<Begin Segment 7>

TI: If your classmates were to describe you if they were here, how would they describe you as a classmate or student? What would they say?

MO: Well, you know, because I was the Japanese language school teacher's daughter, that had some kind of... I don't want to be... but that had some kind of weight. In fact, even in English school, "There goes Tanaka-sensei's daughter," they can point me out, you know, while I'm walking to high school and walking back.

TI: Oh, because, so because your mother was principal at the Japanese language school, you were kind of singled out a little bit, that you were... what's the right word? Maybe had a little more status?

MO: I guess something, that's the word for it. But I didn't like it. So I would... in fact, when I see somebody standing around there, I'll hide. I didn't like people, you know...

TI: And so it was like, maybe it was like added pressure being the principal's daughter?

MO: Probably, probably.

TI: And how would that... is there an example of what that would mean? Would it be because, could you go to all the events? Or what would be an example of it being hard? Or did you have to always do really well in school, was that maybe another example?

MO: "Just, just because she's the teacher's daughter, she gets special priority, special treatment," or something. That's the kind of... every so often, somebody would say something like that which really hurts me.

TI: So there is almost like resentment or envy from other people. And so you felt like you couldn't just be one of the regular students, you always were kind of singled out.

MO: Exactly. I never said these things to anybody. [Laughs]

TI: No, this is, this is good. I think it's important that people understand the prominence of these principals of Japanese language schools. Because later on we'll talk about why they were picked up. But they were, from most communities, the leaders of the Japanese communities.

MO: That's right.

TI: And so was your mother in the same way viewed as a --

MO: It's because she was really, the consulate honored her as one of the four... you know, the honorees were picked up, I mean, they were honored. She was one of the four that was... in fact, I have a picture in that.

TI: So this was later on her life, she got this?

MO: Yes, uh-huh. She got that honor. So things like that, some of my friends resented me.

TI: How about before the war? Did she have very many contacts with the consulate?

MO: She was representing the Wahiawa.

TI: And so what would that mean? What kind of things would she do as a representative?

MO: I'm not sure. What would you say... "Soryojikan daihiro," or something like that.

TI: I don't...

MO: "Soryojikan" is a Japanese consulate. She represented in different areas. She was that person because she spoke Japanese and she could communicate with the so-called community, the higher-ups in the community.

TI: And was that harder for her because she was a woman? Because normally this was...

MO: I think she... because she lost her husband, she had to stand on her own. So she was, I think she was, she became stronger, too.

TI: Good.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright ©2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.