Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Bill Nishimura Interview
Narrator: Bill Nishimura
Interviewer: Alice Ito
Location: Klamath Falls, Oregon
Date: July 2, 2000
Densho ID: denshovh-nbill-01-0001

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AI: Well, we'll get started here. And it's July 2, 2000. We're here at Klamath Falls, Oregon, with Bill Nishimura. I'm Alice Ito for the Densho Project, and videography, Steve Hamada and Ken Silverman. Thank you very much, Mr. Nishimura.

BN: You're welcome.

AI: And I wanted to start at the beginning and ask you when and where you were born.

BN: Well, I was born in Compton, California, and in 1920 -- June 21st of 1920. Yes.

AI: And where did you grow up?

BN: Well, I grew up mostly in this area. Well, my dad had a farm, so he moved, from Compton, he moved to El Segundo -- (south) of the Los Angeles International Airport -- and raised strawberries there. And then, oh, I think it was in 1929, he moved to Lawndale, there he start raising cauliflowers, green onions and dry onions, cabbages, lettuce, cucumbers, and we had some boysenberries. That was about it with our truck farming.

AI: Can you tell me your father's name and your mother's name?

BN: Was Tomio and Sada.

AI: And where did they come from in Japan?

BN: Oh, they come from Iwakuni, Japan. Iwakuni, Yamaguchi-ken.

AI: Can you tell me a little bit about your father and how it was that he came to America?

BN: Well, first, my dad came, landed in Seattle, and then he sort of moved down to southern California. And he was operating a pig farm in Riverside County. And he was, he told me that he was getting the garbage from the Los Angeles area. And then, I don't know how many years later, but he went to Japan to marry Sada Ito. And then he, I believe he sold his pig farm to somebody, and then he started anew as a farm on Palos Verdes Hills, as a dry farmer, dry-land farmer. Now, I don't know what he raised there, but after that, he moved to Compton. And there, well, first, my sister was born in the mountains, the Palos Verdes Hill, yes. And then moved to Compton -- and I was born there -- and then later on to El Segundo and later to Lawndale. And there, we, the war started, so we had to evacuate.

AI: Well, let's back up a little bit. Can you tell me a little bit about your high school days?

BN: High school days? I attended Leuzinger High School and graduated in 1939. And after that, I did not have any formal education. I did attend Japanese school. While I was in grammar school I used to attend every day. And then, during high school I attended Saturday schools.

AI: And in our earlier conversation, you were telling me that your father was very active in community activities.

BN: Yes, he was. He was involved with this Japanese, Gardena Valley Japanese Association. And this association had only one hired hand, and he was, he had to be a bilingual and took care of the, as a secretary-treasurer. And this association had a wide area, like covering Hawthorne, Torrance, and Narbonne and Dominguez Hills, and all of Compton, all those areas. And the Japanese, this association was very important to these Isseis, because Isseis spoke little or no English and they immigrated to U.S. at an early age, so they really didn't have a formal Japanese education either. So whenever a problem grew, comes up, they would come to the association and have it settled. So to me, I thought it was a very important organization. And once the war starts, this type of -- excuse me, I would like to go back a little bit.

AI: That's fine.

BN: This organization also entertained dignitaries from Japan. And then, like tankers docking periodically, the crews were entertained. And then every four years, the training ship would come, and they would entertain those midshipmens, too. And it was considered within the constitutional rights that nothing illegal was done. And once the war started, all these activities becomes subversive activity. So I feel my dad was interned because of this. He was interned at CC camp in Tujunga Canyon. That is a Civilian Conservation Corps camp.

<End Segment 1> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.