<Begin Segment 4>

HH: And you were accepted into the civil service, California Civil Service?

GO: Yes, state civil service. But the war came, so you probably heard about the, both of us were eventually fired. In the meantime, my sisters came from Japan.

HH: Can you explain that? So your sister went back with the family, and you were the only one that came back the first time?

GO: Yes.

HH: How did your sister get back then?

GO: After a couple of years, my guardian, Yamasakis, knew a young college graduate Japanese. He wasn't so young, but despite the fact that he has college degrees, in that kind of climate, he couldn't get a job, so he was working as a farm laborer. And they felt my sister might make a good life for this man, and it developed into a marriage. So she came and married this man, his name was Sasaki Fukuji. At that time later on he changed his name to Fuji. So I was, they were the only relatives, and so I wanted to be close to them.

HH: This sounds like an arranged marriage, is that correct?

GO: Sort of, yes. Of course, I have to say okay, otherwise I don't think she could have come. [Laughs]

HH: So the two principals did not know each other.

GO: No. Of each other.

HH: They knew of each other but did not know each other.

GO: At least in my guardian, and this man came from the same place in Japan. So he knew of this man, or had more interest than just any old man, or young man.

HH: When they arrived, did they also live in Florin?

GO: Yes, they lived in Florin. And because of their language advantage, he was working as secretary to a Japanese Association, helping any one Nisei interpreter, social service kind of work. As a result, he was on a blacklist of the FBI, so when the war started, he was the first one to be picked up. In the meantime, my sister had many children. In fact, fifth one on its way, so she was pregnant at that time.

HH: So when the war broke out, she really had four children with a fifth imminent?

GO: That's right. And a brother-in-law, we didn't know where he was, of course, at first. So I gave up my state job and went back to Florin to live with the families so that they needed every bit of help. In the meantime, evacuation became imminent, so I have to help them. And also they had a business, tofu-making business, so I learned how to make tofu and for a while I was doing that, too. But when evacuation became imminent, we have to get rid of business and get rid of property with five children. In the meantime, fifth one was born getting ready for evacuation. When we were told that we could carry only what we can carry in our both hands. That was a very trying time.

HH: By the way, did you know how to make tofu before?

GO: No. No, I learned.

HH: On the job training.

GO: Yes. But I never followed that too deeply.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 1994 JACL Philadelphia. All Rights Reserved.