<Begin Segment 1>

BY: Today is October 18, 2022, and I'm here with Jan Kumasaka. We are at the Lakeshore retirement community in Seattle, Washington. My name is Barbara Yasui and I'm going to be the interviewer today, and Dana Hoshide is our videographer. So we're just going to go ahead and get started.

JK: Sure.

BY: So what was the full name that was given to you when you were born?

JK: Janice, J-A-N-I-C-E, Masako, M-A-S-A-K-O, and it was Matsuoka, M-A-T-S-U-O-K-A.

BY: Great. And when and where were you born?

JK: I was born in, I think it was Kent, Washington.

BY: And when? What was your birthday?

JK: Oh, 8/12/37.

BY: Okay. And what was your father's name?

JK: My father's name, James Masao Matsuoka, M-A-T-S-U-O-K-A.

BY: And where was he born?

JK: Gee, I don't really know.

BY: Was he born in the U.S. or in Japan?

JK: Yeah. No, he was born here.

BY: In the U.S.?

JK: Uh-huh.

BY: And do you know where he grew up?

JK: He grew up in this area.

BY: In the Seattle area?

JK: Yeah.

BY: All right.

JK: Probably more like Kent.

BY: Okay, all right. And what was your father's occupation? What did he do?

JK: He was a real estate man. He had a real estate agency on Sixth and Jackson called International Realty.

BY: And was that before or after the war that he...

JK: After.

BY: After. What did he do before the war, do you know?

JK: He was a farmer.

BY: In Kent, do you think?

JK: Yeah, he was a truck farmer.

BY: Okay, all right. And did he have his own farm or did he work for someone else?

JK: I think he had his own farm.

BY: Okay.

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<Begin Segment 2>

BY: And let's switch to your mother. What was your mother's name?

JK: Her name was Amy, A-M-Y. Her maiden name was Natori.

BY: Natori? And where was she born?

JK: Gee, where was she born? I don't know.

BY: Was she born in in the U.S. or in Japan?

JK: No, she was born here.

BY: So both your parents were Nisei then.

JK: Uh-huh.

BY: And do you know when she was born, the year?

JK: I don't.

BY: Okay. And where did she grow up?

JK: She grew up in this area.

BY: As well. In Kent or Seattle?

JK: Yeah, Kent.

BY: Kent? Okay. And do you know how your parents met?

JK: No, I have no idea.

BY: And do you know where and when they got married?

JK: No, I don't.

BY: Okay, all right.

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<Begin Segment 3>

BY: So tell me, when you think about your father, what was he like? What was his personality like?

JK: He was very stern, very stern. And I think it was kind of like a Japanese male thing, where you just, you didn't necessarily show a lot of affection, because otherwise you weren't Japanese male. So, to me, he always seemed to be stern, very careful about just being in society here. But I think part of it is that's because that was how they were supposed to react or act at that time, for Nisei men.

BY: And what were some of the things that he liked to do in his spare time, when he wasn't working, do you remember?

JK: Well, he worked a lot. He golfed, I guess that was the thing he did, is he golfed.

BY: And do you remember, was that before or after the war?

JK: After the war.

BY: How about your mother, what was she like?

JK: My mother was very soft and affectionate, and she was always the one that kind of, would kind of break the ice. Like if my father got really mad or stern with the kids, she would always say, "Oh, Jim, don't do that." [Laughs] So she was kind of a peacemaker.

BY: And did she work outside the home?

JK: She worked at the real estate office that they had, International Realty company down on Sixth and Jackson.

BY: Okay. And before the war, do you know what she did?

JK: No, I don't remember.

BY: Okay. Do you have any brothers or sisters?

JK: I had one brother.

BY: And what was his name?

JK: His name was Richard.

BY: And when was he born?

JK: He was born six years after me.

BY: Oh, so he's your baby brother then?

JK: Uh-huh.

BY: Yeah, okay. And where did your family live before the war, do you remember? You were very young. So do you know where you lived?

JK: I think we lived in Kent.

BY: Okay. On a farm?

JK: Truck farm.

BY: Truck farm.

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<Begin Segment 4>

BY: And you were only four years old when Pearl Harbor happened, so I'm thinking that you don't remember anything about it, okay.

JK: No, I don't remember anything about that.

BY: Okay. And your family, do you know, were they sent to an assembly center from Kent? Were they sent to Puyallup, do you know?

JK: They were sent to Puyallup, yeah.

BY: Puyallup. Do you remember anything about that?

JK: No, I don't.

BY: Okay, you were pretty young. And then after Puyallup, typically families went to Minidoka. Did your family go to Minidoka?

JK: I think so, I think so.

BY: And do you remember anything about that?

JK: No, I don't remember anything.

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<Begin Segment 5>

BY: So I understand that your family was only in Minidoka for four months, a very short amount of time. Do you know where you went after that?

JK: Well, we were kind of lucky because we had relatives that lived in Montana, and if you had friends or relatives that could take care of you off the West Coast, you could get out of camp. And so that's what we did. And we had a cousin that lived, my father had a cousin that lived there, so that's why we were able to get out, probably after six months or so, and go there.

BY: And do you know which city or where in Montana it was?

JK: I'm not sure.

BY: Okay, that's all right. And so your family got out of Minidoka, went to Montana. What did your father do when he got there?

JK: Oh, I remember, Great Falls, Great Falls.

BY: Great Falls, okay.

JK: My father did farming in Great Falls, sugar beets and potatoes, raised.

BY: Okay. So again, truck farming. I feel like someplace I also, either you told me or I heard that he also worked on a dairy. Do you know anything, is that right?

JK: Yeah. When we first moved there, he worked at a dairy farm.

BY: Okay. And do you know, was he able to buy his own land in Montana?

JK: You know, I don't know about that.

BY: Okay. Or I was wondering if he maybe was a sharecropper.

JK: I don't really know.

BY: Okay, all right. And then during that time, what did your mother do, after you got out of Minidoka and went to Montana?

JK: Well, she kind of took care of us. And I think, I don't think she worked, really, I mean, other than take care of us.

BY: Well, and it sounds like your brother was probably born during the war, right?

JK: Yeah, he was six years younger than myself.

BY: He was born during the war. And so you were four or five years old when you left Minidoka and went to Montana. Do you remember going to school in Montana?

JK: Oh, yeah.

BY: What do you remember about that?

JK: It was cold during the winter, and I had to walk, I think like two miles to school. And it snowed so much, so spent a lot of time in boots and outfits that were, covered my whole body. [Laughs] It was one of those things that when you got to school you were all wet, when you went home, after you got home, you were all wet.

BY: Did you walk to school by yourself or did your mom take you?

JK: No, I walked by myself.

BY: Were there other kids that you walked with?

JK: Well, not exactly where we lived, there were no kids. But it was so safe that you just did it in those days.

BY: And do you remember anything about the school that you went to? Like was it a big school, a little school?

JK: Well, it was a tiny school. I was probably the only Japanese person there. But all I can remember is that it was just always so cold, it seemed like, all the time. But it was isolating because I was probably the only Japanese person there. Everyone else was hakujin.

BY: Did you have any hakujin friends?

JK: No, because we lived so far away that I really didn't have friends.

BY: And you said that your father's cousin lived there. Did you visit that family very much, and did they have kids that you could play with?

JK: You know, I don't remember playing with the kids, but I know that we would visit like maybe once or two weeks or something like that.

BY: What other memories of Montana do you have except that it was cold?

JK: That's probably the main thing.

BY: Is there anything else you remember?

JK: Well, no, I don't. [Laughs]

BY: Okay, that's all right.

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<Begin Segment 6>

BY: Alright, so do you remember how long your family lived in Montana before they returned to Seattle?

JK: Gee, I don't remember. It was like three or four years, I think.

BY: Okay, and so when you... so three or four years, so it must have been around 1946. So after the war, you came back to Seattle, and where did you live?

JK: You mean when I came back here?

BY: Yes.

JK: Well, I had an auntie who lived, she had a big house and her husband was a doctor. So they were pretty well-off compared to a lot of other Japanese families, and so we lived with them for at least a year and a half or two years because it was such that we didn't have a lot of money, so they took us in.

BY: And at that time, then, when you came back to Seattle, you said that your father started an insurance agency. Did he do that right away or was that a little later?

JK: Well, insurance, more real estate.

BY: Oh, real estate.

JK: He had a really good hakujin friend that he met through the Episcopal church who helped him get set up to take the, to study for the real estate exam and to help get his license and stuff like that. So he was really lucky to have someone to help him.

BY: And do you know the name of that friend's name who helped him?

JK: I don't.

BY: But he had met him through Saint Peter's Episcopal Church, is that right? Or is it a different...

JK: I think so. I'm not positive, but I think so.

BY: Okay. And so was the church an important part of your family's life?

JK: Oh, yeah, it was.

BY: Do you recall what kinds of things you did, what kinds of church activities you participated in?

JK: Well, we went to church every Sunday, and usually maybe once during that week, they had some kind of activity.

BY: And they would do those?

JK: Uh-huh.

BY: And were you as a child involved in youth group or sports or anything like that at the church?

JK: Well, it was a tiny church, so there were maybe like between a half a dozen to eight kids. So it wasn't like there were a lot of kids there. So we didn't really have organized anything.

BY: And so you lived with your relatives for a while. Do you recall when it was that you moved out and then where did you move to?

JK: Well, my auntie, her husband was a doctor, so they had a home on Beacon Hill. And we lived, we found a house on Beacon Hill about a mile and a half away. And we probably stayed with him for about a couple years and then we moved to our own house.

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<Begin Segment 7>

BY: And so what school did you go to?

JK: Beacon Hill Elementary School, which was a block away from my house, which was really nice and close.

BY: Uh-huh. And how did you like school?

JK: You know, I guess I didn't like or dislike school, you just went in those days.

BY: And in those days, what was the racial ethnic makeup of the neighborhood that you lived in?

JK: Oh, it was white.

BY: White?

JK: Yeah.

BY: Were there other Japanese families or Japanese Americans?

JK: Not that I could recall.

BY: How about at the school? Were there Japanese students?

JK: No, I don't recall that. But later on, I went to Franklin High School, and then there were some other Japanese there. But, you know, I think mainly it was, my friends were all white.

BY: Okay, all right. And did you ever go to Japanese language school?

JK: No, I didn't.

BY: And besides the church, were there any other Japanese American activities that your family participated in?

JK: No, church was really a mainstay for our family.

BY: Okay. So you went to Beacon Hill Elementary and then Franklin High School. And what kinds of activities were you involved in when you were in high school, do you recall?

JK: Well, they had a sports, women's sports club or something like that. I participated in that and I think that's about it. Because I lived so far away, it was always, you were trying to walk the two or three miles home, so I didn't stay a lot for activities after school.

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<Begin Segment 8>

BY: And what did you do then after you graduated from Franklin?

JK: I went on to the University of Washington.

BY: And what did you study?

JK: Nursing.

BY: And did you graduate, did you get a nursing degree then?

JK: Yeah, I did.

BY: And during those college years, what kinds of, besides going to school and studying, what kinds of activities were you involved in, do you recall?

JK: Well, I think not a lot of activities, because I guess it was traveling back and forth that took so long that I didn't spend that much time.

BY: And do you recall, did you take the bus, is that how you would get to and from?

JK: Yes.

BY: So you didn't live in the dorms, you lived at home?

JK: Uh-huh.

BY: And what made you decide to study nursing?

JK: Well, I think it was because... I was so idealistic at the time about taking care of other people or helping other people, that kind of sense of it.

BY: Did you know anyone who was a nurse, who was a role model for you?

JK: Well, I had an auntie that was a nurse at one point, and so I kind of watched her as she came and went from our house off and on. She'd talk about different things.

BY: Was this the auntie whose husband was a doctor?

JK: No, different one.

BY: Okay. So thinking back to Seattle, living in Seattle after the war, do you recall any experiences with prejudice or discrimination that you or any member of your family endured?

JK: You know, there wasn't really blatant discrimination against me, but it was subtle sometimes, I think, and you sensed something that you didn't exactly call it racism. It was just, you just knew that there was, you sensed something, and so you just kind of stayed away from people like that.

BY: Do you recall any particular incident where you felt like, oh, this doesn't feel good?

JK: Not that I can recall, but I think I did.

BY: Okay.

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<Begin Segment 9>

BY: All right, so you graduated from UW with a degree in nursing. Then what did you do after that?

JK: Well, I got married before I graduated, so actually my nursing career was really short. And I worked at Harborview Hospital for maybe six to eight months after I graduated.

BY: Okay. And by then you were married?

JK: Yeah, I was.

BY: So what's your husband's name and when...

JK: His name is Henry Akio Kumasaka.

BY: Okay, and when was he born?

JK: He was born three years before me. So 1934 he was born.

BY: Okay, and where did he grow up?

JK: He grew up in Seattle.

BY: And how did you meet?

JK: At college.

BY: Do you recall, was it at a dance or did you have a class together?

JK: Well, you know, in those days, the Japanese kids would take their bag lunches and they'd eat in the library, everyone. I mean, there was no lunchroom or anything so... well, maybe there was a lunchroom, but all of us came from home, and we took our bag lunches and ate in the library, and that's where I met him.

BY: And what was your first impression of him?

JK: Well, I thought he was very sweet and very kind, and very nice-looking.

BY: Okay. And so then tell me about your courtship and marriage then. What happened?

JK: Oh. Well, a lot of it revolved around the fact that we were at the university together. So we would go off at lunchtime or after school, and we'd go down to different locations just to see the scenery and stuff like that. And that's kind of how I got to know him.

BY: And where did his family live in Seattle?

JK: They lived on, in the CD.

BY: And so he was a little older than you, so he must have graduated before you did?

JK: Yeah, he did.

BY: And then what did he do?

JK: He was an engineer. Where was his job? I think it was for Boeing.

BY: Okay.

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<Begin Segment 10>

BY: And so you got married... you got your nursing degree, you got married, and then it sounds like, then what did you do after that? You said you worked...

JK: Oh, I worked for probably about a year or two after he got married, and then we started having kids. So by then, you know, life became more family-oriented.

BY: And how many children did you have?

JK: Four.

BY: And can you tell me their names and when they were born?

JK: Kyle is the oldest, Carrie, my daughter, Colby and Cory. So three boys and one girl. When was Kyle born?

BY: It's okay.

JK: I can't remember.

BY: He's the eldest.

JK: Yeah.

BY: And he lives in Seattle still?

JK: Uh-huh?

BY: And do the other three children also live in Seattle?

JK: No. Carrie lives, my daughter lives in Montana, and then I have one of the younger kids that lives in California.

BY: And do you have any grandchildren?

JK: Do I have any grandchildren? Yeah, I do, let's see...

BY: That's okay. Okay, all right. So thinking back, so it must have been in the 1960s that you were raising your kids. You were raising four kids in the 1960s. So thinking back to that time, what was life like for you?

JK: Well, I think it was kind of busy.

BY: What kinds of things do you remember doing?

JK: Well, you know, taking them to their swimming lessons and whatever other lessons they had, and taking them to different activities. So it was mostly, that was, you know, a lot of what I spent my time doing.

BY: And were you still active in the Episcopal church at that time?

JK: Yeah.

BY: And so your husband also went to the same church?

JK: Well, he was actually more... he was part of the Japanese Methodist Church when I first met him. But he switched over to the Episcopal church, but it was really more my taking, getting involved in the church. And he kind of...

BY: Joined in.

JK: Joined in, but it wasn't like he was really active.

BY: And what kinds of things did you do at the church?

JK: Oh, at the church? Well, they had things like coffee hours, they had different kinds of meetings to have Bible study or prayer or whatever, those kinds of things. So I got involved in those things.

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<Begin Segment 11>

BY: And were you involved in your children's school activities at all?

JK: Yeah.

BY: What kinds of things did you do?

JK: Well, you become the homeroom mother if you have a kid in a certain room. And basically did PTA stuff like other mothers do.

BY: So I understand that you eventually served on the Seattle School Board. Can you tell me about when that was and how that happened?

JK: When was that? I was on the school board for eight years.

BY: Eight years?

JK: Yeah. The terms are four years, so two terms. Well, I don't know how to... you know, it was part of whatever I did. I don't really think of it as anything that special.

BY: But it meant that you had to go out and campaign, is that right?

JK: Yeah.

BY: It was an elected office, it meant that you had to do public speaking, it meant that you had to represent the school district. So what made you decide to do that?

JK: What made me decide to do that? Well, I just thought it was would be an experience that would be fulfilling for myself as well as trying to help the general public.

BY: Were there any other women of color who were on the school board at the same time?

JK: No.

BY: Were you like the only one with a bunch of white guys, do you recall?

JK: Well, there were other women on there. There were, like, two or three other women on there. There were two or three other women, I think.

BY: But they were white women? So did you ever feel like, "Oh, I'm a pioneer"?

JK: No, not necessarily. I think I never felt like I was a pioneer or anything other than just the participation was just an important part for me. Because it was just like taking, or getting involved in any other kind of activity where you felt that it would make a difference.

BY: So it sounds like that was an important value to you.

JK: Oh yeah, I thought so.

BY: Is that something that you tried to pass on to your children?

JK: Uh-huh.

BY: And have they also been involved in community activities as well?

JK: I think in their own ways, yeah.

BY: All right. So I also understand that you were involved with the JACL. Can you tell me about that?

JK: Oh, yeah. Well, JACL was an important part because it was supporting the Japanese in a way that the JACL can, which is to support different Japanese in their activities and letting people be involved in a group that was Japanese. And with Japanese issues, Japanese concerns, and I think that's important that you get involved in your own ethnic group.

BY: Were you involved in JACL around the time of the redress movement, do you recall?

JK: I can't remember.

BY: Okay, I was just wondering if you were active at that point.

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<Begin Segment 12>

BY: So thinking back to raising your children, what were some of the important values that you hoped to instill in them? Being involved in the community was one, what other things did you feel like you wanted to...

JK: Oh, well, you know, I don't think you think about it that way, but I thought it was just important to be involved because it would help them as Japanese kids to realize that there are other things other than just being Japanese.

BY: And how important is your Japanese American identity to you?

JK: You know, I don't think about it that way.

BY: Okay, how do you think about it?

JK: [Laughs] Well, just as a person, I guess.

BY: Okay, all right. And what impact did the wartime incarceration have on you? I know you were very young during that time, but do you feel like even though you were very young, it had some kind of an impact on you?

JK: Well, I'm sure it did, but I don't remember very much about... I was so little, I think I don't really remember very much about if I was, if I felt like it was a negative impact. It was just one of those things you went through. It was part of life.

BY: What about your parents? Did you feel, did you observe...

JK: You know, they never talked about it and I don't really know. Because as many Japanese adults, they gaman, and they don't talk about things like that. They don't go, "Oh, poor me, this happened to me." My parents were never like that, so I never felt like they felt impacted, although I'm sure they were about those things at all.

BY: And have you tried to pass on information about that to your children, or do they know about what happened during World War II?

JK: I haven't intentionally passed on anything to them like that, but they've read enough and and they know enough to know that we all went through that. And they were, I think, sensitive enough to understand that these things happened.

BY: So I don't know if you are familiar with the term the "model minority," have you heard that term before?

JK: Yeah.

BY: So what do you think of that idea of Asian Americans being the model minority? Do you agree with it, do you disagree with it, what do you think about it?

JK: Well, I think it's a little stupid. I mean, we are people that live in the United States, we do the best we can as adults to raise our family and to help in society. So I guess I don't really, have really not thought about that, that the model minority might be a Japanese. Although I'm sure there are a lot of people that do.

BY: And then so finally, do you have any advice or words of wisdom that you would like to pass on to your children or your grandchildren? Can you think of anything in particular?

JK: Well, I think the main thing is you need to just be a good person. Be honest, be truthful, and help people. And to be thoughtful enough to realize that you're in a society with other people that might need help, and that you're there to do that if you can possibly do that.

BY: And is there anything else? Any stories or anything else that you would like to share with us?

JK: Well, I can't think of anything right now.

BY: Okay, all right. That's great. All right, thank you, Jan.

JK: Yeah, thank you.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.