<Begin Segment 10>

JS: So earlier, you were talking a little bit about your mother and how she was very traditional, and on New Year's, you had certain things that you had to do. Describe your mother a little bit more and other things that you learned from her.

BK: Oh, I had the best mother in the world. And she sewed most of our clothes. And it's funny because my kid sister doesn't remember anything other than being spanked. And I said, "I never got spanked." So I don't know why she got spanked and I didn't, 'cause I wasn't a perfect child.

JS: But you had a close relationship with your mother?

BK: Yeah, we used to talk a lot. And, like, especially like New Year's tradition, she said, "This is what I want you to do or not do." I would just go ahead and do or not do. As for my kid sister, she could care less. Well, she was younger, too, so, you know...

JS: How many years younger is the youngest?

BK: Three. And my oldest sister is five years older than I am.

JS: So would your, your older sister would help at the shoe store and boarding house?

BK: Well, she would start doing the cooking and things like that to help Mom. But nobody helped in the store. But I remember going with Dad to the farm and help knock out sunflower seeds. So we know how the sunflower seed gets in the bag, 'cause we knocked 'em out. [Laughs]

JS: So you would help out on the farm sometimes, with your father.

BK: Yeah. Well, it was more for fun than helping. And then like he would take us to a tomato ranch, and he would tell us that, "When you get all that green stuff from the tomato, if you rub it with the tomato, it'll come off."

JS: So your brothers were older. Did they have work that they did in town, or did they go work in the fields?

BK: They worked, I think... I remember my oldest brother working for a farm family. I don't remember too much about my second brother other than he went into the service to kind of take place of my older brother, 'cause my older brother had to get the family ready to move.

<End Segment 10> - Copyright (c) 2009 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.