<Begin Segment 35>

TY: [Jpn.] Well, your first daughter Lillian was born in May 1932 and your first son Roy was born in April 1933...

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Then three, no, two years later in March 1935. All were born in spring.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Betty was born.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. That's right.

TY: [Jpn.] All of them have English first names, don't they?

MK: [Jpn.] Well, they have two names.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] A Japanese name and an English name.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah, we gave two names.

TY: [Jpn.] Oh, they...

AI: [Eng.] What, what are they?

TY: [Jpn.] Will you tell us their Japanese names?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. Setsuko Lillian.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] Then, Betty, oh, Yoriko.

TY: [Jpn.] Yoriko?

MK: [Jpn.] Then...

TY: [Jpn.] How about Roy?

MK: [Jpn.] Who?

TY: [Jpn.] Roy.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. Roy doesn't have one. His name is Roy. Why didn't we give him two names? He is the only one.

TY: [Jpn.] For no special reason.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah, He is the only one who doesn't have two. That's better. It's simpler.

TY: [Jpn.] Then all of your children have English first names and Japanese middle names.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. That's right.

TY: [Jpn.] Why did you give English first names? It varies among the Japanese immigrants. Some gave their children Japanese first names, making full Japanese names.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] They were born here.

MK: [Jpn.] Younger ones all have both names.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] By the way, how did you choose those names, Roy and Betty?

MK: [Jpn.] My husband named them.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Did he choose?

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] You had no objection?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. That's right. No. I had no objection. [Laughs]

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Then how about Japanese names? Did you choose them together or did your husband choose?

MK: [Jpn.] No. My husband named them with the names he liked.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh. Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Then, did you use their English names both at home and outside?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Did your children?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. It was better to have both in those days.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] But some of the first generation Japanese gave only Japanese names to their children.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. That's right. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] But you and your husband gave English names to all of your children.

MK: [Jpn.] Most of Japanese gave English names, I think.

TY: [Jpn.] Probably so. Quite a few. Others have English nicknames.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes, there are those.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

<End Segment 35> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.