<Begin Segment 79>

TY: [Jpn.] Well, I would like to ask you about the time you got your U.S. citizenship in 1954.

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Well, you took the test in Japanese, didn't you?

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

TY: [Jpn.] Where did you study for it?

MK: [Jpn. & Eng.] That one was, well, not at the immigration office. I think it was maybe the immigration office. They gonna go same place. Then, Japanese paper is a Japanese. Because we can't talk English you know, so Japanese special people, teach me, teach everybody. But still they can't talk to English, because answer... that's why some people, only Japanese way. Uh-huh. That's fine.

TY: [Jpn.] Then when you answer in Japanese...

MK: [Eng.] Oh, yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Did the examiner ask questions in Japanese?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah. I think a Japanese gave an okay. Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] And your husband took it together, didn't he?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Did your husband do it at the same time?

MK: [Jpn.] A black person?

TY: [Jpn.] No, your husband.

MK: [Eng.] Oh yeah. Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Naoe.

MK: [Jpn.] But at a different time.

TY: [Jpn.] I see.

MK: [Jpn.] The time was different. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Which of you took it first?

MK: [Jpn.] Me.

TY: [Jpn.] Why did you want to take it?

MK: [Eng.] Oh, because I got a property. That's why I want my property. That's not mine. That's somebody else name. That's not mine.

TY: [Jpn.] Mr. Araki's... Mr. Araki's son.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, that's why both want American citizen. Yeah. That's why.

TY: [Jpn.] Then in order to make the land you had owned, registered under your name?

MK: [Eng.] Yeah. It's only my... that's against law though. Yeah. People's name, you can't borrow America. That's why I don't want to talk though. That's worst. Yeah. Uh-huh. You can't.

TY: [Jpn.] Then after you obtained the citizenship, you could own it.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, yeah. Then change it to my Kurosu name.

TY: [Jpn.] From Araki name.

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

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah. Well, then, if you had had a chance to obtain it earlier, would you have done so?

MK: [Eng.] No. No chance.

TY: [Jpn.] If you could...

MK: [Eng.] No chance.

TY: [Jpn.] Because the law forbid you.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, no, no. Uh-huh. Only American-born. Mmm.

TY: [Jpn.] By the way, you received a notice that Japanese people can now obtain citizenship, didn't you?

MK: [Jpn.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] How did you find out?

MK: [Jpn.] Here?

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah. How you can obtain the U.S. citizenship.

MK: [Eng.] No, no. Because father here huh? Then, what do you say? They want kids come to America. Even some -- I don't know, somewhere I think -- no, I don't know too much that kind of stuff. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Well, then, how long did you study before you took the citizenship test?

MK: [Jpn.] Oh, three months. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Was it difficult?

MK: [Eng.] No. They give me easy one. Because, because Japanese that's why, uh-huh. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Then when you obtained the citizenship, the U.S. citizenship, you took an American name "Marian," didn't you?

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, you could. That time change if you want change your name to any way you want. Uh-huh.

TY: [Jpn.] Did you make "Marian" your first or middle name?

MK: [Jpn.] Oh, Asao?

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah, Marian.

MK: [Jpn.] Marian Asao Kurosu.

TY: [Jpn.] I see. Then Marian became your first name?

MK: [Eng.] Yeah. That's it. Because I live Ameri -- I live America so first name is American name. Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Why "Marian"?

MK: [Jpn.] What?

TY: [Jpn.] How did you decide on the name "Marian"?

MK: [Eng.] Oh, because -- because American people easy to understand American name. Not Japanese name. Asao nobody can understand. Right?

TY: [Jpn.] Then how did you choose that name "Marian"?

MK: [Eng.] Oh, because my husband likes that name. That's why I take it. Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] I see. Then you husband said this is a good name.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] By the way, your husband had the nickname "Roy" from before, didn't he?

MK: [Eng.] No, same way, Roy Naoe Kurosu. That time, same time they, he want Roy. That's Roy name. He likes. So, he, so he American name Roy, then Naoe Kurosu. And I am Marian Asao Kurosu. See?

TY: [Jpn.] Yeah.

MK: [Jpn.] So I made my Japanese name a middle name.

TY: [Jpn.] The bag you made at the camp already has the name "Roy" written.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Then was he using Roy as a nickname already in those days?

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] But then that became official, didn't it?

MK: [Eng.] Because, because I take before a go to camp. That's why I got my name, yeah. Before cam -- no, that's, that's a wrong way. But afterward, huh? Afterward camp. But still I made that in camp though. Why? Yeah, that's right.

TY: [Jpn.] So probably it was his nickname. Probably.

MK: [Eng.] Mmm, maybe so, huh.

TY: [Jpn.] And your citizenship...

MK: [Eng.] I can't understand why I use that name.

TY: [Jpn.] And so you obtained U.S. citizenship along with your husband in 1954...

MK: [Eng.] Yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] You became a citizen.

MK: [Eng.] Uh-huh, yeah.

TY: [Jpn.] Your children were by birth... because they were second generation...

MK: [Eng.] Oh, yeah, that's right.

TY: [Jpn.] They had it.

MK: [Eng.] Yeah, uh-huh.

<End Segment 79> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.