<Begin Segment 15>

AI: So in Japan you had a job delivering newspapers?

RM: Yeah, well, it was just supplement, see, because it cost quite a bit. Well, fortunately, my school wasn't too bad, but other people, most of people -- I don't want to degrade other people -- but a lot of people couldn't get in this prestigious school. So later on I found, well, I don't know exactly what happened, but normally I wouldn't be able to get in this school, it's hard. But I found out that I just wrote in this, my story, but, but what happened was my maternal grandfather was a fencing (instructor) for Asano clan. And this happened to be the Lord Asano's clan school before this new education system. So just like people go in the temple and learn and the tutor, but this happened to be the school and Shudo, middle school is Shudo, this juku, that's a institute there, by clan. So somebody mentioned that I was grandson of that, maybe that's why I got in there, later on I thought, at the time I didn't know how come I was accepted? But somebody pulled a string there, I think. I don't know for sure, but then I think, then what they made, thing was, made me the, the president of the class, about fifty guys there and I was the president, you know. And that was a surprise. So I knew somebody mentioned that I was, so, but they, nobody told me that.

TI: So, I want to make sure I understand, Roy. So you think that because your grandfather on your maternal side was Lord Asano's fencing instructor, that because of the prestige of that, of that title, that helped you get into the school and become president of the class --

RM: Possibly, because I don't know, nobody mentioned to me or, I just figured, how come I could get in there, but I was too young to think of those things. But when it come here, that's a prestige everybody asked it. So I have Colonel Fukuhara is MIS, you know, he's in charge of NJAHS, chairman of the National Japanese His --

AI: Historical Society.

RM: -- American Historical Society, he's the chairman, and he's a colonel. He went to Koryo. People called bonkura school, see, because the one, kuzu, trash there's go there, pay tuition. I mean, there's some kids are smart kids is okay, but that the generally accept the people from, say they're from the America or the foreign country. And in my class I had a Taiwanese one and probably a good family in Taiwan, I suppose. At the time Taiwan was a part of Japan, at the time, and the Taiwanese there. Then I felt the same way, he had a difficulty learning... of course, in Taiwan they taught Japanese so speak, but didn't know anything about history or things like that, so I helped him because I had a hard time and I appreciate people helping me so I helped this kid.

TI: So this is interesting. I didn't understand this. So you went to a prestigious school.

RM: School.

TI: And so the thinking that for you to be accepted, people were probably thinking that you were gonna be one of the leaders of Japan, that these were the sort of the --

RM: Could have.

TI: -- the cream of the crop in this area, and that you were accepted the president of the class. So in many people's minds, they, they viewed you as a potential leader in Japan.

RM: Well, could have, but seeing it's, lot of other smart kids, too. But so happened that I was surprised and I was president of the... and the thing that it, see, on the collar they have a grade and it's roman numerals, one, I, and two and three and four is V and I and they'd see, and they go, they have up to fifth grade. So the V is five. But when the other side have a cherry flower on the side, so you know he's the president and vice president have the gold one, I have the silver one.

TI: So when you're put in that position, where you're given the honor of being the president of the class, at that point, did you start thinking that you would end up living in Japan and perhaps even eventually joining the Japanese military?

RM: Well, I didn't think that far about the military. But everybody takes this so don't think of that, you know, I didn't volunteer to take ROTC, that's a compulsory so I never thought of that I'd be a Japanese soldier or not. But if I stayed, I'd be drafted, I know for sure. But nothing going on there, they didn't need so many soldiers, so, but in case of war, sure be drafted. But then they say if you were a graduate, would be officer's material. But at that time I didn't think about those things, just concentration, learning things.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.