Densho Digital Archive - Kay Ikeda Interview (denshovh-ikay-01-0006)

<Begin Segment 6>

JS: So what else do you remember about your younger days growing up in Chinatown?

KI: Oh, after American school, we went to Japanese school, 'cause my dad wanted me to, us to learn Japanese. 'Cause he thought once he became rich enough, he was gonna take the whole family back to Japan. But he never made enough money to take us all back home to Japan. So we went to Japanese school, and I went up to eighth grade in Japanese school, but don't tell me how much I remember, 'cause those kanji and kana and things, I just... when you don't use the language and things, you just forget it all.

JS: So which Japanese school did you go to? Where was that?

KI: I went to the Christian Japanese school. It was a two-story building on F Street. It was only about three blocks from my house. And so after American school, we'd go Japanese school for one hour, then go home.

JS: So can you describe the... this was the Congregational church?

KI: Well, that's how... see, my mom was a Buddhist, but I got involved in the Christian church. So I went to Christian church. And my brother said, "You got to go to church," and he made sure that I went to church every Sunday, and I went. I went to the Christian church.

JS: Did your brother go to the Christian church, too?

KI: No, no, just me. They thought I should get educated in church.

TI: Oh, wait a second. So it's like a double standard. So the boys didn't go to church, but they made you go to church?

KI: Yeah, 'cause I don't remember them coming to church. But yeah, that's a double standard. [Laughs]

JS: So how did you decide to go to the Christian church? Did you have friends going there?

KI: Well, I had a girlfriend that... when I'd go Japanese school, she lived right there, and we became good friends. And so she's the Mrs. Tsuyu Hiura of San Francisco, she was my best friend.

JS: Oh, yes. So you went to Japanese school together, and you went to church together?

KI: Yeah.

JS: And then when your sisters came to...

KI: Live with me when I was nine...

JS: You took them?

KI: Well, we were still friends. I still have her as a good friend.

JS: Good. And you took your sisters to church, is that right? With you?

KI: Yeah.

JS: Did you participate in other activities at the church?

KI: Not very much. I mean, not become a leader or anything like that.

JS: Did you participate in the youth activities?

KI: Yeah.

JS: And then what about... so your father now, he was working out on the farms now? He was not doing tofu?

KI: Yeah, he was doing labor work.

JS: Labor work.

KI: But don't ask me when he passed away, 'cause he went to work in Sanger, because there was work for male Japanese to work out in the farm. And I didn't see him very much, you know. I did drive a car and go out there to see my dad, but I don't know when he passed away. I have to go to the grave site to see what year that was.

TI: Do you know about how old you were when that happened?

KI: Oh, I don't even know how old he was, see, because we weren't that close. I was living in Fresno, he was living in camp, so I don't know.

TI: But this was before the war?

KI: This was before I was even married.

JS: Oh, before you were married?

KI: Yeah.

JS: Wow.

KI: So I don't know what the years were.

JS: Huh. So you and your siblings were living in Fresno, but your father had gone out to the labor camp and was living there.

KI: And was doing work, and that way he could give me money to buy things, you know, I mean, food.

JS: And was your older brother working at that time? He was working at the drugstore, you said. So he had a part-time job. What do you remember about going to school? Do you remember anything about Lincoln school?

KI: Yes, I went to Lincoln school, Edison school. And I didn't go to... a lot of Japanese people transferred to Fresno High, 'cause it was more prestigious to be going to Fresno high than Edison. But I couldn't afford to take the... there was a streetcar that could take you to Fresno High, but I couldn't afford to have the money to go like the other people, I just had graduated from Edison High.

JS: And so you graduated from Edison High...

KI: Yeah, 1941.

JS: 1941. And then did you take classes at the junior college?

KI: No, I took... there was a Mademoiselle sewing school. And that time, all the girls were sort of learning to, how to sew. So I went to Terry Emoto's sewing school, and that's where I learned to sew.

JS: So you learned to sew, and, but you had already learned to sew at Edison, so you had an interest in sewing.

KI: Yes, uh-huh.

JS: Okay.

KI: And so when I was in camp, I used to sew girl's clothes, and then they would sell it at the commissary.

JS: Uh-huh, at the store? Oh, great.

KI: So again, when you have a job in camp, they paid you sixteen dollar a month. Even doctors got sixteen dollar a month in those days. You know, Dr. Taira and whoever doctors were. Yeah, that was very cheap.