Densho Digital Archive - Irene Yamauchi Tatsuta Interview (denshovh-tirene-01-0016)

<Begin Segment 16>

KL: You said your grandmother died shortly after you arrived in Minidoka.

IT: Uh-huh.

KL: I mean to ask you what your memories of her in Puyallup are. Do you have any memories of her?

IT: Just that she was real strict and she was upset when we went to another church. That's about all I remember.

KL: How did her death affect you?

IT: Not really. I didn't know her that well.

KL: Do you remember her memorial service?

IT: I just remember we went to the church and, 'cause she had died. Well, I don't even know if it was a church then, but it was, I think it was, I don't know why, I think it's Block 13, I don't remember. And I think she's the one that, we put a, they gave me a flower to put on her, her casket. And in those days we had open caskets, I think. Nowadays they keep it closed, it seems. I don't know.

KL: I'm sorry, these are kind of hard questions to ask and I'm sure, in some cases, to answer, but what happened to her body? Was she buried at Minidoka?

IT: No.

KL: Or was she cremated?

IT: Buddhists usually cremate, yeah. When my mom died, we cremated her and we had her ashes in our house for quite a while. Then we buried her in her brother's place in Seattle. Well, this was in Seattle, and then when my brother bought a plot they transferred my mom's ashes. But my mom had a son, or my parents did, four years before my brother was born. I asked my aunt, well, it's four years to the date, so it was kind of interesting, but I asked her, "How come they waited so long?" or something. And I think she had, I don't know, they just couldn't hit it on the right day or something. He was born at home, and I think he was premature, but anyway, I think he lived a week. That's what I recall, but I don't know.

KL: Did you have your grandmother's ashes in your home in Minidoka?

IT: No, because in Japanese culture the first son takes care of things, and I think he probably took care of all that.

KL: I see. Did you have an altar in Minidoka, a household altar?

IT: I don't think so, no.

KL: Do you remember any other Buddhist holidays or services or anything about the church or the community in Minidoka?

IT: I don't remember. I'm sure we went to church, but I don't remember it. Not in Minidoka. I should have remembered it, but we did spend a lot of time in Seattle afterwards.