<Begin Segment 7>

MN: You know, we were, before we changed tapes, we were talking about Americanization through the schools. Before we leave this topic, I want to move you back a little bit to Japanese language school. And I want to know, what were your feelings about going to Japanese school?

KM: I enjoyed going to Japanese school. Number one, because that's when I got to play with my friends for a longer period of time. In English school, only one hour that you have to go out to phys ed, do you get to play. And from eight to one-thirty, you have classes, lunch hour. But in Japanese school you have only one hour Japanese class, the rest of the time is play with your friends. And we have a lot more freedom. And as I said, depending on the season, we will be involved with going out to actually practice baseball, football, softball.

MN: You know, some Nisei have talked about the teaching style or the use of discipline in the Japanese language schools. For you, what was it like?

KM: We had one very interesting Japanese school teacher. He was, he had one leg that's bad, more or less crippled, a short leg. And he was a disciplinarian. And he tried to instill in us stoicism or the ability to endure pain. And on more than one occasion, in my taking different classes from him, you see, I took classes from him maybe first grade, second grade, fourth or fifth grade. But along the way, I remember on maybe two or three different occasions, when it came to the ability to withstand pain, mind over matter, he did this in front of us. At what age, I'm not too sure, but it's a vivid... you've seen pictures of Indian, in India, when they pierce the skin, all that stuff, and nowadays you show all that. But this Japanese school teacher, Mr. Tsumura, he would show us in the course of... Japanese school, you taught different levels. But in different, the same old thing on different levels, let's put it that way. And so I don't know what, but he would get a needle, and in front of the boys and girls, and in conjunction with whatever the topic of, mind of matter, he would pierce the skin with a needle. "See? You can do it." I cannot forget this. He would pierce the needle in his forearm without flinching, to show us that it's just simply "mind over matter."

WN: What did you think when you watched that?

KM: Well, it's something which I would never try to do. [Laughs] But he was a very interesting teacher, and I think he was self-conscious about his bad leg. But I liked this teacher; he was stern, and maybe he reminded me of my father more often than not.

MN: What were your parents' expectations of you when it came to Japanese school?

KM: I don't know, I think they expected us to be there. They never pushed us. I don't recall any homework being sent out. I don't remember any homework, so to speak, or my parents trying to watch over my shoulders to tell me to do this or to do that or to do any homework, I don't recall. As a matter of fact, even in the English school, I don't recall too much homework.

WM: What about getting whacked? Did you get whacked?

KM: No, I don't recall. I don't recall any physical force being used at any time, both in English and Japanese school.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2021 Densho. All Rights Reserved.