “We sat around the little hibachi and the little table there. Ray started out explaining the Church. Then he would ask me to tell them some things,” Reed Davis says. This was the beginning of a six month study of the doctrines of the restored gospel by Tatsui Sato and his wife and son. 

Brother Davis said, “Brother Sato was his own teacher. We didn’t have to do much talking. We started out once a week mostly walking to his home from Okazaki. We would tell him what to read. He would have everything read by the time we returned and have lots of questions. He would always have four or five pages of legal sized sheets filled out with questions for us to answer. He understood English very well.” 

The meetings were gradually increased to twice a week. Brother Sato seemed to treat his wife much differently than most Japanese men. He treated her more like Western culture. Reed Davis was impressed with that. Sometimes Brother Sato also would bring people in the community to the meetings. He was sort of like the community advisor. Sometimes there were so many who came, they would have to look through the windows from the outside. One night, Brother Sato also brought his professor friends from a local university. He wanted them to listen, too. 

At these meetings at Brother and Sister Sato’s home, the three Sato’s were introduced to Joseph Smith, Jr. and the Book of Mormon. When the Book of Mormon was presented to them, Reed Davis got up in a mikan (tangerine) tree and took a picture of the historic moment. Brother Sato also had such a. friendship with the local train workers that even though the soldiers walked most of the time from Okazaki to Narumi, the train would wait for the LDS servicemen and take them clear to Okazaki after the gospel meetings. They also would clean the train out. Brother Davis says, “You would think we were the Lord himself the way they treated us.”