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SG: What made you decide to leave Minneapolis in the first place? Was it difficult for Japanese to live in Minneapolis or find a job?

JO: No. I didn't feel anything like that over there because my family already was there, not my family but her side of family. That's where she was with my little Curtis, the Curtis picture up there. He was only about a year old. And after that, I left Minneapolis, came to Portland, and I worked in shipyard. In 1948, we had a high water in Columbia river, and that's when they had Vanport flood, and I was in that flood. And I lost everything, everything, all my clothing, all my personal belonging. And I kept on, I had a job anyway, shipyard. I worked in the shipyard.

SG: How long did it take you to find a job?

JO: Well, I didn't have too, first of all, I had to go to union. And being a veteran, I had to go to class over there for a carpenter class, apprenticeship. And I got my union card, so they, you always had work through the union. So after the flood, I had no place to live. And they finally had a place, another place by government buildings that's in Fairview. Then I moved from Fairview to Portland. I think they call it University Home. I had to go to private home for a while after the Vanport flood. That was one place I stayed; this is the Inutsuka family. That's George wife's family place, George Azumano's family. She's gone too, but I stayed there for a while.

SG: When you first came back to Portland, you said you faced a lot of discrimination looking for a job or looking for a place to live. What kind of discrimination did you face?

JO: Well, I just kept looking for it. And meantime, I find, that was 1952, I guess. I built that house over there which I've still got over there. I built that house, and I lived there for twenty years, I guess, yeah. And then I moved over here, this house here now. I kept busy, of course, I kept busy raising family, all my five boys over there and a house that I built. And of course, I kept up my judo, kept the boys busy.

SG: How many kids did you have when you moved back to Portland?

JO: I only had Curtis, my oldest boy. And when I had, when we went through the Vanport flood which was 1948, two days later, Gary, our second son, was born after the flood. Then of course, we didn't have no place to go, no house to go, and I don't know where to go. I went to the, that's when I did the Inutsuka family. That's where George Azumano's first wife was there for, family was there, helped us out with a new baby. Gary was born; our second son was born.

SG: The Japanese American community really helped.

JO: No. The only people that, I still support them is the Red Cross. They gave us a hospital lounge. They bought us a washing machine, so I never forget what they did for us. Even now, just this year I was there, and I always pay my dues for the Red Cross. Of course, I'm member of JACL also which is, I don't know, dues are coming up, one hundred dollar this year, oh my god. But I keep it up, whatever they could do to help, I keep it up.

SG: When you first came back to Portland after the war, did you come back with your brother and mom, also?

JO: Yes. They were, they were here already before I got over here, back. My brother and my mother was here in Gresham, and we were here together. So that's one of the reasons I came back to Portland because they were already back before me.

SG: Did they still have the farm?

JO: Yes. They had a farm in Gresham. So my brother and mother was there, yeah. My brother, my younger brother, oh, he got shot. He got injured in Italy, and he got out, I don't know when he got out, either before I or not. I don't know what happened. Anyway, he got out, and I got out '46, I guess, four years later. Then I had to work and raised the family.

SG: Did your brother, your brothers help your mom out at the farm when you returned to Portland?

JO: Yeah. They were in Gresham after the war. So they were all, was altogether different. I didn't go back to the farm at all because I came back married. I looked for job or something to do. And like I said, I had to go to apprenticeship for union member which I started my carpenter work. And since I like carpenter, so that's why I stuck it out. I don't know what year it was, but I formed my own company, and I run the company. So people still ask me for advice and no more, I don't want to even look at it now. [Laughs]

SG: You said when you came back, you didn't have to work on the farm. Is that because your oldest brother had the responsibility of taking care of your mom?

JO: Yes. He was running the farm, yes, because he was married and had a family also too. So I, in fact, I built his house in Gresham also. In fact, I built quite a few houses in Gresham area, all the farmers out there, because that's when I... I like carpenter, so that's what I did, yeah. I didn't make money, but I should have maybe, but I didn't.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.