<Begin Segment 4>

RP: And what do you recall about the... you said that you started, your family started here in the Sawtelle area around 1923 or so. What was it like in 1923 if you can recall? Was it an agricultural area?

TI: It was kind of semi agricultural. In fact, from this area here south, it was all fields.

RP: That's hard to imagine.

TI: Yeah, nothing out here.

RP: Was there a business community here?

TI: Just semi. Just only a few people on Sawtelle Boulevard. But Sawtelle, or Santa Monica Boulevard, maybe out towards Pontius. Few out there, that was about all.

RP: What were farmers growing in this area? Particular crops that you can recall? I was thinking of celery or...

TI: No, I have really no idea. I think a lot of our, at first, was alfalfa. Then later on, naturally, they went into celery and stuff like that.

RP: And where did you live in the Sawtelle area?

TI: A little bit north of here, near Santa Monica Boulevard.

RP: Is that house still around?

TI: Oh, no, it's the city hall here.

RP: It's the city hall?

TI: Yeah. Of course, later on, we bought a house, my dad bought a house around the 1900 block on Colby Avenue, which he had until right in the end of the war, he lost it.

RP: Your father was also instrumental in establishing a Buddhist church in your community?

TI: Yes. One of the fellows that started it.

RP: Oh, he was.

TI: Yeah.

RP: And where was that located?

TI: Right where they're at now.

RP: Oh, it's the same place?

TI: Yeah.

RP: It's the same church all these years.

TI: Yeah, well, it was just a house.

RP: Oh, a house it started in.

TI: An old house.

RP: So that eventually grew to be part of the, sort of, hub of the community? Social activities?

TI: Right.

RP: Was a Japanese language school established at the church at some point?

TI: Not there.

RP: Not there?

TI: It was established down the, down the street here.

RP: At the institute?

TI: Yeah.

RP: Uh-huh. So was he involved in establishing that as well?

TI: Oh, yeah.

RP: You contributed money?

TI: Yeah, whatever.

RP: Whatever was needed. Did you go to language school as a kid growing up?

TI: Oh, yeah. I went there 'til the sixth grade. And I just didn't have any time to go any longer.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.