Densho Digital Archive - Kenji Ogawa Interview (denshovh-okenji

<Begin Segment 7>

KL: Are there good friends of theirs that you know about from their time in Boyle Heights? Any other people that they used to talk about a lot?

KO: Yeah.

KL: Who do you remember from the Boyle Heights community?

KO: They used to live... but I don't know the name no more. But they used to see Dr. Bo.

KL: Bo Sakaguchi?

KO: Uh-huh.

KL: In Boyle Heights, they knew him?

KO: Yeah. They're all doctor, isn't it? The family?

KL: I think so.

KO: They have a clinic or something?

KL: I don't know a lot about their practice, I just, people come into Manzanar sometimes and remember that he was their dentist. And I think you're right, I think he had a sister who was some kind of doctor, but I'm not sure.

KO: Yeah. They're judo, really active judo.

KL: They Sakaguchis?

KO: I made it one time, judo, my boy was taking judo.

KL: Did your dad study judo?

KO: No, he was a kendo.

KL: He was? Where did he study kendo.

KO: Japan. I took it Japan, too, you know, judo, not for kendo.

RM: When we were looking at your photo album a little bit earlier, there was numerous photos of the guy you called your dad's best friend, and I think it said his name was Higashida. Can you tell us about him?

KO: Oh, he went to Japan. He graduated Waseda University, Japan. Then he finished and came United States. Then the war started, so he had to go home again to Japan. Then he got drafted, after that he died. My dad was already family there, so he don't have to go.

RM: How did he and your father meet? How long had they known each other?

KO: I guess since Japan.

RM: Since your dad was there when he was ten.

KO: Yeah, fourteen, he went to Japan, they met him.

KL: Did your dad go to Waseda University, too?

KO: No, no.

KL: Did either of your parents go to college?

KO: No.

KL: Oh, yeah, your dad was already back in the U.S., I'm sorry.

KO: Yeah, back in the U.S.

KL: There were a couple other pictures, too, of your dad with his car. Would you tell us about his car?

KO: [Laughs] He said he just bought it brand new, then war started, so he had to give it, everything. (...) Then my mom was already eight months.

KL: Pregnant?

KO: Yeah, the camp, (they) have to go to camp, she was eight months. So I don't know if they're joking me, "You're born in a train, you had to go train." So my mom cut it short like a guy, so she wrapped it all with a blanket, you don't want to show stomach, you don't know what's going on, train travel. So you're born on the train, you're going to drop it because you don't know, hospital over there or nothing. So that's why my mom was joking, "You're lucky you didn't born." She cut her hair short and everything.

KL: Did they ever tell you what they remember about learning that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor and that the United States was going to go to war with Japan? Did they tell you stories about what their day was like on December 7th?

KO: But my dad went to Tule Lake and "no-no," you know, loyal to Japan, I guess that's why he went to Tule Lake and went to Japan.

KL: Did he say how he felt in 1941 when the two countries were at war, whether he liked Japan at that time or whether he was more close to the United States?

KO: I guess those people, most of them went to Tule Lake. You know, I guess loyal to Japan. My mom don't want to go back to Japan, she said, "No."

KL: She liked it in California?

KO: Yeah, "I want to stay here." Japan lost, don't have nothing. Why you go home? But my dad side have a house, so I have go see it. Family's all passed away.

KL: Didn't work?

KO: It didn't work.