[1] Myrtle (1916-2011), Midi (1914-1936), and Mary (1912-1991) were the daughters of Issei Imahei Takaoka (a Christian minister and founder of the Hollywood Japanese Independent Church) and Kazuko Majime.
[2] The Taka Sisters became nationally recognized but after headlining Harry’s New York Cabaret between 1935-1936 their careers ended abruptly after Midi Takaoka was murdered in Los Angeles at her family home on August 11, 1936 by Raymond Johnson, a jilted lover.
[3][4] The night before Johnson murdered Takaoka, he had beaten and stabbed William J. Bachand with an ice pick, the other man involved in the love triangle.
[8] After returning to Los Angeles on August 10, Bachand testified that Johnson stabbed him five times with an ice pick that night and told him to leave Takaoka's house, where he was staying.
[7] During the grand jury hearing, Johnson's confession was read in which he stated he had obtained a butcher knife from his workplace, a restaurant, and sharpened it while praying for strength.
[15][16] After Executive Order 9066 was issued in 1942, Mary Takaoka[17] was sent to Jerome War Relocation Center while her sister Myrtle[18] and brother Hal spent time in Manzanar.