<Begin Segment 2>

MN: Now, so when your mother first came over here, did she arrive in Honolulu?

SA: I think so.

MN: Was your father able to afford a wedding?

SA: Well, I guess so because they were married (at a Congregational church) and the best man (or baishakunin), or who was with him was from the newspaper. The general manager or the manager of the newspaper. (Shingo-san).

MN: They were married in a (Congregational) church? Were they Christian, your parents?

SA: I don't know. They became Christians for the service, I imagine.

MN: So your father was working for this Hawaii newspaper. What was your mother doing in Hawaii, do you know?

SA: I don't know.

MN: But I guess quickly she had three children in Hawaii?

SA: She had three children.

MN: Kazuko, Chieko, Yaeko.

SA: Right.

MN: Now these are your three oldest sisters who were born in Hawaii when it was still a territory of the United States.

SA: Right.

MN: Did they have any problems about, because it was not a state yet, were they given U.S. citizenship, do you know that?

SA: I have no idea. I'm just assuming.

MN: So what happened to your three oldest sisters? Did they grow up in Hawaii?

SA: No, she sent two... all three back to Japan for the relatives to take care of while she (worked).

MN: So then from Hawaii, your parents moved to San Diego in 1919.

SA: They went to San Francisco first (teaching Japanese school).

MN: Oh, San Francisco, pardon me, okay. And then they went to San Diego.

SA: Right.

MN: And that's where your two other sisters were born, Toshie and Masako.

SA: Right. Del Mar.

MN: Del Mar. What was your father doing in Del Mar?

SA: Well, at that time he was farming, but you know, I like to say he was a jack of all trades, because he was even in the soy sauce business. That was... I don't know where. Then Del Mar he was farming, that I know.

MN: You were sharing this funny story about how your father didn't like to go to the outhouse?

SA: He was sort of a scaredy-cat, and so my mother would go with him every time carrying whatever weapon, whatever at that time. That's how he was.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright &copy; 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.