Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Takeshi Nakayama Interview
Narrator: Takeshi Nakayama
Interviewer: Martha Nakagawa
Location: Los Angeles, California
Date: September 20, 2011
Densho ID: denshovh-ntakeshi-01-0007

<Begin Segment 7>

MN: Now you're going to grammar school, I'm assuming a lot of these teachers have a very strong southern drawl?

TN: Just the white ones. The Japanese ones didn't. I think some of the teachers were Nisei and some were white Arkansas people, whatever you call them. It's hard to understand, though, the accents. Whatever they said, "Now ya'll sit down and read your assignments."

MN: So Rose remembers getting lined up and getting an Anglican name. Did your class do anything like that?

TN: Anglican name?

MN: Caucasian name. Did your teachers give you a Caucasian name?

TN: Nope.

MN: You were always Tak?

TN: Takeshi.

MN: So at Rohwer, did you play any sports?

TN: Rohwer? No, we just played around. I don't know what we did. Played in the cemetery, and then people used to talk about hinotama, whatever that is. Some light, gas light or something, supposed to signify a ghost. And I guess one time my friends and I were playing in the cemetery, it was already dark. One of them saw the light and started saying, "Hinotama," so we just all panicked and ran out of there, ran home, probably broke the world record for the 100-yard dash. We just got out of there. It was the fastest I ever remember running. But maybe it was just really nothing, maybe it was a firefly.

MN: Were there fireflies at Rohwer?

TN: I don't know, I guess so.

MN: So was it common for you to play at the cemetery?

TN: Yeah, we liked to climb the trees. Tried to swing from one branch to another and all that stuff, or just hide up there.

MN: So when you were at Rohwer did you get into any fights?

TN: I remember in kindergarten or first grade, one of them, I don't know why I got into a fight with this boy named Clyde or something. We were scuffling around and rolling around on the ground and I tried to bite him, but all I got was a mouthful of jacket. That's all I remember about fighting.

MN: Did you get into any fights where you had to defend your younger brothers?

TN: Well, there was this crazy kid that lived across from us. I don't know what was wrong with him. One time he sneaked up behind one of my brothers and hit him in the head with a brick, so my brother's head was kind of bleeding. So my other brother and I later went up to the guy and just beat him up. I beat him up as much as a six or seven year old could.

MN: I want to ask you a little bit about holidays at Rohwer. What was Christmas like at Rohwer?

TN: I have no idea. I don't know if we got any presents or anything. But one time, they had a little party, and they invited the 442 people from Mississippi, I guess, Hawaii guys, only I didn't know they were from Mississippi at the time. I found out later as an adult. And they're singing Hawaii songs and all that, doing Hula. Something about "Manuela boy, my deah boy, no mo hila hila," and all that. That I remember.

MN: What about Oshogatsu?

TN: I don't know. I think we ate mochi.

MN: So that means there was mochitsuki?

TN: I guess so. But can't quote me on that 'cause I don't remember it.

MN: Did they show any movies at Rohwer?

TN: Yeah. One of the first movies I saw was about Sakamoto Ryoma, only my parents called him "Ryuma," I don't know why. And that was kind of weird, you know, we're supposed to be prisoners and they're showing a Japanese movie. I don't remember anything about the movie, but my parents said I enjoyed that movie. And I used to imitate Sakamoto Ryoma picking his nose and all that stuff, digging for gold. Another movie that I sort of remember was King of Kings. I guess it was about Jesus or something. And they showed rays of light coming from the clouds, I guess that's supposed to mean something. But didn't mean much to a little kid.

MN: Do you think they showed Sakamoto Ryoma because he was one of those that favored opening Japan to the Western world?

TN: Maybe it was just accidental, I don't know. He was a samurai, maybe the swordfighting and all that stuff.

MN: That's a chanbara?

TN: Uh-huh.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.