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MN: Now, you grew up in Boyle Heights, which Japanese school did you go to?

MS: First one we went to was Chuo Gakuen. It still exists. And then Cedric Shimo's mother started Japanese, so we went to her school. And later on, while we're in junior high school, we didn't go to school every day, so we went to Saturday school in Compton.

MN: Compton Gakuen?

MS: Yeah.

MN: Why did you switch to --

MS: Once a week. Huh?

MN: Why did you switch to Compton Gakuen?

MS: Well, my father knew the principal of the school. They're tennis partners, playing tennis together. So, but one day the principal told my father that he doesn't think he wants to teach sons of a, of his personal friends because it'll bring the reputation of the school down, scholastically. [Laughs] But anyway, so I wasn't considered a very good student academically.

MN: Now, when you were at Chuo Gakuen, did you take kendo?

MS: Yeah.

MN: Who was your teacher?

MS: Cedric Shimo's father was the teacher, and he was a personal friend of my father, so, so again, they made an exception by accepting the problem child, problem student.

MN: So your family was very close with the Shimo family.

MS: What?

MN: Your family was close with the Shimo family.

MS: Yeah.

MN: Cedric remembers going to your house when the Olympic team was there, and he says your house was very, a very big house by the standards of the day.

MS: Well, could be, yeah. I don't know that it... that's the house I was born and lived in, but the other guys were living in smaller houses, yeah.

MN: Now, when you took kendo practice, where was the practices held?

MS: In Evergreen Playground gym.

MN: You talked about winning a kendo tournament.

MS: What?

MN: You won a kendo tournament.

MS: Well, when I was a beginner I was, I had to stay on the weekends with Cedric and we learned, I learned how to, lot of kendo tactics, not from his father, but from Cedric. And some of, some of the exercises I used to learn was forbidden, but since Cedric and I were just fooling around we just tried 'em, and then in the beginners' tournament I ended, I happened to use one of the illegal tactics and, but, but they let me score. I did so well that, by accident -- anyway, I wasn't, I wasn't a good kendo, but that tournament I happened to win. My reputation was established, but Cedric was a better kendo, since his father was a teacher.

MN: Now were you in the Chuo Gakuen Boy Scouts?

MS: What?

MN: Were you in the Chuo Gakuen Boy Scouts?

MS: No, not the Chuo Gakuen, but at the Evergreen Baptist Church. Yeah. I don't think the Chuo Gakuen had Boy Scouts there. The famous troop was 379.

MN: Koyasan?

MS: Downtown, yeah. But I wasn't a good Boy Scout either. Cedric was, became a Life Scout. He didn't quite make Eagle, but maybe I got to be second class or something, but everything I did was mediocre. [Laughs]

MN: Now, you went to Euclid Grammar School.

MS: What?

MN: Euclid Grammar School?

MS: Yeah.

MN: What was the student population demographics?

MS: Well, I don't know what it was then, but there was only one Japanese boy and one Japanese girl. There were three of us in the grammar school when I was there, but my sisters were going, went to the same school, but they, they had graduated way ahead of me.

MN: What about the rest of the student population?

MS: I don't remember. Most of 'em were Mexican.

MN: Did you pick up Spanish?

MS: Huh?

MN: Did you speak Spanish?

MS: No, but I learned all the Japanese words, I mean swear words in Spanish, Mexican, before I knew what they meant.

MN: Now, your home in Boyle Heights --

MS: What?

MN: Did your family own the home in Boyle Heights?

MS: Yes.

MN: Through who's name?

MS: My oldest sister's name. They had a, a Hawaiian Nisei became the trustee, but, until my sisters were old enough.

MN: Were your parents active in the Okayama Kenjinkai?

MS: Apparently so. He was, I guess he was the president a number of times.

MN: Did they have meetings at your home?

MS: No, they had it downtown. I don't remember them. I remember having visitors from... Cedric's father is Okayama, too.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.