Densho Digital Archive - Jiro Sugidono Interview (denshovh-sjiro-01-0012)

<Begin Segment 12>

TI: So Jiro, we're gonna start the second part. And so the first part we talked more about before the war. And now, I'm gonna now jump to December 7, 1941, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Can you tell me where you were when you heard about the bombing of Pearl Harbor?

JS: Oh, I remember, the reason I remember is we had a radio on the car coming home from work, I think we went to either Hollister or Gilroy, I don't know, either picking apple or something. And, 'cause at that... I don't know, that was winter months, so we heard that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. But I don't know if... I don't remember if I got really excited or not, you know. Anyway, of course, at that time, I was only... not even eighteen, eighteen, around there. Anyway, I don't remember too much about that. All I know is I just heard it on the radio, the car radio and then we came home. And then the city start -- well, it wasn't the city, it was the army starting saying that, okay, all the Japanese people, especially the "aliens," have to move from the west side of Main Street to, to east side. 'Cause the west side of Main Street was by the side of the ocean, Pacific Ocean. Then our garage was, house was right by the west side, and all the aliens like the Japanese alien, the Italian and Germany, had to go on the other side. So my father and mother rented a place on Bridge Street, it's just a half a block away, and a Japanese family owned it, Mr. Yoshida, and we called that "clubhouse," 'cause they got a small place to eat and sleep. And every time to eat, we went over there to eat and then come home. And that's how it was before we got evacuated. And they had a curfew --

TI: Well, I'm curious about the Main Street boundary again. So why do you think they made Main Street the boundary? Did that make sense?

JS: (Yes), because that, 'cause anything on the west side is right by, toward the ocean, see, and they don't want no alien to be spying or what they (might do).

TI: But why did they make it right down the middle of town? Why didn't they make it like maybe the west boundary of town?

JS: (Yes), that's right. It was all the way through (north) and south Main Street, it was the boundary. Anybody west side of Main Street had to move to the east side, and the boundary was Main Street, that goes (south and north).

TI: And so your father's shop, was that on the west side or the east side?

JS: (Yes), the west side, see.

TI: So he couldn't work then after that.

JS: No. No, that's right. He moved, so... in fact, when the war broke out, I don't think, I don't know if he closed it or what, but, (yes). To think about it, I don't know if he did work.

TI: But your, so your mother and father couldn't go on the west side of Main Street because they were aliens or Issei, first generation. But you and your brother, you could go on the, on the west side.

JS: Oh, (yes), we lived there on that (side), where the (house is).

TI: So your parents lived someplace else?

JS: (Yes). In fact, we were separated. That's where a lot of, (yes), a lot of Isseis had to do that. There was, but, see, there's a lot of Italian in Watsonville. I don't know, they did that, they moved one day, before we know it, he'd get back the next day.

TI: Oh, so the Italians went back to the west side?

JS: Oh, (yes). Their guys, Corsetti, he's a big shot in Watsonville, and I don't think they allowed that, I don't know.

TI: Oh, so initially, they said all "enemy aliens," and it'd be Japanese, German and Italian, had to be on the east side.

JS: East side.

TI: East side. But then you're saying the Italians after a while just went back --

JS: Oh, (yes), that's what I noticed, a lot of 'em came back.