Oral History K

HIDEO KADOKAWA

One of the shortest oral histories, this has four pages of photos and twelve pages of text. Nisei Kadokawa (80) is strictly local-born in Florin, went to grade school, returned from Jerome and Rohwer Relocation Centers to Sacramento . He raised grapes and strawberries, worked for a cannery and the Sacramento School District and raised a family of three daughters. He was forced to drop out of elementary school but his daughters and grandchildren all went to college which is satisfying to him.

MARION KANEMOTO

This is a "solid" oral history where the interview is at the "right" age (63) and done at the "right" time for Mrs. Kanemoto. Significant periods and places are the comfortable security of Seattle , uncertain and desolate Minidoka Camp, survival in war-torn Japan and finally, permanent resettlement in Sacramento . Firmly believing her father ìdid nothing wrongî eased familyís anxieties when he was picked up by the FBI and sent off to federal detention centers in Montana and New Mexico . With the loss of everything and no savings, feeling that repatriating to Japan would be better and with one brother already living there, the Tsutakawa family took an 85-day trip to Japan via the Gripshom. Marion talks about very adverse living conditions after Japanís surrender and the fact that both she and her father were bilingual helped much. She felt ìusedî for POW exchanges. Finally, she talks about returning to America , obtaining a professional nursing degree, working as school nurse and seeing that all their four children obtained college education. She firmly believes America is her home and a land of opportunity, provided one secures a quality education and works hard.

VIVIAN KARA

Mrs. Kara (78) of a very old Florin family knows most of the Japanese Americans around the area. There are seven photos, twenty-seven pages of text and four pages of documents. A widow with two daughters, she has focussed on their proper up-bringing, helped husband with general store, and was quite active in many fraternal and civic organizations, including state presidency of Rebekah. Appears to have no particular strong feelings about segregated schools and Japanese American internment, but she and husband have tried to be friendly and get along with everybody.

HARRY SUYETARO KIINO

A widower Mr. Kiino (87) was interviewed in the home of son and his wife. Two pages of photos and 45 pages of text make up this oral history book. Because of age, language differences and presence of three individuals, some inconsistencies appear. Japanese phrases are frequent with translations. Recall of the past is of coming from Japan at age fifteen to unclesí Florin farm, going through the depression of 1930ís, a year of internment in Jerome, four years in Michigan , recall of Caucasiansí friendships and their flower business in the Fair Oaks area. With a family history of diabetes, Kiino succumbed in 1989.

MOLLY KIMURA

Education, self-improvement and teaching others have been central to Mollyís (72) life. Born in Yuba City , California of Hiroshima immigrants, her education was acquired in Marysville , CA and in Kyoto , Japan . When most internees were griping and being bitter confined in one of the ten relocation centers, Molly accepted circumstances in Tule Lake camp as an opportunity to learn the Japanese language, flower arrangement, and tea ceremony at a time when others were denying anything Japanese. She studied Buddhism in Kyoto and was ordained a priest at Nishi Hongwanji in 1995. Versatile in a number of areas, she is a ìbridge,î a cultural interpreter and goodwill ambassador between America

and Asia, East and West, as a very active member of the Matsuyama-Sacramento and Jinan-Sacramento Sister City programs. 

TED KOBATA

Ted (73, a Sacramento native, spent WWII in Poston Relocation Center until February 1945 when, the family moved to Ontario , Oregon and then returned to Sacramento . They are appreciative of the help of Jim and Evelyn Fairbairn who looked after the Kobata property. As a general contractor, Tedís outstanding supervised/volunteered projects are the Gedatsu Church , Mayhew Baptist Church , and Poston memorial Monument and Kiosk. He contributed time, funds, technical knowledge, and the use of his construction equipment to these projects.

A member of the Florin JACL, Ted participated faithfully in its annual Time of Remembrance programs with his leadership of the Internment Camp Barrack Replica project. During the years sons Glenn and Stanley were growing up, Ted was Assistant Scout Leader and helped with scout and Little League projects. Ted and wife, Frances, also have a daughter, Hannah, and three grandchildren.