<Begin Segment 8>

MN: Now, you had your formative years in Japan. How much English did you remember when you were here in 1938?

TH: Nothing.

MN: How did you relearn your English?

TH: First my parents sent me to the special English class in Oakland. It's, it was within the school, grammar school called Lincoln School near Chinatown in Oakland. And that's where I learned some of the English. Then for a while I think I went, I attended grammar school, then junior high and high school in Oakland.

MN: Now, this is a special grammar school that you were learning English?

TH: Uh-huh.

MN: Were there other Kibeis there?

TH: Oh, yeah, several Kibeis and a lot of Chinese immigrants from China.

MN: So it was a mixed class.

TH: Yeah, mostly Japanese Kibei and Chinese.

MN: Now, these Kibeis, were they also from Fukuoka, or were they all over Japan?

TH: Oh, I believe they were from all over.

MN: And while you were going to the special class, you also went to an American school, a regular American school.

TH: No, that came after I more or less after I finished the special English class.

MN: How long were you in the special class?

TH: Gee, I don't know. It wasn't that long.

MN: And so when you started the American, regular American school, what grade did you start from?

TH: Probably it was sixth grade. Of course, I was much older, but...

MN: You started in sixth grade? And were you able to skip to what grade you were supposed to be in?

TH: Gee, I have no idea. But I had a good friend who was about a year younger than me, Kibei also, and we were close friends. So after grammar school, we went to the junior high together, then from there on to high school, it's called a technical high school. Then the war started.

MN: Now, this good friend of yours who was a year younger, was it through him that you learned more about the Nisei culture?

TH: Yeah, a little bit. He was, he had an older brother who was an Nisei, and he was a very outgoing type, so I sort of tagged along with him. I was pretty introverted, so anyway, we went to the same judo class, which I quit soon after.

MN: Why did you quit judo?

TH: Well, I'm not a physical type. I didn't like to be thrown. [Laughs]

MN: You mentioned about Miss Hollis. Who was Miss Hollis?

TH: She was an art teacher at the high school. She was very good to me, and she used to bring the pictures of, kind of illustrator, to show me. And even after internment, she used to write to me, which I really appreciated.

MN: So all from Japan all throughout, you still continued drawing?

TH: Yeah, it's basically copying things. Copying the picture of what animals and picture of Japanese actress, like Kirishima Noboru. I wasn't very creative, I was just copying. And then I got pretty good at it and I thought I was doing great until I went to camp and started to study with real artists.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.