<Begin Segment 17>

RP: This is a tape two of a continuing interview with Roy Murakami. Roy, we were talking about one of the families that lived here in the North Hollywood area, the Sakaguchis. And you said that there were four sons in the family that took judo?

RM: Well, four of 'em did. There's more than that but I think it was, there's Chibos... maybe Sanbo didn't do it. I don't know if Sanbo did it. Chibo, Sanbo, Bo, Bo didn't... Bo's the one, the youngest one who didn't do it. But Chibo, their oldest one, he was, he went into the army, dentist. And Sanbo went to camp but he went out and became a doctor. And he helped out in the camp, too, hospital there. Very good. And there was another one, Obo. Obo passed away in camp, got cancer.

RP: I think, yes, he got cancer and died.

RM: -- cancer. Yeah. He was good. Dentist, too.

RP: Uh-huh. So they were, they were teenagers or even older at the time you were taking judo.

RM: Yeah, right.

RP: Uh-huh. So what was the next level up from, yonen?

RM: Yonen? Shonen.

RP: Shonen.

RM: Shonen is thirteen and above to seventeen, sixteen.

RP: Uh-huh. So, what happened to the dojos? They were all disbanded? People left...

RM: Yeah, some of 'em. Or some of 'em that, that somebody owned they, they just kept it. And some they were kept going, like Seinan I think it was kept going with Sergil.

RP: Sergil was...

RM: Teach there.

RP: Uh-huh.

RM: That's when the group comes up.

RP: Oh. So he was asked to take over the dojos. The "Seinen" dojo?

RM: Seinan.

RP: Seinan. Where was that located?

RM: Thirty-sixth Place, around there.

RP: In southern, south Los Angeles?

RM: Yeah, it's, it's near, I guess it's near SC or around there.

KP: So what would Sergil's level been to take over the dojo? Was he a black belt?

RM: He was a second black at that time, I think.

RP: Second dan? And so, so he had a pretty good following of Caucasian students in that --

RM: A little yeah.

RP: -- a few.

RM: It just started so.

RP: Uh-huh.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.