<Begin Segment 8>

KL: We were talking a little bit about your religious identity or your mother's especially, religious identities growing up. Would you talk a little bit more about that, what you recall of religious life for your childhood and teenage years?

HF: Well, she was mostly like Tenrikyo. My father was, he would go along with her, so he didn't care what she was. So once a month they would have a service, we would just tag along.

KL: Where was the service?

HF: It was in different homes in the valley. And then, well, let's see, when we came out of camp, my mother went to Church of Jesus Christ, and that's when she decided she's gonna try all different religions.

KL: But she was pretty steady Tenrikyo when you were growing up?

HF: Yes, uh-huh. Pretty steady, she was Tenrikyo pretty steady on that time.

KL: What do you remember of those services?

HF: Well, the services, like any service, you know, after the service, you eat. I still remember...

KL: Did they do doughnuts at Tenrikyo?

HF: Yeah, they feasts they have.

KL: And during the service itself, was there, what was the structure?

HF: The priest would come, and then they would chant and then ring the bells. That's all I remember of that. I don't know what they said, either. I wasn't very religious. When I met my husband and then we got married, he was Buddhist. So then when we were in camp, he decided we needed a place where, to send the children. And there was another fellow, too, he had three girls, and he said, "Yeah, we should start a Buddhist church." So a few, about five of the fellows got together and we started a Buddhist church. And we went to San Francisco and got the okay. So we still have the service once a month. And first we had it at Heritage Square.

KL: This was after camp, this was in Chicago?

HF: It was here.

KL: Oh, in Las Vegas, okay.

HF: In Las Vegas. In Chicago we didn't go to church. Oh, we went to a Buddhist temple, that's right. But here, we didn't have a temple, so the fellows got together and said we needed a place to take the children, you know, have some religious training. So that's when we started this Buddhist church. So they still have it once a month.

KL: When you're in your childhood, in your teenage years, though, do you think your dad... what was your dad's take on religious life?

HF: He doesn't say too much, he was very quiet. And then, of course, he was tired, so a lot of times after the service he would sleep, take a nap.

KL: Yes, day of rest for him, for sure.

HF: Right.

KL: How else were your, was your family part of community life in the San Fernando Valley? You talked about Thanksgiving sort of celebrations and school? Were you guys part of sports or any kind of...

HF: I don't think we played... well, you know, the Japanese school had different activities. So because of my parents, we kind of went to all the activities at the school, Japanese school. They had lots of activities at the Japanese school, like they had picnics and different things, so we were all involved in that.

KL: The whole family?

HF: The whole family.

KL: Where was that school?

HF: It was on... it was in San Fernando. I think the address was on Mott Street, M-O-T-T. I think the school is still there.

KL: Really? It sounds like of like a community center, too.

HF: Yes, uh-huh. I think it turned into a community center after the war.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2013 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.