<Begin Segment 4>

BH: Was your family connected to the Japanese community?

DH: Well, when we lived in Oswego, we were pretty much away from the Japanese people. Except there were a few who lived in Sherwood and further away. We went to Japanese school in Sherwood, we did that. But when we moved to Fairview, we went to Gresham Japanese school. But through our, mostly through family and other people we met, because Dad took us to judo, so we all were judo people.

BH: And where were judo lessons?

DH: Well, judo lesson was in Portland on Third Avenue, and it was all, where old Matsuma lived, but that was Obukan under the Foster Hotel, that's where we went to judo. And I can't remember, I was eighth grade or something, and then I started, because my brothers already went. So I got to go join them.

BH: Who else was working on their judo skills at that time at Obukan?

DH: The big wheels? Was like Jack Yoshihara, Bill Saito, Sato, Art Sasaki, I remember he was my teacher.

BH: Was your family involved in one of the local temples or churches?

DH: No. Dad went and took us in to Buddhist temple probably once a year, but we just sort of stayed on the side. So I never had too much.

BH: What was your parents' attitude about living in America?

DH: Well, I know my mother wanted to go back when she first came over here because it was so lonely and dark. And Dad, I think he liked to live over here, but he wanted to go back and see the family and tell him how well he was doing. But he never got that chance 'til after the war.

BH: It sounds like you went to two different Japanese schools. What was that like?

DH: Well, that's because when we were, when we went to Sherwood, we lived in Oswego. But when we went to Gresham, we lived in Fairview. We moved to Fairview in 1936, the whole farm and bigger farm. He rented more spaces and acreage and so on.

BH: So did you go to elementary school out in Fairview?

DH: I went to grade school, one room grade school called Hazelia in Oswego, right off the, not very far from Tualatin and Lake. But it was a one-room school, my dad, my brother, he was a boiler, he had to start the fire, the heat for the school and so on. And we walked there to school rain or shine or snow. I always tell my kids we had to walk to school in bare feet. [Laughs]

BH: When you first went to grade school, what language did you speak?

DH: I must have spoken mostly Japanese, because it was to Mother. Dad was always working and he was gone, so... except during dinner, we always had dinner together.

BH: And so you learned English at school?

DH: I guess. [Laughs]

BH: Were there other Japanese families at your school?

DH: No, just us.

BH: Just you and your brothers?

DH: Uh-huh.

BH: When you went to school, did you take your lunch or did you get lunch there?

DH: Yes. Mom made lunch for us. During the bad rainy days, Dad took us on the truck to school. Otherwise we walked.

BH: So you didn't go barefoot in the rain and snow.

DH: No. Well, we had one of those, one boots for everything.

BH: Did your mom fix Japanese food for your lunches?

DH: No, mostly we had sandwiches, different kinds of sandwiches. And because of, out in the country like that, we had, baker came in with, in a big truck, and Japanese people came in from Portland to sell. That's where she bought all the Japanese food and things that she needed.

BH: That was a nice service for the Japanese families.

DH: And the fish man, fish company downtown, they came every certain day.

BH: Is that a Japanese fish store?

DH: Yeah, Japanese man. I can't remember his name. He came in a truck and Mom always bought everything from him. Dad went to the store on the way home. Things Mom wrote down what he had to get to bring home. He did most of the shopping.

BH: What were some of the differences between the American schools you attended during the day and going to Japanese school?

DH: Well, American school we had to work hard. But Japanese school was our play day. [Laughs] I didn't learn anything. It's amazing what we got away with.

BH: Do you remember how many people, how many children attended the Japanese school?

DH: In Sherwood it must have been ten families from all over around there. But in Gresham, it was a big community in Gresham. There were all kinds of young people.

BH: Where was the Japanese school in Gresham?

DH: (Gresham Troutdale) Hall. The basement of GT Hall was the Japanese school.

BH: And was that after school during the week, or was that Saturdays?

DH: Like in Gresham, I think it was just on Saturday. Oh, they did have one on weekdays, I can't remember what day it was. But in Sherwood it was just every Saturday afternoon, which we went when it was nice, but it was too far to drive in the wintertime.

BH: So it sounds like it was a good time for you hang around with other...

DH: Well, for me, I would just run around, so I don't remember too much. [Laughs]

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 2014 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.