<Begin Segment 20>

MA: Well, is there anything else you'd like to say or talk about?

KY: No, it doesn't concern this, but you know, it's too bad the... I don't know if this is just local Sanseis, but the Sanseis are all -- I wouldn't say all -- eighty percent of 'em are married to Caucasians. And I just wonder how much of the Japanese culture, the Japanese heritage, these Sansei kids are gonna carry on, and that's my concern. I mean, you don't want to lose your Japanese heritage, and all my four children are married to Caucasians. And they, they know certain things about their heritage, but do they even care, I wonder? And when I was growing up, we went to Japanese school, my mother was so strict about Japanese, we had to talk Japanese at home, I think we're losing all that. And so what you're doing, this Densho project, I think is very important, it's very important. And I only wish the Sanseis are more interested in this. And I keep telling my kids, I say, "You look in the mirror, do you see a hakujin or a Japanese? You're still Japanese."

MA: Well, it sounds like your kids are, are pretty interested in passing on New Year's and that type of thing.

KY: They want, they want to do it, but they don't want their, it isn't that... they come to eat the dinner, but are they going to do the whole, carry on the tradition? I don't know. My youngest daughter probably will, but the rest of 'em, I don't know. Their spouses, whether they want to carry on the Japanese tradition, I don't know. And then from there on, their children are just quarter Japanese, you know, so are they still gonna carry on? I think we're gonna lose all these... it's too bad.

MA: Is that something that is talked about among your, your Nisei friends?

KY: We talk about it. That's what's wrong with our church right now. We have, our church is all Niseis, and the Niseis are just going left and right. We have absolutely, maybe a few, handful of Sanseis. So what's gonna happen to our church? It's just downhill for us, and I don't know if there's a solution or what. Maybe the Sansei children don't need a Japanese church. They're, they could mingle with their neighborhood churches, so why do they all have to come to the Japanese church? But for us, that was our, our center of our religion, is going to church. But I know my four kids, they don't go to Japanese church, they go to their community church. So to me, it's too bad we're losing all this Japanese heritage, culture.

MA: Well, I, just from talking with you, it seems like you're doing a lot to try to preserve that and pass it on.

KY: Well, that's, you know, we have a Japanese, we have a JACL group, and we had this -- I don't know if you've heard of the Hifumi En?

MA: What was that?

KY: Hifumi En, the senior housing project. And it was a, that was supposed to have been our Nisei legacy to leave to our children. But four years ago or five years ago, the Sansei kids just, just sold the place. So now we don't even own that building, and we have no, we have no building called Japanese cultural center, Japanese community center, we have nothing. So that's what I was trying to work on, but it's just getting too late for me. We needed to do this ten years ago. So we have no, except for the two churches, which our church is going downhill, the Buddhist Church is already going down, and that's overtaken by -- I wouldn't say overtaken -- that, the congregation, they're all Caucasians now. Very few Japanese (attend) that church anymore. And our church is still surviving, but half of the congregation is Caucasian, so you know ten years from now, there's no Japanese. So we're losing the two churches, and we have no community, single community Japanese centers, so where does that leave us? This is just speaking for our town only.

MA: So if you had a message or something you wanted to get across to younger generations who maybe will watch your interview, what would that be, what message would you like to give?

KY: To the, to the... who am I speaking to?

MA: Oh, just, just all kind of younger students.

KY: Caucasian students or Japanese students?

MA: Yeah, I guess, everyone.

KY: Well, to the Japanese Sanseis I would say, "Try to keep up your culture, heritage." And I don't know if they even care to, you know, that's the sad part. They'll say, "Well, why should I? We're in America, we're married to Caucasians, why should we?" But you know, you're Japanese, you should. Your parents, your grandparents, are all part of who you are. But if there's not enough of them, one person can't run the whole thing. You have to have a strong leadership, and you have to follow your inner, you know, you have to want to do this. But unless we have a resource and the leadership, I think it's, it's a lost, losing cause. But I wish somebody would take hold and continue our Japanese culture, Japanese heritage, our Japanese community. But to the Caucasians, I don't know if the... my in-laws, my children's spouses are all, like I say, Caucasians. They're not too interested in the Japanese culture. So, so my kids, how can they if you don't have the support? But if my younger daughter was here -- she lives in Seattle -- she's a strong leader, and if she was in Spokane, she would try to continue this. So maybe eventually if she moves back, there might, we might continue. But you know, like I say, one person can't do it. It has to be the whole community. But that's what I would wish, the Sanseis would continue their heritage.

MA: Well, I want thank you for coming in and talking with me.

KY: Thank you.

MA: Quite interesting stories to tell, so thanks a lot for the interview.

KY: Thank you.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.