<Begin Segment 11>

TI: And so your mother helped you, you mentioned your mother helped you get into Keio, I guess, University.

CS: In fact, she was, she just came back on the next to the last boat, I guess, and she had just made that arrangement. See, 'cause I had graduated, and I was all set to go to Japan.

TI: But then at that point, the U.S. government had a law that prevented people from doing that. Otherwise, you would have been in Japan?

CS: Yeah, right.

TI: Well, that's interesting how circumstances can change your life. I mean, if you were in Japan during the war, how much different your life...

CS: Well, I told you, I don't know if I told you, but this tournament I had with this Waseda team, I became very close friends with one of their fencers, and he eventually became the head of kendo school in Waseda University. He used to send me the correspondence books in learning Japanese. And every time he came to the U.S., he would stay at our house. So we had a very close relationship with this fellow from Waseda, even though I was gonna go to Keio. [Laughs]

TI: And at this point, how good was your Japanese?

CS: Well, I guess I was average, or maybe I was a little above average of all the Niseis because my mother and training.

TI: And for you to have gone to a Japanese university, how difficult would that have been for you?

CS: I know it would have been difficult. That's why I was, this Oshima Sensei was sending me this correspondence thing, that's what I was studying like mad.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.