<Begin Segment 18>

PW: So after you were married, where did you live?

HS: We lived in the church. The church had an apartment above the church level, so you just had to climb the stairs to get up there.

PW: Did LaVerne prepare you at all for, okay, now you have the life of a major Buddhist family member?

HS: Yeah. Because my parents were members of the, at that time, they were members of the Sacramento Buddhist Church, they knew what a minister's... I mean, on the surface, they knew what ministers had to do. So it wasn't a big surprise or anything like that.

PW: And what did ministers have to do?

HS: Well, it's really to take care of visiting people, trying to visit all families, although sometimes it doesn't get done because there were other things. But they have dharma school prep, they have Makuragyo, which is pillow services. Many of them also teach Japanese school. They are supposed to (support) the different clubs or whatever it is that are part of the church.

PW: Like YBA?

HS: Yeah, they would be like an advisor to the YBA, (or any other young church group.) They don't have to show up at all the meetings (...).

PW: How did you feel about, like, again, this is postwar, how the community was feeling at that time?

HS: You mean, there was no vandalism or anything like that (postwar in Linden). You mean just because there might be prejudice? I don't recall any outward problems, either in Stockton or in (Sacramento). I don't recall any outward, there might have been resentment or hate or something like that, but nothing... this day and age, I think there was more things going on, anti-Asian or anti-Japanese, but at that time, I don't recall.

PW: I forgot to ask, what day did you get married?

HS: July 1, 1962.

PW: And then you moved into the apartment at the church.

HS: Yeah, above the church.

PW: And you said and then the babies. You started having babies. Can you tell me about, did you have children? How many and what were their names?

HS: Well, we ended up having five children. And their names are Brian, Brian Senshin, S-E-N-S-H-I-N. And then Sharon Hiromi, and third is Stanton, S-T-A-N-T-O-N, Senshu. And then Ellen Kyomi, K-Y-O-M-I. Not "Kiyomi" but Kyomi. And Rina's name was Rina Emi, or E-M-I. That's our five children.

PW: And were any of these children born when you were still in Stockton?

HS: Let's see, where was Brian... well, yes, because when we went to Mountain View, Rina was already about three or four months old.

PW: Oh, so all the children were born...

HS: In Stockton, yes, yes.

PW: And tell me what years they were born then.

HS: Brian was born in 1964, and then Sharon was born in '66. And Stanton was born in '68. And Ellen in '69, and Rina in 1970.

PW: It's like every year.

HS: [Laughs] Yeah, about every year and a half, yes.

PW: So were you still in the small apartment, or the apartment, I would say?

HS: (Yes.) When we were in Stockton... (we moved twice to accommodate our growing family). When we moved to Mountain View, (Rina) was a baby.

[Interruption]

PW: So you're saying that the youngest child Rina was still an infant when you moved to Mountain View?

HS: Yes, exactly.

<End Segment 18> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.