<Begin Segment 28>

KL: That brings up a really good question that Patricia wanted me to ask, which was you participated in Buddhist life before the camp, but you said you did not in Manzanar. What was the change...

GM: I don't know. I just remember going to one service in camp. My parents never insisted, although they both were very religious, especially Father. But after the war, my father had me go to church for a while to give me my dollar and all that. But then...

KL: Did they go to any meetings in Manzanar?

GM: You know, I don't remember that. I don't remember that.

KL: Did you guys have an altar in your home?

GM: A butsudan? Yeah. My father was, used to do it. In fact, when I was younger I used to imitate him, you know, that chant. Still, my friends, "You want to hear the Buddha thing?" [Laughs]

KL: Did that, how did he respond to that?

GM: No, not to him, but I used to tell my friends. I said, I could do that in Hindu, whatever language they use, and I'd imitate my father.

Off camera: Did you understand what those words meant?

GM: No, not at all, of course not. Just like my wife was a Catholic, and you couldn't understand the Latin, same thing.

KL: Did you guys have an altar in Manzanar in that apartment?

GM: You know, I don't remember that. We might have, I'm not sure. Knowing my father, we probably did. In fact, when I was in Japan to visit him, he had this Buddhist, what did he call it, a bible or something? And he told me before he died, he said, "George I told this police detective that I was going to give this to him, but I want you to have it." And I told him, "No, Papa," and all that, and then I remember he said, "George, you know that the United States is predominately Christian, so that I just want you to compare, that's all, before you choose." And so I said, "Papa, trust me, if I ever come to that point where I feel I need to belong to a church, I will compare. So in the meantime, don't deny this police officer that you said you will give it to," and he said okay. I said, "I promise you." See, I go to Catholic church, but I'm not a Catholic. I mean, I don't go to mass, but I used to tell my wife, "I go to church more than you do," and she's a Catholic. I'd be driving around in Vegas, I think I've gone about three times, I found a Catholic church. I'll go there when there's nobody in there, do my prayer, make an offertory and then leave. Because I don't know any, because my first wife was Catholic. My children were baptized but I don't think they go to church anymore. Anyway, I'm sorry.

KL: Oh, no, no, that's great.

<End Segment 28> - Copyright © 2013 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.