<Begin Segment 20>

AI: Well, then, also, and you mentioned earlier about the Hoshidan and the Hokokudan, that began being formed, and what kinds of things did you hear about those groups? Did, did people try to recruit you to the Young Men's Association?

HK: They felt that Japan was going to win the war, and that they were Japanese, and they were going to act like Japanese, and prepare themselves so that they would do their exercises, I guess. I mean, all that whooping and hollering. And they carried on, and they tried to recruit people, force them to join, I know a friend who was asked to join, and, yeah, and...

AI: How about you or your brother?

HK: No, I didn't get any direct... yeah. But my brother might have. There, it was kind of subtle, indirect, but yeah, it was there. There were members who were, the purpose was to recruit, and these were older, older men. And there were a few in our block, and they were operating, and every chance they got they would say, "Are you Japanese?" or "Are you going to go to Japan?" and so forth. And if we acted too American, then, yeah, we stuck out, I don't know what, what would have happened. So we, we tried to be somewhat Japanese.

AI: Well, so describe that for me. When, when you say, "act too American," or "try to be Japanese," what would be the, some of the differences and how --

HK: Well, the difference is that you're, you're careful about what you say or do. I mean, Americans, as an American, you, you're free to do, do whatever, laugh out loud, and move around, and dance, and do all these things. But, and, of course, speak English. We tried to speak Japanese as much as possible. In fact, yeah, lot of, lot of us learned to do that, and it was not natural, and it wasn't fun, but, yeah, you do that because it was expected.

AI: So really, in your daily life, as you were going about your business, every day you would be trying to speak Japanese.

HK: Yeah, yeah. I mean... well, among friends and people we know, we would speak English, but yeah, if there were people who came from other camps, we'd speak Japanese.

AI: Or if you were out in public at... where there were some of these other folks who were more Kibei, or more Japanese-speaking.

HK: Yeah. If they were Kibei, certainly we would. Yeah, we speak Japanese. And it was hard, you have to think in Japanese, too, to speak it. [Laughs]

AI: Were you able to make yourself think in Japanese?

HK: That was uncomfortable, yeah, unnatural, and that didn't help.

AI: What do you think might have happened if you, if you hadn't tried to fit in?

HK: I think you, eventually, would have been forced out. I think you would say, "I don't want to stay here, face all this," and just leave. And I think the administration would have been very accommodating, if you change your mind. Because in my record, it says, "If he changes his mind," has a change of mind, just allow that to happen.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.