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TI: Today is Thursday, June 4, 2009, and we're in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the Hawaii Hochi.

PY: Right.

TI: And on camera we have Dana Hoshide, and interviewing is Tom Ikeda, and today we have Paul Yempuku. And so Paul, the first question is, can you tell me when you were born?

PY: Oh, January 5, 1927.

TI: And where were you born?

PY: Kahuku, Oahu, on this island.

TI: And so where is that located on the island?

PY: It's the North Shore area, back of Honolulu.

TI: Good. And what was the name given to you when you were born?

PY: Shodo Yempuku, S-H-O-D-O.

TI: And Shodo, is that a special name? Why did they give you Shodo?

PY: Well, "sho" is, I was born in Shouwa Ninen, that's the first year of the Shouwa era. Because the last, before Shouwa was Taisho. Taisho has fifteen years, Taisho Juugonen has only five days because the emperor died on December 25th. So December 25th or January 1st was the last Taisho. And then, then comes Shouwa, so I was born in Shouwa Ninen. I guess Taisho -- no, I'm sorry -- Taisho Juugonen, emperor died on December 25th, so Shouwa Gannen, Shouwa Gannen means Shouwa First Year. Shouwa First Year has only five days, and come to Shouwa Second Year.

TI: Okay, good. And your last name, Yempuku, is that a common name?

PY: Well, it's not common name. When I tell, ask, talk to the Japanese in Japan, they realized right away this is some kind of temple or priest name. So they know what is Empuku. Actually, actually Empuku is E-M-P-U-K-U, not Y-E-M. In Japan, my brothers have E-M-P-U-K-U instead of Y-E-M. Why I have a Y in front of E is because my father put that Y. Because when he said "en" is, one en, two en, three en, the money en. So when you write yen, you know, you have a Y in front of it.

TI: Right.

PY: Yeah, so that's how he puts Y, and then N becomes M. When you have a P behind the N, so Y-E-M-P-U-K-U.

TI: And so pronouncing it, is it "Empuku"?

PY: No, Yempuku. In Hawaii we pronounce it Yempuku, in Japan it's Empuku.

TI: Empuku, okay, good. And so Paul, where did the name Paul come from?

PY: Okay. [Laughs] I came over here in 1961, and I had a, I stayed with my brother Ralph in Alewa Heights. And he had one little boy, my nephew, Roy. Roy is my name father. We called it name father, or what do you call that? He named me as Paul because he said, he told his mother that "Uncle Shodo" is very hard to pronounce. So he liked to have a little easy name to call me. And my sister-in-law asking, "What do you want?" Said, "Paul." So that's how Paul became... I started working over here, and I have to, my legalized, my name, Paul, that's how, right now, Paul is legal name.

TI: Okay. So your nephew gave you your name.

PY: Yeah, my nephew gave me my name, yeah.

TI: Okay, good.

<End Segment 1> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.