<Begin Segment 20>

AI: Well, when was it that you found out that you all would have to be leaving Seattle? When did you find out about that? You were still in school, and...

MK: In school, and then, evacuation, I don't even know the exact date, but it wasn't more than a week. We knew the evacuation was gonna happen and so, in different areas, were, had different dates. And so, we had to thin out what belongings and turn it into cash, because, as I remember, we, my mom didn't even have a checking account. So, I remember my piano, my mahogany piano, it was beautiful, never played well, but anyway, when you know that you're gonna lose it, you know, it was kind of sad. But an Italian neighbor down the block bought it for fifteen dollars, and to avoid the curb, well, she, they had to push it along on the street. And there it went. And my mom and dad had a lot of dishes; they were actually sashimi dishes with the shoyu, little extra dish -- nobody really wanted them because for the American dishes, it just didn't fit in. But my folks had some nice things. But we just had to leave it. What we could sell, we sold. But I know we didn't do well.

AI: Did, was your house going to be rented out? Or do you know what, how your mother took care of that?

MK: I don't even know what happened. I don't know what happened. But I remember it eventually sold. It was under the name of my cousin, George. But they got two thousand in equity, and my father was saying, "Well, that, there's a little money, seed money for you there when you go back to America." But it was gone, because George had his hard times and he had to use it. So, when I came back I found out a few surprises, because things that my father thought there might be, the education fund, that, house mortgage, you know, the equity fund, but it wasn't there. So that's when Mr. Moriguchi helped me out for my tuition.

AI: Well, before, just before you and your family were leaving Seattle to go to Puyallup, do you remember what you brought with you? Here you were in junior high, what were you told that you could bring with you and what did you take? How did you get ready?

MK: Well, basically, we were told "only what you can carry." And a little thrill out of all this sadness was, my mother said we have to go buy some suitcase. We had been to Japan before, we had some, but she said, "You can buy the, find the biggest suitcase that you can find in the store. So we went to Yesler Way, where there was a Jewish store, clothier or dry goods store. And so she gave us the permission we can buy the biggest. Usually you enryo and buy the, get the smallest, but she said, "You can get the biggest." And in those days we didn't have so-called brand names, so, sure enough I went for the biggest suitcase. And it was kind of thrilling to be able to go to a regular store and come home with a suitcase. So, I remember my brothers all got, got their suitcase and we walked home with it, or rode the bus home with it.

AI: Do you remember the actual day that you left Seattle, what was that like?

MK: It was in April, but I don't know the exact date.

AI: And what happened when you left? What, where did you go? What did you do as you were leaving?

MK: We went to some central place, beyond that it's all a blur. I don't remember.

AI: Were there a lot of neighbors and friends there at the same location?

MK: Well, there weren't too many Japanese living close by, so I don't remember. It was maybe one, two, two, three Japanese on the block, I'm counting both sides. And I really don't even, they weren't even living in the same block when we went to Puyallup or Minidoka in the same block, so we got all split up. I think the J-town people pretty much stayed together, but we were just kind of fill-in, I think.

AI: Do you recall much at all about that day that you were leaving?

MK: You know, you block it away and I'm surprised how much I don't remember. Because yesterday at the high school reunion, they -- some people vividly remember when I left and all, but they said they threw me a party but I don't remember it.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.