<Begin Segment 16>

FK: Well, one of the things you mentioned when you were talking was about the Japanese Hall. What can you tell me about the Japanese Hall, how that happened and stuff? Do you remember? I know you were pretty young when that happened, but do you remember about the Japanese Hall? 'Cause I remember a little bit about it 'cause it was up when I was younger, too. So what can you tell me about the Japanese Hall?

TM: Well, they, a bunch before, they must have had a -- they wanted it back, anyway, when this minister of the Congregational church or something, administrating the hall before, when we just come back.

FK: Yeah, I don't know.

TM: Well, they, the Japanese guys wanted it back in the worst kind of way, and when they got it back, well then they found out that it needed a new roof. Cost money to maintain it, I guess. We did put a new roof on it. Then, then nobody wanted to be responsible for the rest of it. I guess they had an annual election or something. I think Ken Nakata got to be president and that, he didn't like that a bit, I guess. He said he would sell it, and he did, I guess. I don't know who all the officers were then, but I know Cicero and them were all active guys in that. I don't even know how much we got for it or anything like that.

FK: Well, how did it get built? Why did they build it and how did it get built?

TM: What?

FK: How did the hall get built, and when, when was it built?

TM: Oh, it was built about 1927, I guess. It was built about the same year that Bainbridge High School was built. I know, I know some people wanted it, when they built it, they wanted it a little bit bigger because you know how that was, it was a little undersized for basketball and stuff. There was hardly any place around the edge for offside line or anything. Some of the people that didn't have children, they wanted, that wasn't a big enough hall, and Japanese school.

FK: So the community members built it themselves? Is that, how did they go about doing that?

TM: Yeah, they built it themselves. I think Mr. Chihara, Chihara was the head of it. They knew enough, a little bit, enough about building something.

FK: So what kind of events did they hold at the Japanese Hall?

TM: I know the JACL, I think there was a branch of JACL that had, the old guys had the emperor's birthday, I guess, they celebrated something. There were several different days that, celebrations there. That hall wasn't necessary to do all that stuff. But, I mean, it didn't have to be that big. The only thing is that to play basketball, you had to be regulation size. And I think it wasn't even that. It was a little too small for that. And it had judo there, I guess.

FK: Where was the hall?

TM: Huh?

FK: Where was it? Where was the Japanese Hall?

TM: What was it?

FK: No, where?

TM: Oh, it's right up there on Grow, Grow Avenue. You know where the Olympian Condominium is? I think it was right directly south of that. It was set back little bit farther back from the street than the Olympian. It was about twice as far as the Olympian is from the hall, from the city street. I remember the guy that bought that. He built a house inside of the hall, you know. And then after he was done, he tore the outside down. I think it was, was that Frank Vivran? Or somebody, anyway, that bought... so the original foundation, I think, is still there, with another house on top of it. But the original hall was torn down, that's why you don't see it there.

FK: Was there, when they decided to sell it, was there much debate as far as selling it, or did everybody agree to sell it?

TM: No, there was no debate about it, I guess. That, I think it was about, right about 1960, my mother was dying, and I didn't go to any of those meetings. I didn't know it was sold or I mean, it was up for sale or anything. There was a... Mr. Katayama, I think, would have bought it if he knew it was for sale. He was, Rosenbaum, Leigh Rosenbaum said he'd buy that thing if it was for sale. I don't know how he ever got a hold of it.

FK: Okay, well, is there anything else you want to say or tell me before we end this interview?

TM: No, I don't have anything.

FK: Okay. Well, thank you, you did well. [Laughs]

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.