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RP: This is an oral history for the Manzanar National Historic Site. This afternoon we're talking with Henry Nakano. And our interview is taking place at the West Los Angeles United Methodist Church on 1914 Purdue Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The date of our interview is Friday, December 5, 2008. The interviewer is Richard Potashin, our videographer is Kirk Peterson. And we'll be discussing Mr. Nakano's experiences as an internee at the Manzanar War Relocation Center and also his experiences after camp at UCLA, and our interview will be archived in the site library. Henry, can I go ahead and conduct our interview?

HN: Sure, go right ahead.

RP: Thank you for joining us today and sharing your story. Tell me where you were born and what year?

HN: I was born in Los Angeles on the fifth of, eleventh of May, I'm sorry, 1927, to Umazo Nakano and Akiko Nakano. Akiko's maiden name was Nishizaki. And both born in Japan, came to America in 1906, my dad did anyway, Mother in 1919.

RP: And then you... what, from area in Japan were they?

HN: What's that again?

RP: What area did they come from?

HN: Oh, Okayama, Japan, which is right next door to Hiroshima.

RP: Have you been back to, to your...

HN: I've never been back to Okayama but I've been to Japan at least twelve times in my lifetime. First time I went back was 1970. And that was the year of the World's Fair in Osaka. And that's when I went back.

RP: What was your given name at birth, Henry?

HN: My given name is Henry Nakano, no Japanese name like most Japanese parents did. My dad wrote kanjis for Hen-Ri. And so that's how I went by. My kanji were Japanese characters but no middle name.

RP: That's, that's different.

HN: My brothers and sisters all had middle names.

<End Segment 1> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.