Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Art Shibayama Interview
Narrator: Art Shibayama
Interviewer: Alice Ito
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: October 26, 2003
Densho ID: denshovh-sart-01-0009

<Begin Segment 9>

AI: And when you were forced to leave your home and put on the transport, was this about 1943 or 1944?

AS: It was March of 1944.

AI: So, so what happened after that, once you got on that ship?

AS: Once we got on the ship, the women and children were put in a small cabin up on deck and the men were put down below. And like older kids, like myself, we were put down below, too, with the men. And we were only allowed to go on deck twice a day for ten minutes; and during that the time the women and children had to stay inside the cabin. And it took us twenty-one days to go from Callao through the Panama Canal to New Orleans. And so during that time we never got to see the family, the rest of the family.

AI: And what were the conditions like down below?

AS: Oh, it was terrible because it was so crowded. There were, there were bunks that you can fold, metal bunks with canvas, and you can fold 'em. And so, so during the day you can fold those bunks and then you have a little room but during the night when you bring the, those bunks down you can barely walk through it.

AI: So you were in this terrible cramped condition for three weeks and you couldn't see your mother and the rest of your sisters and brothers. And, did you have any idea where you were going or why?

AS: Well, I knew were going to the States, to the United States, but I didn't know why.

AI: And what was going though your mind, or how were you feeling as this --

AS: Well, we were kind of afraid, but since we were together with the rest of the family, and I was only a kid, so I wasn't too worried about it.

AI: Right, so at least you were together with the family --

AS: Right.

AI: -- even though you couldn't see each other?

AS: Uh-huh.

AI: So once you got to New Orleans, what happened then?

AS: Once we got to New Orleans the women and children were let off the ship first and they were marching to a warehouse like. And they were, they were told to strip and stand in line naked. And then they were sprayed with insecticide, some kind of insecticide and then they would shower and they were put on the train. And then the men went through the same process. And that's the first time we saw the rest of the family together.

AI: When you got back on the train?

AS: Back on the train, because we were on the same coach.

AI: And were you allowed to bring your thing, any things with you onto the train, anything from home that you had brought with you?

AS: Oh, yeah, everything. I can't remember exactly but we must have got everything from the boat, from the ship and put it on the train.

AI: And then did you know where you were going or what was happening next?

AS: No. No, because, you know, like, even on the boat, we were guarded by military personnel and there were machine guns and rifles. And they didn't speak Spanish, so we couldn't communicate with them. In fact, we were, we were guarded by destroyers and submarines, too, the ship.

AI: So you were on this ship and heavily guarded. And this was by American military?

AS: American military.

AI: And so even if you wanted to ask a question, they wouldn't understand your Spanish.

AS: Right.

AI: And you wouldn't understand their English.

AS: English, yeah.

AI: So you were on the train from New Orleans. And what happened from there on the train?

AS: On the train we, we went through, they sent us through Seabrook -- I mean Crystal City, and, in Texas, and it took us two days, one night and two days. And we had to keep the windows closed. We had to bring the shades down during the, during the whole trip. Although, but one good thing on the train was that we were able to go to the, to the... to the dining room and the food was good there compared to what fed us on the ship, which was army, army food.

AI: So after three weeks of army food on the ship, at least you had a little better food on the train.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.