Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Marian Asao Kurosu Interview
Narrator: Marian Asao Kurosu
Interviewers: Alice Ito (primary), Tomoyo Yamada (secondary)
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: June 23 & 24, 2000
Densho ID: denshovh-kmarian-01-0061

<Begin Segment 61>

TY: [Jpn.] And by the way, the government sent you a questionnaire for which you had to answer "yes-yes" or "no-no."

MK: [Jpn.] That...

TY: [Jpn.] Whether you swear loyalty to the U.S. or not.

MK: [Jpn.] Loyalty to the U.S.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes. Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. Everybody was loyal to the U.S.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Right.

TY: [Jpn.] So in your family, your husband and you had to fill in the form, didn't you?

MK: [Jpn.] At that time?

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] So both of you...

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. Of course.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes, yes.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, yeah, that's right. Uh-huh. Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Did you hesitate or decide right away?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. But there was nothing to hesitate about. I...

TY: [Jpn.] Why did you answer "yes-yes"?

MK: [Jpn.] What?

TY: [Jpn.] Why did you choose "yes-yes" as an answer?

MK: [Jpn.] It's because it was, yes. That's why we said "yes-yes".

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] It's just because... that's why we said, "Yes."

TY: [Jpn.] Loyal to the U.S...

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

TY: [Jpn.] Was it because you planned to stay?

MK: [Jpn.] First of all, we had many children. They were all born in the U.S.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes. Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] Then you have no problem. You know.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. Of course, the U.S.

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Then how about Hideo?

[Interruption]

MK: [Jpn.] Uh-huh. We asked him to return here even just for a short while, but he wouldn't listen. No matter what we said...

TY: [Jpn.] Because he grew up in Japan.

MK: [Jpn.] He wanted to go back no matter what. Yeah. He wanted to be with his Mom. It's best for him. He hadn't seen him for four years.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] He missed her.

TY: [Jpn.] Besides he was raised with love.

MK: [Jpn.] That's right. Uh-huh. See? He planned to visit us just for a short while and then return to her mother. But he couldn't do it. It must have been difficult for him to wait for four years.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] I don't really know it, but...

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] It must have seemed a very long time for him. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] And then at Tule Lake, after filling in the questionnaire of "yes-yes" and "no-no", because the second generation people had U.S. citizenship...

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] They volunteered to join the service, didn't they?

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Did you know any of those people personally?

MK: [Jpn.] Well, let me see. Not many... oh... there were those at that time.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] But they had jobs at that time.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] Even young people worked at various jobs at the kitchen and also at the hospital. There were many jobs in various places.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] So they had jobs. Yeah. Although the pay was very little, they worked.

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] So, fathers... no, did you know any family whose children joined the Army?

MK: [Jpn.] Where?

TY: [Jpn.] The second generation people volunteered for the Army...

MK: [Jpn.] The second generation?

TY: [Jpn.] Yes. They volunteered, didn't they?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] For the American armed services.

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

TY: [Jpn.] Do you know any family?

MK: [Jpn.] No, I don't know very much.

TY: [Jpn.] Then, do you have any acquaintances who did that?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. Well, my husband would have known such things very well. He worked there and so he knew everybody...

TY: [Jpn.] Oh, that's right.

MK: [Jpn.] He recognized everybody. I was just a housewife. I just went to a lesson.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] And come home to stay with my children.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] Besides, even when I go out, I just visit my friends a little bit. I didn't get involved with very many things. Some people made flowers with paper.

TY: [Jpn.] Yes.

MK: [Jpn.] There was such a teacher from California.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. Some people went to that teacher to learn.

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh.

<End Segment 61> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.