Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Tad Kuniyuki Interview
Narrator: Tad Kuniyuki
Interviewers: Tom Ikeda, Shin Yu Pai
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: October 28, 2008
Densho ID: denshovh-ktad-01-0007

<Begin Segment 7>

TI: Well, how about any boys? Was there a case you remember when maybe one of your friends might have been, the parents might have had a hard time controlling them? And did you ever hear of instances where they sent them to Japan?

TK: No, I don't know about that part. My brother, the next one between the oldest and me, he was left in Japan because one of my aunts didn't have any children. So he was adopted by, maybe adopted, I don't know, anyway, he was raised by my aunt. He came over here when he was sixteen, and he has stayed since.

TI: Okay, so let me make sure I understand. So, your older brother Kaname, who is two years older than you, was left in Japan when he was a child, or young, with your aunt.

TK: That's right.

TI: And so he was raised there until he was about sixteen years old. And then, but in this case, he wasn't left there -- this is different than your sister -- that he, your parents weren't concerned about him being, growing up as an American, it was more, it was a different situation?

TK: Yeah.

TI: You were trying to explain how for girls, they were there for...

TK: Yeah, I think my older brother was kind of given to the family, because they had no children. I think that was it. I'm not sure.

TI: So can you explain this? So your aunts didn't have children, so your parents left Kaname to be raised by them. So in this case, why didn't he stay with your aunt? I'm curious why he came back when he was sixteen.

TK: Why did he what?

TI: Why did he come to the United States when he was sixteen and not stay with your aunt?

TK: That part I'm not sure. I'm not sure exactly.

SP: Did he, did Kaname grow up in the same town as Mariko? Because they were with two different aunts, right?

TK: No, Kaname grew up near his birthplace. Mariko was way up in Mito, Japan, that was way up north. Mariko was just about, I think, adopted by the other family, I think, but I'm not sure. I don't know what the situation was.

TI: And so you mentioned Kaname came when he was sixteen, he came to Seattle. So you were fourteen. And all of the sudden, you had an older brother. What was that like for you to have an older brother that came from Japan?

TK: I don't know. It didn't make any difference, to tell you the truth. So, well, he treated me like an older brother, I mean, looked after me. Even if he don't know the language well.

TI: So that's why I'm curious. So, it must have been an interesting situation to have an older brother, two years older all of a sudden, but he doesn't speak English. And you don't, at this point, really speak Japanese. So how did the two of you get along? Was there sometimes friction?

TK: No, we had no trouble there. 'Cause I could speak some Japanese, you know. I had to talk to my parents all the time, so, and I got along with him.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.