Densho Digital Archive
Oregon Nikkei Endowment Collection
Title: Taylor Tomita Interview
Narrator: Taylor Tomita
Interviewer: Linda Tamura
Location: Hood River, Oregon
Date: April 18, 2014
Densho ID: denshovh-ttaylor-01-0015

<Begin Segment 15>

LT: So in September of 1946 you returned. You left the military and you returned home.

TT: After what? LT: In September 1946 you completed your military commitment and you returned home?

TT: Uh-huh.

LT: Okay. What did you know about Hood River and what were your feelings about coming home?

TT: We were glad to get home. As far as Hood River, when I got off the bus, my dad was waiting for me, to pick me up. But didn't see anybody else. Didn't go to town very much, because they said there were all kinds of signs up there, but I don't remember seeing those signs. Maybe they were down by the time I came home.

LT: What kinds of signs are you talking about?

TT: Saying "No Japs Wanted" or something like that.

LT: And why was the community discouraging Japanese Americans from returning, especially when you had served in the United States armed forces?

TT: Well, to most of them, that didn't make no difference to them. We were "Japs" and that was it. In the paper one time they were worried about Isseis taking over Hood River. They said they were buying all the lands up and all that kind of stuff. Maybe, I don't know if that had anything to do, but most of these guys were town people, and they weren't farmers. I think they... because Hood River News, it shows this guy that was kind of heading it, he'd show a map of lands owned by the Isseis and trying to say that they're taking over or something like that. And then he's the one that gathered all the names that, for us not to come back.

LT: And what are you talking about in terms of the names?

TT: This one guy that's heading it, he'd go around and ask for a petition so that we wouldn't come back, trying to discourage us to come back, and he's getting all the names to say that all these people don't want you to come back. So he's gathering all the names he could.

LT: And where did those names appear?

TT: In the Hood River News. Every week he'd go around getting more names and then he'd publish it in the Hood River News. So it wasn't just one time, it was over so many weeks. So if you weren't a real strong person, you'd sign that name, I think, sign your name.

LT: Did you see the names of people whom you knew?

TT: Yeah, I saw a lot of them. In fact, I know this one guy, Downey, that we lent our land, he rented our place. He came in to visit us one time in camp, Tule Lake, brought us some apples, I think. And he says, "Well, if you see my name, just forget about it. In other words, he's saying he's kind of forced to, otherwise he'd be a "Jap lover." So there were probably people that really didn't want to sign, but they signed because they were pressured to sign. So it's hard to tell who's really, if they really wanted to sign or if they just went along or something, so it's hard to tell.

LT: When you learned about these petitions, did you and your family think twice about returning home?

TT: No, we never did. That didn't stop us. We had our land then, still had our land. If you didn't have no land, you might have thought twice, but then, because quite a few people didn't own land, they went somewhere else like Chicago and some other places. But most people had land. Some of them sold it, but then most of 'em, they just kept it, so they came back.

LT: You mentioned the signs "No Japs Wanted." Were there times when you were not welcome in stores?

TT: Well, one time I went to menswear, and got kicked out of there because he wouldn't sell me anything. But other than that, only place that sold right away was Safeway store. I don't know, something... I don't know when they started selling to us, I don't know when they started, but must have been a year or two later. But we knew which one was which, and wouldn't go there anyway. But some of the places, I remember going to a feed store, and I remember going there early, and equipment, Shepherd's Equipment, they are selling us early. Most of them, I don't know when the sign came down, where they started selling.

LT: What is it like to live in a community where you're not sure if you're welcome, and there are so many who will not sell to you? What is it like to be in that kind of a community?

TT: Well... I guess I didn't think too much about that and just wanted to live where we were before. So we could get by without buying from them anyway. Some of the stuff I don't remember, like Diamond Fruit where we used to take our fruit, I guess they took it, took our fruit right away. I don't remember any other thing.

LT: Were there those who were especially supportive of you?

TT: Oh, yeah. Like Mrs. Moore, especially, she'd go buy things for you if you needed something and couldn't get it. Others were supportive because of... like Sherman Burgoyne the minister. Seemed like all the Nisei were getting married about that time. He was doing all the marriages. Seems like everybody went to him. Your dad probably was one of them.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2014 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.