Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Hiroshi Kashiwagi Interview
Narrator: Hiroshi Kashiwagi
Interviewer: Alice Ito
Location: Klamath Falls, Oregon
Date: July 3, 2004
Densho ID: denshovh-khiroshi-02-0020

AI: Well, then, also, and you mentioned earlier about the Hoshidan and the Hokokudan, that began being formed, and what kinds of things did you hear about those groups? Did, did people try to recruit you to the Young Men's Association?

HK: They felt that Japan was going to win the war, and that they were Japanese, and they were going to act like Japanese, and prepare themselves so that they would do their exercises, I guess. I mean, all that whooping and hollering.

[Interruption]

There were members who were, the purpose was to recruit, and these were older, older men. And there were a few in our block, and they were operating, and every chance they got they would say, "Are you Japanese?" or "Are you going to go to Japan?" and so forth. And if we acted too American, then, yeah, we stuck out, I don't know what, what would have happened. So we, we tried to be somewhat Japanese.

AI: Well, so describe that for me. When, when you say, "act too American," or "try to be Japanese," what would be the, some of the differences and how --

HK: Well, the difference is that you're, you're careful about what you say or do. I mean, Americans, as an American, you, you're free to do, do whatever, laugh out loud, and move around, and dance, and do all these things. But, and, of course, speak English. We tried to speak Japanese as much as possible. In fact, yeah, lot of, lot of us learned to do that, and it was not natural, and it wasn't fun, but, yeah, you do that because it was expected.

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