<Begin Segment 3>

AL: Did your family celebrate like the Tennouheika birthday? Or have a picture of the Tennouheika?

KO: Something.

AO: Well, in most Japanese family in Japan will have a picture of Tennouheika.

KO: No, I don't remember.

AL: Could you explain what Tennouheika means or who that is?

AO: Tennouheika is the emperor of Japan.

AL: See, in the United States we always just say Hirohito, Hirohito, which is very disrespectful right in Japan you would not say his name? Is that true?

AO: The proper way is to say Tennouheika.

KO: We know the name but Tennouheika.

AL: Right.

KO: But then even Tennouheika right down the line, not so smart. Meiji Tennou was very smart but Taisho Tennou is little cuckoo, everybody knows that. Parents talk about it, everybody but he didn't last long.

AL: So for people who might listen to this interview who don't know Meiji Taisho Showa, so Meiji is well we would know as the grandfather of the emperor Hirohito.

KO: Yes.

AL: And then Taisho is his father.

KO: He was a little cuckoo.

AL: Right.

KO: Everybody know that in Japan. And he was reading, what do you call it?

AO: Kokoko.

KO: Yeah, and he was supposed to read it and all of a sudden he rolled up and he looked for the girls. That's a famous story.

AL: Yes, I've heard that story.

AO: I was born in the year of Taisho and my father always mentioned that I was born Taisho Juuichinen, he eleventh year of emperor Taisho.

KO: Everybody, all the Japanese know he was little retarded. I mean, he was supposed to read a New Year's thing, all of a sudden he's reading, all of a sudden he rolled it up and looked for the girls. That's a famous story.

AL: Yes, I've heard that story.

KO: Meiji Tennou was a very smart. And a Showa... his wife was a commoner, you know that?

AL: Tell us about that. What do you know about the Tennouheika Showa and his wife?

KO: Meiji Tennou was very smart, Taisho Tennou everybody knows, all of a sudden he's reading, he's supposed to... all of a sudden rolled up and looked for the girls, that's a famous story but he didn't last... only last fifteen years.

AL: So you were born in the era of Showa.

KO: Showa.

AL: Which is we know Emperor Hirohito in this country.

KO: His wife was a commoner.

AL: So what did you think of, in your family, like how would a Japanese family think of the emperor in the 1930s, like is he a president or is he like the pope?

KO: Well, Tennouheika is Tennouheika. They respect him but Taisho Tennou is cuckoo, everybody knows that, but they still respect him.

AL: Did you ever see the Tennouheika Showa in Japan?

KO: Showa Tennou...

AL: You ever saw him?

AO: Yes, I did.

AL: You did?

AO: One day while I was there he was in his car, that's the Rolls Royce painted color is maroon. With the kikukamon, which is sixteen pedal of chrysanthemum, and everybody was bowing. But I had my camera and I took my camera quick and took a picture.

AL: Typical American. [Laughs]

AO: Which was a no-no but I did. I don't know if I still have that.

KO: Taisho Tennou was little...

AL: Yes.

KO: He's supposed to read the whatever, reading, all of a sudden roll it up and look for the girls, that's the famous story.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright &copy; 2010 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.