<Begin Segment 28>

TI: How about your father's business? Before the war, he had lots of business with Japanese...

WM: Same.

TI: After the war, was it about the same, or...

WM: Same, I think.

TI: So same level, too? Same amount of business?

WM: See, he didn't have no shoe to sell, only fix the shoe. Before, he was making a little bit.

TI: So before the war, he only fixed the shoes?

WM: Yeah.

TI: But he sold some shoes, remember, you said he had to sell the shoes?

WM: Yeah.

TI: But then after the war, he...

WM: Slowed down.

TI: ...slowed down a little bit, okay.

JS: After the war, it was mostly shoe repair?

WM: And sell the shoe, too.

JS: Oh, both?

WM: Yeah. But after that, only fix the shoe.

JS: After, when did --

WM: After camp, we came back.

JS: After camp it was only shoe repair?

WM: Only fix shoe. 'Til my brother took over, Tosh.

JS: Tosh. And Tosh took over about 1950? When did your father retire?

WM: I forget.

JS: You forget.

WM: '48 or '49, something.

JS: Okay, so not too long.

TI: But your oldest brother Tosh took over the...

WM: Yeah, he (took) everything. House -- I could get house, too, money, but Japanese, older brother get it.

JS: Number one son?

WM: Yeah, they're spoiled, man. [Laughs]

TI: Well, that's interesting. When you were growing up, did Tosh, as the oldest brother, did he get, like, special treatment, did you think? Like the oldest son, did he...

WM: Yeah, get everything. He got the shoe shop, everything, and we don't get (any).

TI: And is that okay with you, or how do you feel about it?

WM: Can't help, (couldn't do any), so we got to start from bottom.

<End Segment 28> - Copyright (c) 2009 Densho and Preserving California's Japantowns. All Rights Reserved.