<Begin Segment 2>

MH: After you graduated from high school, what did you do?

KG: What did I do? Well, I went to... what is it, post graduate for, I took up a little more sewing because I took up Home Ec. in high school. So I went on to Girl's Poly for a whole year. That was about all that I did. And then I helped on the farm after that. And then what happened after that? It was 1937 when I got married, so I was out of high school for what, almost five, six years. I got married, usual Japanese style. And then --

MH: What do you mean by Japanese style?

KG: Well, what is it, baishakunin type. You know, there was none of this dating stuff. It was all right. Then from there, my father got sick, so we didn't farm anymore. We, my husband was working in the sawmill, but that wouldn't take care of my parents too with my sisters. So we went out to Columbia Boulevard, and one of the fruit stands were out there were up, they wanted to sell it. So we went there, and I think we were there, golly, not too long. I can't remember how long it was, but I had Jean and Ronnie by that time. Then the war came along. So that was the end of that life, and the rest of our life was spent in the concentration camp for the full time because nobody wanted, I had the two small children, so we couldn't go out at our free will.

MH: How did you feel about that?

KG: That's a part of life that I don't talk too much about. I didn't, I could be real... shall I say it, nasty. I just didn't feel that it was right. That's all I can say in that respect. I don't have any hate. It's just that I just close the book on it because it's part of my life that's unpleasant.

MH: Going back to your husband, you said your marriage was by baishakunin?

KG: Yeah.

MH: What do you mean by baishakunin?

KG: Oh, my goodness. [Laughs] I don't remember who in the heck were in charge of that one, but I think, I think one of them was Mr. Niguma. Well anyway, they got, this chap, somehow they got a, you know, they was looking for a wife as they said in those days. They kind of get you together to see if you're compatible and that was that.

MH: Was your husband a Nisei or was he --

KG: No. He was Japan-born, but I'm kind of an easygoing person, so, you know, it was pretty easy for me to be, you know, compatible. He was a nice enough guy. So I thought well, okay. And I was twenty-three years old. That was old for a girl to be roaming around unhitched in those days.

MH: Where were you married?

KG: At Milwaukie, our grade school that we used to go Japanese school.

MH: The old Japanese school.

KG: The old Japanese school, and I think that building is still there.

MH: Who arranged the wedding, you know, the wedding party?

KG: I know one of them was Mr. Niiya, and I think the other one was Mr. Niguma, but I'm not sure. But I do remember Mr. Niiya because he was acquainted with people that worked in the sawmills and Elaine knew my husband.

MH: Did you have a Japanese style wedding?

KG: Both. We was, I think it was Konko first, and then we took off our outfits, and we got into our regular wedding dress.

MH: What do you mean by outfits?

KG: Japanese kimono, the whole attire, you know. That dress now is, my mother made it into a futon cover, so we don't have that. My sister, my daughter was kind of disappointed. She said she wished she hadn't done that because it was, they don't have that kind of things now days, so it's kind of priceless, I guess. Then we had a wedding dress so --

MH: You mean a regular American?

KG: Yeah, uh-huh, that was it.

MH: And was the Japanese community in Milwaukie invited to it?

KG: There was quite a few people, but I really don't remember.

MH: I remember going.

KG: You do? [Laughs] Fill me in.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.