<Begin Segment 49>

DG: So, then you graduated to the University of Washington. And you worked there until you retired, right, a few years ago. (Narr. note: Narrator graduated from USC and worked at UW.)

MH: Yeah. Not a few years ago, fifteen years ago. I retired seventy years old.

DG: Oh.

MH: I retired seventy years old because if you wait one year late you were born, you could work as much as you want. See? That day ano year, seventy years old, have to retire, professor and everybody. But from past, next year, you can work as many years you want.

DG: Can you tell me a little bit about your job and what you did and how you -- at the East Asia Library.

MH: Everything, nowadays have a few people Japanese section working, but when I went in -- was Mr. Carter there? Mary? Two people Japanese section working. But I could read sosho. Do you know that?

DG: Uh-huh.

MH: Sosho. And then old Japanese I could read.

DG: Okay.

MH: Because during the high school, who graduated the Waseda University, he had two degrees and then he was Mitsui Ginkou's worker, but he became ill and then came back to Shimonoseki. He taught me Japanese.

DG: Oh, the old fashioned Japanese, right.

MH: Correct.

DG: Right. The people that know how to read the modern kanji don't know how to read that old kanji.

MH: Yeah.

DG: And so you studied, in high school you studied this. You were in Tokyo?

MH: No. I was at Chofu at that time. But I really...

DG: So you were very valuable to the East Asia Library.

MH: I don't know that. I don't know, but I really --

DG: What kind of things did you have to read?

MH: I did the Japanese section, and then Japanese one, and also Korean and Chinese.

DG: Because you could...

MH: Yeah. I said to head of library, "I can do Japanese, but Korean is really different." And the Chinese I could figure out. I can't read, but I can figure out kanji.

DG: So what was your job? I mean, why did you have to read these?

MH: See, not very many -- lots of Korean people there. Then Korean librarian and then Korean people can arrange everything. Finished Korean part, but my time not so many people. That's why I say that when I retired, "What are you going to do?" And head of library said, "If you retire, I will hire three people."

DG: Oh, my goodness.

MH: So that's what... so I said, "Oh, that's fine then." See, Korean, Chinese. They have to Korean professor, I get Korean alphabet and everything learn. Chinese professor. So when I was there I could, not, can't speak, but I could understand enough to work.

DG: Uh-huh.

MH: I could title, I can...

<End Segment 49> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.