Densho Digital Archive
Manzanar National Historic Site Collection
Title: Sumiye Takeno Interview
Narrator: Sumiye Takeno
Interviewer: Richard Potashin
Location: Denver, Colorado
Date: July 5, 2008
Densho ID: denshovh-tsumiye-01-0007

<Begin Segment 7>

RP: Talk a little bit about your mother.

ST: She was a very quiet person. Of course she would get angry with us sometimes, but very, you know, quiet person. And my father was the one that really ran the family. But, she...

RP: What was --

ST: She was gentle.

RP: You could, could you talk to her a little easier than your dad?

ST: Oh yes, yes.

RP: Confide in her.

ST: Yes. Because he was so authoritative. But he was tryin' to keep us all in, in line. With that many in the family, he had to be strict. And I realized that too. So my mother and I really talked a lot.

RP: And what was her name?

ST: Shizu.

RP: Shizu.

ST: S-H-I-Z-U.

RP: And her maiden name?

ST: Ushio. U-S-H-I-O.

RP: And she came from the same general area as your father?

ST: Uh-huh. I think it was arranged already. So after he came here and settled, I think he sent for her. At least that's how I understood.

RP: So they... right, so they knew each other before he came to the United States?

ST: Yes, uh-huh. They knew each other. The family knew each other.

RP: And so she was kind of spoken for when he --

ST: Yeah, she was kind of probably waiting.

RP: -- decided to begin a family.

ST: Of course, I never talked very... closely all what she went through. But it sounded as though she was kind of waiting.

RP: So what do you remember most about her besides being able to talk to her?

ST: She was a listener. And of course she had difficulty in hearing, too. But, no, she, she was a real soft mother. Kind mother. So...

RP: And... yeah, farm, farm mothers really had a lot to do with the kids and also I imagine she also worked.

ST: Whenever I can't talk with Father, I would talk with my mother and I'd try to get her...

RP: On your side?

ST: Uh-huh. But, no, I really thought a lot about her. Yeah. She, she was always... she didn't say much but she was ready to listen.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.