Teruye Ogawa

              TERUYE OGAWA
MRS. HASEGAWA: Today is September 5, 1980. I, Yoshino Hasegawa, am privileged to interview Mrs. Teruye Ogawa in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Yutaka Migaki at 15120 East Adams Avenue, Parlier, California, 93648. Mrs. Ogawa lives with her daughter Alice and her husband.
Mrs. Ogawa, may I have your full name, your date and place of birth, and your place of longest residence?
MRS. OGATA: My name is Teruye Ogawa, and I was born in Okayama-ken, Kojima-gun, Hachihama on April 25, 1897.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Why did you come to America? And what would be your place of your longest residency?
MRS. OGAWA: Sanger would be my longest residency. I'm 83 years old now, so it would be 63 years in Sanger. After I got married, I came to Sanger and did not go anywhere else except during war years (Gila River Relocation Camp and one year at Bridgeton, New Jersey).
MRS. HASEGAWA: When did you leave Japan?
MRS. OGAWA: I left Japan on January 31, 1917.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you arrive in San Francisco?
MRS. OGAWA: My husband came for me, and we were married in Japan on November 15 in the evening. We arrived in San Francisco in March 1917.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you know your husband in Japan?
MRS. OGAWA: No, it was a baishakunin marriage. He was in America and had acquired a farm, so then he came for me.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When did your husband first come to America?
MRS. OGAWA: He bought the farm in 1906, then for three years he worked the place, and when it was ready to produce, he came after me. I don't know when he first came here, but he came alone when he was 17 years old. He came to Seattle first and worked there for a while. He came to Fresno later as he had an uncle in Fresno, a barber. His name was also Ogawa.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did your husband rely on your uncle?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes. The uncle had a barbershop, and when the uncle was ready to go back to Japan, he wanted my husband to take over the shop. So, my husband started to undertake the business, but he didn't care for the details of the work. He said he worked at it and saved money to buy the farm. It took him six years.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you know how much he paid for the farm he bought in Sanger?
MRS. OGAWA: It was about $35 an acre, and he bought 30 acres. He told me that earlier Caucasians could homestead. They could put up stakes all around a place and not have to pay for the land. MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you know from whom he purchased the land?
MRS. OGAWA: That I don't know.
MRS. HASEGAWA: I guess when your husband bought the land, there was no Alien Land Law yet.
MRS. OGAWA: Yes. He purchased it under his name. It was in 1913 that Oriental aliens could no longer buy land. He bought before that law was put in effect. He used to say that he had to work for someone else to earn enough to pay for the horses, horse's feed, and gas which was used for gas pumps for irrigation. He didn't have any help at home except during the grape harvest, and during the winter, he used to work at other farms.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When he purchased the land, was there anything planted on it?
MRS. OGAWA: Nothing. It was just open land.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did your husband sell the barbershop before he purchased the land?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, he sold it. The uncle left the shop and returned to Japan. He made about a thousand dollars. My husband didn't have any help from friends as they were all struggling to get going. After three years, he was able to get a crop from his farm.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Then he must have planted grapes right after he bought the farm?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, he did. He also had peaches. After he was able to get a crop from his farm, with the profit he decided to come after me. He used to tell how hard he had to work to pay for all the expenses of maintaining horses and running the gas pump.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Where was your home? Where did you live?
MRS. OGAWA: On one side of the horse barn there was a room, and we lived in that room. Later, we built a house, and we were among the first Japanese immigrants to build a house. We had to use a hand pump for water.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What did you use for a cooking stove?
MRS. OGAWA: For cooking, he had purchased a kerosene stove. Mr. Ogawa did all the shopping in Sanger town. He had to drive the horses, and when the harness broke he had to fix it because in those days there weren't any automobiles. Sometimes, he went to Sanger and would take a train to Fresno to go to church. There was a Sanger depot, and he would drive the buggy to there and take the train and come home late in the day.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What happened to the horse during that time?
MRS. OGAWA: There used to be a place where you could leave your horses. All the country people did this, and the horses were always there. MRS. HASEGAWA: Where was this livery located?
MRS. OGAWA: It was close to the depot. They used to walk there from the train. In Fresno, he used to take the Santa Fe from that depot. When he got back to Sanger, he would walk to the livery and find his horse waiting.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What Fresno church did he attend?
MRS. OGAWA: The Japanese Congregational Church. It isn't at the old site any more. They sold the church at the time we went into camp. It was located near the Buddhist Temple. When I first arrived from Japan, the church was close to Japanese town. It used to be the Kinchu Kyokai at one time.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What were your living quarters like when you first arrived from Japan?
MRS. OGAWA: We had a hand pump for water. The stove was good, so I didn't have to burn wood for cooking. We had a wood stove for heat in the winter.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you have a bed?
MRS. OGAWA: We had a bed in the bedroom, and we had a kitchen.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What kind of bath did you have?
MRS. OGAWA: We had a "Nihon furo," and we used to heat it outdoors with any firewood that was around.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What were your thoughts when you arrived in America?
MRS. OGAWA: I never once thought I wanted to go back to Japan. There must have been something that told me that there was a good future for me here. In those days, there were no roads here in the country. There was a ditch that we used to use for a road when it was dry.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What sort of food did you cook?
MRS. OGAWA: We sometimes ate canned sardines with chopped onions which we sprinkled on the rice. I used to make hot cakes. We bought bread sometimes. In Del Rey there used to be a Mr. Sakai, and he would come around and take out orders for groceries. He used to bring all the Japanese food I ordered. He came once a week. We did not lack for food.
MRS. HASEGAWA: In those days there was no refrigeration, so it must have been mostly canned goods.
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, he carried canned goods and, of course, any fresh produce we would eat right away. We didn't have the fisherman come.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you have any Japanese neighbors?
MRS. OGAWA: We had Okijima-san and Mori-san. Our properties adjoin, and we lived next to each other. We all bought land at the same time.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When you got lonesome, was it possible for you to get together to converse in Japanese?
MRS. OGAWA: Mr. Mori used to walk over to our place, and in Fresno there was Mrs. Peaks, a hymn instructor from whom Mr. Ogawa took lessons then taught them to Mr. and Mrs. Mori. So both Mr. and Mrs. Mori would sing "sambikas" (hymns). They all would practice together and sing in the evenings. That was his one pleasure.
MRS. HASEGAWA: And Okajima-san?
MRS. OGAWA: Okajima wasn't a Christian.
MRS. HASEGAWA: The singing and visits must have been very pleasant.
MRS. OGAWA: Both Mr. and Mrs. Mori would come over to visit since I couldn't get out because I had a small child. Mr. Ogawa would teach us hymns and the English lessons that Mrs. Peaks taught him. Mrs. Mori had a good voice, and Mr. Mori's was the same as mine. Mr. Mori and Mr. Ogawa were churchgoers. They used to take the train.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Was this to the Congregational Church?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Can you recall who some of the members .Were?
MRS. OGAWA: I met Mr. and Mrs. Kazato when I first arrived.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Can you tell me a little about the history of the Congregational Church?
MRS. OGAWA: That I don't know.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Remember, we were looking at the picture and you were saying that at the beginning the Godo Kyokai (Congregational Church) was held in a Chinese church that was borrowed or rented. About what year would that picture have been taken?
MRS. OGAWA: The picture was taken about 1905. When the church was near Mikami-san's place, close to the Buddhist Temple, the church was at its height, and Reverend Fukushima was the minister at that time.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you know anything about the Sanger Doshikai, when it started?
MRS. OGAWA: No, I don't know when it started. Oh, that picture was taken about the time Hugo was born. It was a festival time, and the Doshikai members were going to put on a drama, and I used to go watch them rehearse. Once I did not go, and that was when Hugo was born, so he was nicknamed "Shibai no ko" (the drama child).
MRS. HASEGAWA: Hugo isn't the oldest child, is he? How many children do you have?
MRS. OGAWA: The oldest died when she was 19 from an illness. Her name was Miyako.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Where was Miyako born--at home or in the hospital?
MRS. OGAWA: She was born in Fresno with the help of a Japanese sanbasan (midwife). She was a good person and many of the Japanese women went to her maternity home.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Something like a hospital? You went there to have your child with the assistance of a midwife. How long did you stay there?
MRS. OGAWA: I was having some trouble, so about a month before the birth of the baby, I went to Fresno. There was an organization called Okayama Kenjinkai, and I went there to wait. I came home around April 17.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Was Okayama Kenjinkai a club? Was there a building?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, it was an organization, and there was a building. It was on a corner, probably on "E" Street near the Buddhist Temple. It was a boardinghouse.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Who took care of you?
MRS. OGAWA: There were three there.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What were the names of these people?
MRS. OGAWA: Eda-san and Sakaeda-san were two of them.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When the baby was born, did your husband come to see you?
MRS. OGAWA: He didn't know when the baby was born. He would come to see me often, but he had to work out in the fields.
MRS. HASEGAWA: After the baby was born, did you stay there for a week or so?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, I was there almost two weeks, then I went home. That was in 1918; Miya was born in 1918.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Then Alice Hideko was next?
MRS. MIGAKI: Yes, I was born in 1920, two years later.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When Hideko-san was born, was she also born at the maternity home in Fresno?
MRS. OGAWA: No, she was born early, so she was born at home. We called Dr. Aki after she was born. Mrs. Shiraga came to help me for about a month or two.
MRS. HASEGAWA: While your husband went after the doctor in Fresno, who stayed with you?
MRS. OGAWA: He went over to the Hakujin neighbors to borrow the telephone, and so they came over.
MRS. HASEGAWA: In 1920, they had a telephone?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, the Hakujin neighbors had a phone.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Then Mrs. Shiraga came to help you for about two months?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, it was July, so it was a busy time.
MRS. HASEGAWA: After Alice was born, you moved into the new house?
MRS. OGAWA: Alice was born in the new house.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When Ruth was born, did you go to Fresno?
MRS. OGAWA: No, Ruth was born in Sanger.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Then you had Hugo?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, as I said earlier, I used to go and watch the shibai rehearsal and missed the one practice when Hugo arrived. Dr. Murayama came to see me, and I didn't go to Sanger this time.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Who took care of the other children?
MRS. OGAWA: Shiraga-san,who was here from Japan, came to help.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you ever go out into the fields to work?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, I did. I did practically everything, but I didn't climb ladders. When I first arrived, I guess I did not go out to work.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Were the grapevines still young when you first arrived?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, but we were able to get a crop. I began to go out in the fields to work after the Children started to go to school. I tied vines and after that there was pruning and hoeing to do. I used to get up early in the morning to sulfur the grapes in order to prevent mildew. The sulfur machine had to be packed on our backs. Of course, I never picked grapes. This was done by groups of people. We used to hire Mexican workers and others. Taking care of the vineyard after the grapes were harvested, both my husband and I did all of that kind of work. When we had raisins, we turned them over or rolled them after the grapes were dried. Also, I helped with the girdling of the vines. We were among the early farmers to do this. Girdling the grapes came much later. We made raisins for many years after I arrived here from Japan. We didn't have trucks in those days, so we had to rely on horses.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When you had raisins those many years, did you have suitable sunny days? Did it ever rain during raisin season?
MRS. OGAWA: Oh, yes, it would rain sometimes. After the raisins were rolled, and if it rains the soil gets wet and raisins get moldy. So, we would have to watch for a few days. Finally, we got the wooden trays for drying the grapes, then we did not need to move them. After the raisins were dry, they had to be put in sweat boxes because we did not hire anyone to do that. It's a large box, and people were surprised that I could handle them with my husband. My husband had made some kind of cart. Both of us worked Very hard during those years without any mechanical help.
MRS. HASEGAWA: You really have done a lot!
MRS. OGAWA: Taking care of the horses was not my job. Mr. Ogawa did that, but you know, the horses had to be fed and watered.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How did you manage the peach orchard?
MRS. OGAWA: We don't have any peaches now, but the work would start about April.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you two do all the work?
MRS. OGAWA: Most of the work. We did hire people, because we had 20 acres of peaches, and the peaches would drop unless they were picked. The neighborhood Japanese women would stay with us and help us with the peach cutting, and we cooked for them. If there were small children, I would look after them while the women worked cutting peaches to dry. It lasted for a short time. During the grape harvest, we would hire Mexican people.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When you cut peaches, how was the sulfuring done?
MRS. OGAWA: There were buildings, and in these buildings we would put the cut peaches in stacks, and then sulphur them by lighting the sulfur under the stacks of peaches. We used to have about four of the smokehouses in a row.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How many Japanese women came to help?
MRS. OGAWA: About eight women. We had a tank house. It wasn't a hand pump but a motor one.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you raise the water with the gasoline motor?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How long did it take to dry the peaches?
MRS. OGAWA: About four weeks, and then we would put them in sweat boxes. They would pick the peaches, and the women would cut them, and then we smoked them, dried them, and then they were put in boxes.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Where did you market them?
MRS. OGAWA: There was a Peach Association just like the one for raisins. It was a good association. It was a very busy time. In the morning, the peaches would ripen, and later in the day the peaches would drop to the ground.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How many years did you do this?
MRS. OGAWA: Perhaps about nine years. We didn't have peaches at the time we went into camp. We had converted all the acreage to vineyards. The peach was profitable. People came from San Francisco to cut peaches. In those days, Japanese women didn't have ways to earn any money, so we had many people coming to pick and cut our peaches.
MRS. HASEGAWA: It gave women an opportunity to earn money.
MRS. OGAWA: Yes. I asked Keiko-san what she was going to do with the money, and she said she was going to buy Christmas presents for her mother and father. It was a small sum, and I guess there wasn't any chance for them to earn otherwise. For grape picking, we had your husband Peter, George, Koyanagi, and we also had Yukiko and Lena Domoto here picking.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Where did the children go to school?
MRS. OGAWA: Granville School, corner of Indianola and Kings Canyon Road. Mr. Ogawa usually drove them to school. It was far, so my husband took them and brought them home. He worked a little in the morning and drove the children. He must have enjoyed doing it.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did they have PTA in those days? Was there ever an occasion for you to go to the school?
MRS. OGAWA: No, they didn't have PTA, but I went to school for Christmas programs and graduation exercises. I baked cakes and took them to school.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How did you learn to bake a cake?
MRS. OGAWA: I used to bake fruit cakes to send to Japan, which the older people enjoyed very much. I used to make about two 10-pound cakes and send to my husband's parents. Fruit cakes never spoiled. They wanted to know if we always ate such delicious food! Mrs. Akiyama had learned from Mrs. Okonagi, and she taught me about how to bake cakes and cook other things. I never did go to school to learn cooking.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you sew the children's dresses?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, I sewed all their dresses. It was funny, because I made large hems and gradually let them down. I looked at the Japanese magazines and made my own patterns. I never purchased a pattern.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you learn sewing in Japan or just picked it up from looking at the magazines?
MRS. OGAWA: I learned by looking at the magazines. But I did practice sewing in Japan for about four years. I bought some American clothes and had a few made. But I would look at the magazines and make the children's dress patterns and sew all the dresses for them. I guess if you had to do it, you did it. When I think back to the grammar school days, I think they wore darling dresses then.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Shoes had to be purchased. Did you buy them in Fresno?
MRS. OGAWA: We may have gone to Fresno, but we did get shoes at Yoshiki's, the Japanese store in Sanger. There used to be a store in Fresno run by Ito-san, and we used to trade there for materials, too. I used to sew without any patterns.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you attend church with all your children? MRS. OGAWA: Yes, by that time we had a car.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Where are all your children now?
MRS. OGAWA: Alice is here, Hugo is in Sanger, and Ruth is in Hanford.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Is Ruth the beautician in Hanford? What does her husband do?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, she is. He has a government job. His name is Tom Asaki; they have a son and daughter. The girl is married, and the son is doing drafting work.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How many grandchildren are here in the Migaki's home?
MRS. OGAWA: There are just two now, June and Kaye. They lost a son in a motorcycle accident a few years ago.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Kaye is a dancer? Mrs. Migaki, you have two daughters. What does your other daughter do?
MRS. MIGAKI: She lives in Clovis and has three children. I have three grandchildren.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Is Kaye married?
MRS. MIGAKI: No.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How many children does Hugo have?
MRS. MIGAKI: He had five. Annette died in an auto accident, you remember.
MRS. OGAWA: Hugo's oldest son is in Chicago going to college at the University of Illinois getting his masters degree in analytical chemistry. The next son is at Fresno City College, and the third child is going to Reedley College.
MRS. HASEGAWA: All of them are adults!
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, even the youngest Kathy. The oldest ones worry about me because there's so little I can do. My back bothers me and my legs are weak. Over at Hugo's, they all work, and there is so much going in and out of the kitchen, that it is too active for me. I came here to live because it is much quieter and more relaxing.
MRS. HASEGAWA: It is better to live with your own daughter.
MRS. OGAWA: Yes. Here there's only two, my daughter and her husband. In Sanger, all the children work and go to school. There's one working at the gasoline station; he's been there about three years. Kathy works at Thrifty's. Hugo is always out. Tim works at Big 5 in the sporting department. So, there's a lot of going in and going out. They have to go to some sport event or some other activity. When I go over there at times, there's no one at home.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How did you hear the news of Pearl Harbor? MRS. OGAWA: Mr. Ogawa was going around Sanger for church donations, and he said he heard the news at Mr. Okajima's home. They told him to listen to the radio if he didn't believe the news. He came home looking worried. But Mr. Ogawa said Japan is strong and couldn't be beaten, and so at home we began our own battle. I always said that Japan would be beaten, and he said no Japan will win the war. He was sure the soldiers of Japan had more inner strength.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What happened after Pearl Harbor? Was Mr. Ogawa taken?
MRS. OGAWA: No, he wasn't taken. We were relaxed because we had heard that this area was a white zone and we didn't have to enter any camp. Later, the conditions got gradually worse, and we did go into camp. We went to Gila. It was terrible timing, because we were ready to harvest the grapes. It was sometime in August that we went. It took them (war authorities) almost a year to decide whether to evacuate us.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Who picked your grapes, then?
MRS. MIGAKI: Ferdinand Preuss.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did he also take care of your farm? What happened to your house?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, he took care of the place. At first he didn't want to, but when he saw everything in our home was in place, he decided to move in.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did he send you the profits?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, he sent it to us. The packinghouses employed the people and took care of the expenses. We had just purchased a new Ford car which we let our neighbor use during the war. We had to pay insurance on the car even if we were in camp. He asked to buy the car while we were interned, so we finally sold, it to him. All of the young people were leaving camp to work or to go to school, so my husband and I went to Seabrook with my daughter and her two small children. I said it would be too much for her to handle two little children, so we decided to go with her. And we worked at Seabrook for about a year.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What about your other children?
MRS. OGAWA: Hugo and Ruth went to Chicago to work.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Then you and Mr. Ogawa went with your daughter and her two small children?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, we couldn't go back to California, and there wasn't much to go back to in camp, so we decided to tour a bit while we were there. We went to New York.
MRS. HASEGAWA: How many years were you there at Seabrook?
MRS. OGAWA: One year. I worked for one year.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What kind of job did Mr. Ogawa have? MRS. OGAWA: He was a mechanic. He walked around with a wrench, but there wasn't much for him to do so sometimes he hid in a box and took naps. I guess later he used to pound boxes. It was the first experience for me to work outside my home.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What was your salary?
MRS. OGAWA: It was piece work, and there wasn't work every day, so it wasn't much. This was the first time I earned money!
MRS. HASEGAWA: When did you come back to California?
MRS. OGAWA: It was in December 1945. We got back around 4 o'clock. We didn't have a car, so we bought one and drove home.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you return together?
MRS. OGAWA: Alice came back earlier. We called Ruth and Hugo and we drove the car back. It was in December, and there was snow, so it was frightening to drive. It was lonely after dark because we were in a strange place.
MRS. HASEGAWA: On the way back did you experience discrimination?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, there was some discrimination. At one place when we were eating next to our motel, someone came to say that his wife's father was sick and asked us to talk to him. We asked what he wanted us to talk about. He said that he had been in China and would be interested in that topic. Mr. Ogawa had a difficult time conversing with him, and told him he didn't know anything about China. They mistook Ruth for Chinese. In New Mexico, we waited to be seated at a restaurant, but they kept us standing. Even after we were seated, they wouldn't wait on us. The next day, as we drove by there, we saw a sign posted saying they would not serve Orientals.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you have trouble purchasing gasoline?
MRS. OGAWA: No, we were able to get gas. I remember it was Christmastime, and that we drove home in the snow.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When you got back to Sanger, did you experience any prejudice?
MRS. OGAWA: No, for me there was no discrimination. Mr. Mori said he ate nothing but "fuki" (vegetable). He was scared to go to the store. They had fuki for about a month, as he had plenty in his field.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you find your place in good condition when you returned?
MRS. OGAWA: It was good. We didn't have any trouble. There were many Japanese who trusted their Hakujin neighbors, but when they returned, they found practically nothing left. Kawadas and Sekinos from Los Angeles put their things in their basement, but nothing was left when they returned. An American was renting the place.
MRS. HASEGAWA: When you were in camp, what did you do? MRS. OGAWA: I didn't do anything but help someone babysit. I went to classes to learn English and other things, but I didn't work.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What did you think of life in camp?
MRS. OGAWA: It was boring because there was no future.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What did Mr. Ogawa do in camp?
MRS. OGAWA: He worked in the Express Department, so he always had a truck. He was fortunate. He had to go after something every day, and he would go from one camp to another.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you ever go back to Japan?
MRS. OGAWA: I went once and stayed six months.
MRS. HASEGAWA: At that time, was Mr. Ogawa still alive?
MRS. OGAWA: No, I was alone.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What did you think of Japan compared to the days before you left?
MRS. OGAWA: It has changed from the olden days. People here don't speak the Okayama colloquialism, but in Japan as I lay awake in the early morning, I would hear people conversing in the native way, and it was very nostalgic. It was very different from the spoken Japanese in America. My relatives took me to visit many familiar places, and it was very memorable.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Did you have any brothers or sisters?
MRS. OGAWA: I have five, and they are all younger than I am. I was the only one who came to America.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What did they do?
MRS. OGAWA: They had a hotel in Tairen (Manchuria). Now they have a big and splendid place in Okayama. Both my father and mother died early.
MRS. HASEGAWA: What do you think of discrimination here in the United States now, as compared to the earlier days?
MRS. OGAWA: Americans are very good now. Wherever I go, they are very kind, and they are good to me because I am old. Before, when I went to buy a suit, I had to wait while the sales people waited on others first. Now that seldom happens. The American people have gotten kinder.
MRS. HASEGAWA: It may be because the Nisei soldiers served so well during World War II?
MRS. OGAWA: Yes, the Nisei are good people, so the Americans know the Japanese are honest and do not cause financial trouble. We couldn't understand the language when we first immigrated, so they did take advantage of us and sometimes made us look like fools. But now they are very kind, they even open doors for me! MRS. HASEGAWA: The Nisei say that is was the Issei that established such good reputations! What are your thoughts concerning the economic and social changes? As you were saying, socially, Americans have changed and are much nicer now than before the war.
MRS. OGAWA: During my time we had to go the bank to get a loan, especially before the harvest, but now the Nisei do not need loans. They make good money. For us, the money had to last a whole year. The people are very comfortably off now.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you belong to any other organizations besides the church?
MRS. OGAWA: I go to the Congregational Church.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you belong to Sanger Doshikai?
MRS. OGAWA: Sanger had a Fujinkai (women's organization).
MRS. HASEGAWA: What kind of work did the Fujinkai do?
MRS. OGAWA: We didn't do anything but just meet occasionally. Do you know the history of Sanger's Doshikai?
MRS. HASEGAWA: No, I don't know.
MRS. OGAWA: Long ago, there was the North Sanger Japanese group, and they had a Buddhist Seinenkai. Hasegawa-san, Yoshiki-san, Ogawa, Mori-san from Sanger, went to see the Seinenkai about forming one organization in Sanger. The North Sanger group wanted to name it "Sanger Bukkyokai." Mr. Mori, Mr. Ogawa, Mr. Domoto, and Mr. Yoshiki said they would not join the organization if it was to be called Bukkyokai and would organize another one of their own. So that's how the Sanger Seinenkai started. Sanger Joshi Seinen kai (Girls Youth Club) and Danshi (Boys Youth Club). And we started the Japanese school, too. North Sanger had their own North Sanger Japanese School until the beginning or the war.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you observe any of the Japanese customs or traditions in your everyday living?
MRS. OGAWA: The only thing Japanese I do every day is read Japanese magazines that I have subscribed to for many years. I enjoy reading books.
MRS. HASEGAWA: The library has a Japanese collection and has many books on many subjects.
MRS. OGAWA: I will go to the Sanger Library when I have a chance to get there, but it is difficult to get to the library in Fresno.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you still observe the Japanese custom of celebrating Girls' Day or New Year's?
MRS. OGAWA: No, we just celebrate New Year's. On New Year's we go to Hugo's, and Lilly will fix osushi, chicken teriyaki, and other Japanese foods in the Japanese style. On Christmas we have it here with turkey, and on Thanksgiving we go to Hanford. Every year the family gets together to celebrate these holidays.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Christmas and Thanksgiving are American holidays, and as Americans we all celebrate these special days. Do you have any special stories you would like to share with us?
MRS. OGAWA: I would like to say that the most maddening time in my life was when we had to leave our harvest crop behind and forced to go to Relocation Center, and the happiest time was the day we returned to our home after the war. And another happy event was on December 8, 1953 when I received my United States citizenship.
MRS. HASEGAWA: Do you have any advice or suggestion for the younger Nikkei generations to come?
MRS. OGAWA: I can't think of anything special. I think the Nisei are following the footsteps of the Issei in regards to the giving of koden (incense money), I don't think the Americans do it in the same way.
MRS. HASEGAWA: The Nisei have learned this from their parents, and so they carry on this tradition of giving comfort and assistance to their friends on the occasion of funerals.
Thank you, Mrs. Ogawa, for this interview. Most Issei women have expressed their longing to return to Japan when they first came, but you are one of the very few who had no thought of going back to Japan!'