Densho Digital Archive - Kenji Ogawa Interview (denshovh-okenji

<Begin Segment 9>

KL: When were you born, what's your birthday?

KO: April 16th, '42.

KL: What do you know about your birth? Do you know who was there or where the hospital was?

KO: I guess the hospital? You remember this? Yeah, we saw the hospital. I said, "This is the hospital?" Next to, not too long...

KL: Yeah. But actually, that hospital was not there yet when you were born.

KO: Oh, no?

KL: Uh-uh. There was a temporary hospital.

KO: Oh, which one?

RM: Yeah, you probably were born in Block 1.

KO: Oh, Block 1?

RM: That's where the hospital was, and then it went to Block 7 later, and then to its later location.

KL: I have notes here, and I don't know if these are things that Richard looked up or what, but it says that Dr. Togosaki assisted your mom with the delivery, and Dr. Kusuyanagi was the -- I can never say this name right -- she applied the anesthesia. And I don't know even if that's true, so I should clarify that, but I did find notes that said that. Do you know either of those names? Dr. Tososaki or Kusuyanagi?

RM: We can probably ask Dr. Kusuyanagi, because she's still alive.

KO: I thought it was Hanaoka, no?

KL: Well, maybe in Boyle Heights, maybe... Dr. Hanaoka is a man, is that right?

KO: Yeah.

KL: Yeah. So maybe he was in Boyle Heights? Or maybe, I don't know, we'll have to look into that. You thought Dr. Hanaoka actually helped her deliver you?

KO: Uh-huh, Hanaoka.

KL: Do you know that name, Hanaoka?

KO: I think his daughter's a doctor, I think.

KL: His daughter's a doctor?

KO: His daughter is the doctor, yeah.

Off camera: There's another doctor, Goto, James Goto.

KL: Yeah. Did your family know James Goto?

KO: Yeah, I think Dr. Goto, yeah.

Off camera: He had a, after the war, he had a practice down in Japanese Town.

KL: Do you know when... did your mom ever get any, did she ever see a doctor before you were born in Manzanar, or did she keep it a secret until she was delivering?

KO: I guess secret. Well, I guess once you go Manzanar, I guess they're all Japanese, so I don't know.

KL: Maybe she felt safer there.

KO: Safer, but you know, you go to train, she was scared, covered everything.

KL: Did they know anything about where they were going?

KO: No.

KL: But she never said whether you were born in a hospital or whether you were born in the barrack?

KO: Uh-uh.

KL: Do you know what their address was in Manzanar?

KO: I think Dr. Bo knows. He knows everything my family. He was 14, babysitting me, taking baseball, everything, you know.

KL: Maybe we can have you two interview each other and I'll sit and listen.

KO: Yeah, I want to see him so bad.

KL: Yeah, I'm excited that maybe you guys will be talking soon. That's the good thing about this.

KO: He knows everything, our family.

KL: But you think your family was in Block 14 in Manzanar, somewhere? And you were telling us a story about your name. Would you, for the recording, tell us about your name? There was some debate about whether you would be Kenji or something else? Tell us that story.

KO: They say a first baby, the government say, owns. My parents said no, too much memory, no way. They gave five dollar, put it in name. My parents said no.

KL: How did your parents feel about being sent to Manzanar?

KO: Then too much happening. They never went back to see Manzanar, never.