Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Mits Koshiyama Interview
Narrator: Mits Koshiyama
Interviewer: Alice Ito
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: July 14, 2001
Densho ID: denshovh-kmits-01-0014

MK: I, I didn't go for my physical. I didn't know what was gonna, what was gonna happen. So I just stayed in bed. I didn't go. And the federal marshal came. He knocked on the door and said, "Are you this, is this you?" And I says, "Yeah. This is me." He says come with him. So I went with him, and he came, actually came to the front of my door, our door, in a car. So we went to the administration building where I was booked. Then we were sent to Powell jail.

[Interruption]

But I just told myself, "This is something I have to do." I'm like anybody else. If there's a wrong, the government does you wrong, you should protest. A lot of people will say that, but they won't contest the issue because they're afraid of the consequences. And I, too, was brought up, don't bring -- that word "haji," again. Don't bring haji and stuff like that to our family. My mother put that into my head. I realized that. But I said, "This is too important of an issue to worry about haji and shikata ga nai and those Japanese words." But I did learn something from my parents -- that's pride. As long as you have pride, you'll survive. And the Issei were right. I think it's just pride alone that made Japanese Americans, they're not what you call real successful, but they're, somehow successful in life. And I think the Issei had a lot to do with it.

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