Densho Digital Archive - Shig Kaseguma Interview (denshovh-kshig-01-0018)

<Begin Segment 18>

RP: So you left camp shortly after the "loyalty questionnaire"?

SK: Yeah, I went to school. That came in '93 of September, I think or so.

RP: Oh, '43?

SK: Yeah, I think, of '43. But I went to school in '43, June of '43. I went to Cincinnati.

RP: You went to University of Cincinnati. And was that arranged through the student relocation program? You know, allowing Niseis to continue their education?

SK: Go out? Yeah, as long as you didn't go to the coast, you were allowed to go out. Strangely, that's the funny thing. You're held there because you might be spying and all that. But I think the government realized the folly of the whole thing. It just kind of fell apart. But as long as they were there, now what are you gonna do with them? You know, so each family, if you wanted to go out, and (...) work at some other place, you can. You were given a fare to go out, and $90. It's up to you to figure that out when you come out, you know, go out there and do it.

RP: Why did you choose Cincinnati?

SK: I didn't choose it. That was one of the schools that they okayed people to come out of camp like that. That was a church thing, I think.

RP: They sponsored you?

SK: Yeah (...). Because the person that was our priest in Seattle, was a priest, but he was not ordained. But it was by choice, it wasn't by choice. He became our priest. But then we all went to community church, because he couldn't give the service, Episcopal service, and the wine and the bread. Well, the Bishop of Idaho came in, the Bishop Lewis came in to the camp to see what's going on. And this, the guy that was going to the seminary, he was not a priest, so he made him a... he ordained him right there. He said, "Now you call your people together again." So we became the Episcopal church again, not the community church. And he's the one that instigated all this going out. He talked to the main, to the New York office. And he worked the program where --

RP: Made arrangements.

SK: -- arrangements for us to go out. Which was a great deal for us.

RP: Now this priest who became a priest in camp arranged for you departure to Cincinnati.

SK: Yeah, he was quite a guy.

RP: Was he?

SK: Yeah, he came actually from Japan. He was born in Japan. And he was in Seattle, his brother was our priest. And he encouraged him to come to Seattle and go to seminary. Well, the war broke out, he couldn't go back anymore. Consequently, he stayed with us and his brother went to Tule Lake. He went to Tule Lake, he got grabbed and put into Tule Lake. So we had him. And he was not an ordained minister, but he was a priest. And they called him the priest. And so he went with the whole gang to Minidoka and he did his duty.