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SF: How about the relationship between the Protestant groups -- the Protestant Japanese groups and the Buddhists? I mean, how would you characterize their relationship, you know, in the early days among the Isseis?

PN: Yeah. That's a very meaningful question because -- speaking out of my own experience -- my mother came from Japan, although my father was born in Canada. And, and he was Christian because of his background and training. But my mother was Buddhist. And she maintained a lot of her cultural and Buddhist beliefs. But it became expedient for her to become a Christian, being in America, because the family was more or less Christian. But she maintained a lot of her Buddhist beliefs and associations. So there was sort of the integration of her Buddhist culture and beliefs with her Americanization. And that way there was sort of a compromise, and yet there was -- as far as affiliation was concerned -- more towards the Christian groups.

SF: In your early childhood you went to quite a few different kinds of churches, I understand. Is that right?

PN: Uh-huh. Yes.

SF: How did you then sort of commit to being a Baptist? How did you get to that? Why did you choose the Baptist denomination?

PN: You know, when we lived -- we used to live near Little Tokyo, Los Angeles -- so we made our rounds to the various Japanese churches. There was a Japanese Free Methodist Church right there on First Street, and we went there -- you know the socializing and feeling comfortable with your own. Then we went to the Buddhist church just briefly. They had a Sunday school, the Nishi Hongwanji. And we, we enjoyed that for a bit. But we felt, in America -- the western way, the English language, everything else is connected with the Free Methodist group. So we were more inclined to be that way. Then we joined a club, "All Nation Boys Club." It was essentially led by a person who was going to be a missionary to Asia, but because of physical reasons he was not able to go. And he started this boys club. And it was an "All Nation Boys Club." And a lot of Japanese young people used to go there. And we mixed in with every kind of -- Los Angeles being a real cosmopolitan city, we just interacted with all the different nationalities. This was one wonderful family. And then in that boys club they had a church, All Nations Methodist Church. So we just naturally started to go to that church, and there's where we got our Christian background. And then when we moved to Boyle Heights -- which was the most densely populated area for Japanese -- then my friends in high school were going to this Japanese Baptist Church. And Evergreen Playground, right next to the church, was where we used to hang out over the weekend, especially Sundays, playing basketball, baseball, whatever. And my buddies and friends were going to that Japanese Baptist Church. And they persuaded me, "Why don't you come and join us?" And because of the friendships, we started. And so that little background, in the "All Nation Boys Club" and the Methodist church there influenced us, together with the schoolmates and friends persuading us to go to the Japanese Baptist Church. So I got started and became a Baptist.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.