Densho Digital Archive - John Tomita Interview (denshovh-tjohn

<Begin Segment 3>

KP: So, what was the first school you attended in Isleton?

JT: Grammar...

KP: Which school, do you remember?

JT: Yes, Isleton grammar school, that's the only school there is. Well, they had two grammar school but one across the street and one...

KP: What was the difference between the two schools?

JT: Oh, I remember when we at eighth grade we had to take a county examination to graduate from grammar school. So, I know the lowest grade in the Oriental school was something like eighty-five or something. And that was the highest grade on the Caucasians and we used to fight a lot. Oh, yeah, you know those Caucasians, when they're young, they're much taller and everything. So they pick on the Asian kids 'cause they're small. And a lot of the Asian kids, they don't fight back. And those Caucasian kids used to beat up farmers out in the farm because nobody's there to protect them. And so somehow I was known as a fighter. [Laughs] And it's not a good name but they, they called Kenka Daisho. Kenka Daisho means "fighting kid"

[Interruption]

KP: Okay. We were talking about how you got a reputation of being a fighter?

JT: Oh, yeah.

KP: And what was the word that you said that you were called?

JT: They called Kenka Daisho. That means leader, well, fighting leader. The parents in the little town they called me Kenka Daisho, leader of the fighter. But that Kenka Daisho title is not a good term for, for any kids to be named. But I was known to be... I, somehow I was, when I was a kid seemed like I was pretty big for my age. Yeah, and I'm only fighting with kids that are older than I am. And, somehow since the Caucasian kids are tough, I mean, I remember when we were playing soccer, soccer game get a little close, we have to beat the, the white kids by at least, by double the amount. [Laughs] And if you get close I challenged the kids to come, go behind the backstop so the teacher can't see. We get behind the backstop and we pound each other. [Laughs] I, as I remember I, all I did was just tackle the guy and knock him out. I can't reach him because he's so tall. I tackle him and knock him down and I used to pound him. [Laughs]

KP: So you say in your, in your grammar school, it was an Asian grammar school.

JT: Yes.

KP: What, what sort of ethnic makeup was in that school?

JT: Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos were at that time.

KP: And how did all those different groups get along?

JT: Oh, I think we got along real well because my good friend was Lee Tim, Chinese guy. And I remember he, his father left him, left the family or something and so he, even though he was going to grammar school, he was supporting the family. Lee Tim. I still remember that kid. So, I was really close to him. It seemed like, you know, I never want to fight with kid my age or any kids smaller. I, they come after me sometimes, they, some kids urge them to fight with me but I wouldn't bother. I remember, was it in first grade or something? The kid came after me so I said no don't, don't bother me. And I just touched him and he fell down and he started crying. And I get reported to the teacher that I picked on him. And I say, oh my goodness. But, as I remember... but white I remember anytime they, they don't have to tell me anything. I just go after them. [Laughs]

KP: So, what kind of other activities did you do as a, as a kid in grammar school? You went to school. You helped, did you help out at the store or...

JT: Yeah. Well, as summer get close we spent a lot of time along the river. Yeah, we eat the wild berries and we used to take a rowboat, go across the river to the persimmon farm. We used to steal persimmon. Go up the river here and... oh, the one that cherry tree about a mile from the bridge that we, oh boy, I still remember, I, we were picking cherries up on... I was on the top. I'm always, always the top guy. I had to pick the cherry on the top of the tree and, and the farmer came out and said, he's yellin' and then shot a gun. I don't know whether he was shooting at us or anyway, we heard the shot and boy, all the kids, kids were running already when they heard the hollering. I was still up there. But, I was eating the cherries up there and then when I heard the shot, boy, I didn't climb down. I just jumped down. And as I remember it was about at least twenty feet up there in the air. And I jumped down and man those guys were running already. I passed them up. [Laughs] Got to, to the bridge, under the bridge and hid there. Yeah.

KP: So what, do you have, you said you had an older sister?

JT: Oh yes. I had one older sister, yeah.

KP: And her name was?

JT: Yasuyo.

KP: And she was born...

JT: In 1919 or something. Yeah, nineteen... yeah, she was born early nineteen... see, I was born late 1920.

KP: When, was that all of your brothers and sisters?

JT: No. Then I have two sisters below me and then two brothers below the sisters.

KP: Can you give us their names and the years they were born if you remember?

JT: see Yasuyo was born 1918, 1919, 1918. And then I was born 1920. And then Tomi -- every two years -- so '22, and Aiko is '24, and Bob, Bob is '26, yeah '26. Then Aki is '31 or something. He was the baby, yeah.

KP: Sounds like you were a busy big brother with...

JT: Yes. That's why in camp I was kinda stuck. My older sister, she was a nurse. She was going, she was in her second year of nursing school. And, and she couldn't get accepted from any other nursing that would take her as a second year student because she was Japanese, she couldn't. So, and my sister, Tomi, was at the Sacramento Junior College. So he, she, they, so Yas and Tomi went to Denver and Yas couldn't go to school so she worked as a nurse's aide or something and paid the expenses for Tomi, University of Denver. So Tomi graduated from University of Denver.

KP: This was during the war?

JT: Yes, during the war.

KP: So then, back in your early childhood days, when you're out raiding orchards and getting in trouble with farmers, were any of your brothers or sisters involved in that? Or was it just kids your own age?

JT: No, they weren't.

KP: Okay.