Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Kay Matsuoka Interview
Narrator: Kay Matsuoka
Interviewer: Alice Ito
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: December 29 & 30, 1999
Densho ID: denshovh-mkay-01-0029

<Begin Segment 29>

AI: Well then, yesterday you spoke about that period of actually leaving, packing up, leaving and taking the train and the bus to Gila River. And you also described about how very shortly after that Jack got sick.

KM: Yes.

AI: And you told us about how he was put in isolation...

KM: Uh-huh.

AI: In the old post building, post office building. And then how they completed the hospital, the TB ward and he was then transferred to the TB ward. So, I think I'll bring you up to that time here in the TB ward. And you had been for a while visiting for a while and you said how far away it was you had to walk a long -- about, do you recall about how far it was that you had to walk to the hospital?

KM: Uh, you know I really don't know the measurement.

AI: Or, about how long it took you?

KM: Well, if I walked real fast, it took me almost twenty minutes. And then many time in Arizona, dust storm, it just comes all of a sudden. It'd be a beautiful day, and all of a sudden it would get dark and the clouds and dust. And so I used to run because I didn't want to get caught in that dust storm. But I did this for so long. And, well, after couple of years, now they all, government really realized that there was no sabotage going on, and that we were not really spies or anything. And so it got kind of loose, all the rules. And they said that whoever wants to, they could go out, seek some job. And there was some jobs coming in from back East and we can go. So some of the barracks in the, closer to the hospital was empty and I got a special permission to move. And I moved to seventy-four which was right next to the hospital.

But you know, I had a real wonderful time when I was in Block 31, which was in one end of the camp. I met my girlfriend, whose brother was shot to death at Tule Lake. He was on, the questionnaire was "yes" and "no," and he said, "No," and he was there. And he was near the fence. And the sentry says for him to not to go close to the fence. What his intention was, I don't know what that was, but then he wasn't really outside of the fence, but he was near the fence. And then, I guess he really didn't stop when he told him to stop, and he was killed. And we were just talking, and one day she says, "I remember you. Weren't you from Harbor City?" And I said, "Yes." She told me what her maiden name was. And she asked me, "Weren't you a Nakahara?" And I said, "Yes." And she said, "I'm a Okamoto." And I said, "Oh, which one are you?" -- 'Cause they had three girls. And she said, "I'm Tamaye," and she was near my age, so naturally. I said, "Oh." She says, "We used to go to your school every time you had gaku geikai, because we enjoyed the program that you people always put on." Because our Japanese school was noted for having a good program. And she said, "You used to be so good in dancing and singing. Do you do that yet?" And I said, "No, I've been here, I mean in camp. I can't do those things." [Laughs] And then she thought it over and she said, "You know, there's a lot of Isseis here. And they were told not to bring any records, not to bring any, anything." And said, "It'd be nice if you would do something, get all the kids together and show them the dances and songs that you learned and then have an entertainment for the Issei night." And then I kinda thought it over and said, "Well..."and she said, "Let me talk to the block manager. [Laughs] And so she talked to the block manager, and block manager just thought that was wonderful. So I got all the kids together that would be interested, and the parents that would be cooperating and supporting them. And I was surprised how many had brought their Japanese kimonos. I was really surprised, 'cause I left mine home. And then I asked 'em, "How many of you have umbrella?" You know the silk umbrella? "And then how many of you have fan?" Most of them said, "Well, we can borrow it or we have it." And so, "Oh, let me think about what dances I could teach you then." And so I got the groups into four groups, little ones, on, on up. And I had about twelve people in each group that was interested. And so I started to form a program. And I tried to recall all the dances and songs that I had learned. And you know I had one hour of entertainment. And I, tell you those Issei people had, [indicates tears] "Ah, omoidasu, omoidasu," They thought about the memories of the past and they said, "Oh, thank you very much." There wasn't much they could do, so they crocheted me little doilies and things. [Laughs] And I still have that to this day.

And so that was a happy time (for) me when I was separated into camp thirty-one. And then the nurse, one of, couple of nurse's aide lived in that same block and they saw that program. They went back to the tuberculosis ward and says, "Jack, I didn't know your wife was a singer as well as a designer." [Laughs] And then Jack said, he never heard me, so he says, "Did you sing?" [Laughs] And I said, "Yes." And he said, "Well, I heard that everybody was so happy about it." And I said, "Yeah." But I said, "I kept it a secret from you 'cause you told me when we first met, I had this little records you put 25 cents in it and you record that. And I said, "I wanted to sing you a song." And I sang you a Japanese song. And I remember you said that, "You sound like you're crying." So ever since then, I said that, "Because of that I never sang in front of you. So this time I thought I'm not gonna tell you, I'm gonna keep it a secret." But the nurse's aide went and told him. And they just praised me. So he thought, "Gee, was she that good?" [Laughs] And then later on, the other blocks heard about it, and they begged me to come, and, but I told them that all the parents learned the song while I was singing for them. So I said, "You can ask one of the parents, and take the group with you." And that's what they did.

AI: So they took the group from one block...

KM: From our block.

AI: ...to another block to entertain for the Issei?

KM: Yeah, uh-huh. And then they taught the other group the same dances.

AI: Oh. Oh, so...

KM: That was the time that I really felt like I was really doing something to make somebody happy away from home. Because I know my mother always said they enjoy watching us perform.

AI: Oh. That must've been so wonderful for the Issei.

KM: Isseis. Uh-huh. So, I had lot of happy times there. And right after, soon after that I gave an oshogatsu, they would have, cooks would tell the government what kind of food the Japanese like. And then 'course they all knew how to cook Japanese food. And then we got our first oshogatsu, you know, regular Japanese style. And that was a real happy occasion too.

AI: Oh my. Well, I'm surprised that you were able to have an oshogatsu, a New Year's style meal.

KM: Yeah, it was after, I think they must've had a, what do you call those when you apply and make comments? -- Whether you, what you like, what you don't like, and what you would like. I think that was passed to them. And then they said that Japanese don't like everything put together. They like it separate. But at first I tell you, it was always a, curry things, stew-like things. And they put so much curry in there that you can't even taste anything. It was just so... so I developed a dislike for curry. [Laughs]

<End Segment 29> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.