<Begin Segment 22>

BF Talking again about sort of the period before your, your entering college, and everyone's working at the store, were, were some of your siblings more interested and more enjoyed working at the store more than others? Did you...

TM: Well, yeah, I think so. But as the business started to establish itself, the younger siblings spent more time in school and outside activities. And then they went away to college too, some of the younger ones.

BF: Oh really?

TM: Yeah. Like Tomoko went away to, what's the one in Spokane, and then Toshi went to Reed in Portland and things like that. Then my sister worked for awhile and she did not go to, you know the oldest sister that was in Japan, and got married fairly soon after high school and so there was different levels of -- we all kind of worked together and equally maybe during junior high and high school but after that we kind of, my older brother went away to army for two years. He was drafted I think or something like that. So there's different levels of involvement.

BF: Was it sort of understood -- how much was, or was it ever discussed as a family who would take over the business and who was expected to fend for themselves? Or was this something that your father just kept in his head?

TM: Well he kept in his head, but it was fairly obvious that he thought that Gunner, Kenzo, who was the oldest should kinda take over. That was just the natural thing to do I guess, so he went to Seattle University because it was only five minutes away from where our house was. So he took business-related courses and things like that. The others were probably not told to fend for ourselves, but we pretty much went to school. But anyway, my, Kenzo went to business school of some kind. But myself and my next brother Akira, we both studied engineering. Toshi studied chemistry, I guess, and Tomoko I guess it was arts or something like that. And Hisako, gee, I don't know what she studied. I guess it was home economics or something like that. So, I don't think he sat down and said, "You better prepare yourself to take over this business." That wasn't what we were told. And probably, because he didn't think the business was gonna grow this much, or like I say, looking back, he probably either thought that one, one of the sons, oldest son probably could take over, and/or he was still thinking of going back to Japan. And he, he was probably thinking of going back to Japan until my sister's first daughter, or his first granddaughter was born. Then I think he started to change his tune because I think the first thing he did was go out and buy a cemetery plot. And went after citizenship. So I think at that time. I always say he was looking for an excuse. And when the first granddaughter was born I think that was the right excuse to say well he doesn't have to go back to Japan anymore.

BF: That's interesting that in the back of his mind -- this is a long time now. And the kids are established and the business is established, but in the back of his mind there was a part of him that still was considering returning to Japan.

TM: Well, you know, I'm sure he made a vow when he left Japan that he'll be back. And in the 1950s or '60s or late '50s anyway, there were two very healthy, and two sisters in Japan that he visited often, very nice people. So I'm sure he had some mixed emotions about gee, I promised these people I'll be back, and there's the house there for him, and some of his friends there. So I could see where it would be natural for him to continue to think, well going back is not such a bad thing.

BF: But it would have probably at that point just been he and his wife?

TM: Most likely. [Laughs] By then, except for the youngest siblings, we were pretty much... I don't know, I'm sure if he said we have to go back we would have. But I, if we were given our own choice, I'm sure by then we would have stayed here.

BF: That's interesting that you just said that if he really put his foot down and said he wanted everyone, you would have gone back.

TM: Oh, I'm sure. That's, there's no doubt about that.

BF: Really?

TM: Until I -- even out of college, I'm guessing that if he said we all must go back, I'm sure we would have.

BF: But you had just spent your entire life in...

TM: Yeah, but you know -- I don't know when -- I visited first time in Japan in '61 or something like that, so I was almost out of college, or maybe out of college, so it wasn't bad. Like I say, very nice people. It was rural, but comfortable. So, but I'm sure if my dad, about up to that, for sure right out of high school if I didn't go to college, if he says we gotta go back, I'm sure we all would've gone back. Yeah.

BF: Wow.

TM: That's just the way we were brought up. I don't think that's unique in our generation. And that's kind of the reason why we all went to relocation camp, because we were culturally, what's, we tend to follow the leader I guess. And that's the good part and the bad part of the Japanese culture.

BF: Do you think your kids would relocate?

TM: Oh, no. They're pretty Americanized. But even through high school I think they would.

BF: Now when you graduated from high school, you went to college...

TM: Uh-huh.

BF: And you went into the University of Washington.

TM: Uh-huh.

BF: You said majoring in engineering.

TM: Uh-huh.

BF: Mechanical engineering? Or --

TM: Yes.

BF: So you had no plans on going into the business? I mean you really --

TM: No, you know, I don't think we really even thought of it. We just, it was there, and it was a way of life, but that was just something that, like high school or something, you would just do what you had to do and go on to the next phase. 'Cause I'm sure if I had any inkling, I would've at least studied you know, basic business, or accounting, or something. But none of that. I didn't even study Japanese. Technical schools at that time, I don't even know, know now, but foreign language was not required. If it was, I'm guessing I would have studied Japanese or something. Or Chinese if we knew we were gonna do business in Asia. But no, I have to honestly say, when I went into college, and even when I got out of college and went to work, applied at a couple of companies, technical companies, and Boeing hired me. But there was no thought of -- maybe helping my brother and mother on weekends, but I never thought of becoming a lifelong vocation.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.