Partial Transcript: Yoroku Ito is born January 31, 1922, in Puunene, an island of Maui. In 1922, Puunene, is a sugar plantation camp, the homes on the camp belong to the plantation. Yoroku and his family live in camp five. Yoroku explains the camps are segregated and sectioned by ethnic groups. Yoroku's father works for the plantation camp five store. There is a stable nearby for the horses and an ofuro (Japanese soaking tub).

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Keywords: employment; family; Hawaii; Issei; Issei parents; Nisei

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Partial Transcript: Growing up, Yoroku says all the kids, Japanese, Filipino and Portuguese played together. There is no racial discrimination. When there are social gatherings, they share their specialty dishes. For example, for New Year, the Japanese would make sushi and mochi to share. Yoroku describes his childhood home as having a laundry room, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, three bedrooms, and a porch remodeled into a bedroom. The bathroom is outside the house.

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Keywords: camp; Hawaii; Issei; Issei parents; Japanese Americans; living conditions; Nisei; plantation; social activities

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Partial Transcript: Yoroku has two sisters and three brothers. The house size is comfortable with having four children in the house. Yoroku's father is Shuhei Kaiichi from Hiroshima-ken. He is a delivery man for the camp five store and speaks some English. Yoroku says those days, no one locks their house. You can go in and out freely. He is not limited to just delivering items to Japanese families. He also delivers to the Portuguese and Filipinos too.

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Keywords: employment; Hawaii; Issei; Issei parents; Nisei

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Partial Transcript: Yoroku helps his father occasionally with deliveries on the weekend. He remembers his father buying them ice creams after the deliveries. When Yoroku speaks to his Issei parents, he speaks Japanese. Living on the plantation, the camp store operates on a charge credit system. Yoroku says if his mother requests him to buy food, he can go to the store and place the charge on the family's account.

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Keywords: childhood activities; employment; Hawaii; Issei; Issei parents; Nisei

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Partial Transcript: Yoroku's mother is Ito Ito. Yoroku discusses how his father changes his last name to be an Ito. His mother is an only child, and there is no one to carry on the Ito's surname. Therefore, his father changes his last name to carry on the Ito legacy. Yoroku's mother is from Niigata, Japan, and his father is from Hiroshima-ken, Japan. Yoroku's father passes away when he is in high school. The story of how his parents meet is unclear. He describes his parents' personalities. His father is strict, and his mother is more relax. Whenever Yoroku wants to watch a movie, he says it is better to ask his mother. He enjoys watching cartoons. Also, in Yoroku's spare time, he goes to the temple for social gatherings or watches samurai movies. His mother is Christian, and his father is Buddhist. His mother converts to Christianity due to a family friend.

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Keywords: Buddhism; child rearing; childhood activities; Christianity; family; Issei; Issei parents; Japanese identity and values; Nisei

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Partial Transcript: Yoroku says his family and another family are the only Japanese family that is Christian at the camp. The other Japanese families are Buddhist. The differences in religion did not cause a drift in the community. Yoroku says he enjoys going to the temple for social gatherings and refreshments and also to watch movies. Previously Yoroku would go to the Sunday school at the Christian Church. His siblings are Christian too. Before Yoroku's father passes away, he converts from Buddhism to Christianity. Yoroku lists his siblings from oldest to youngest - oldest sister Masa Tsukamoto, brother James Yujiro, sister Michiko, Yoroku (himself), and Thomas Shuya. The names of the children are from the store camp manager.

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Keywords: Americans of Japanese Ancestry; Buddhism; childhood activities; Christianity; family; Japanese Americans; Nisei; social activities

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Partial Transcript: Yoroku says the camp five store is the primary store for the plantation and is the biggest. The store sells Japanese food, fruits (only apples and oranges, and dry goods. There is an office located in the front for the bookkeeper and store manager. During Christmas, the camp store would give the families one crate of oranges and apples. Yoroku's father would share the box with friends and neighbors.

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Keywords: employment; Hawaii; Issei; Japanese Americans; Nisei; plantation

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Partial Transcript: As a child, Yoroku recalls having marble tournaments, hiking, games, swimming in a ditch, and ride horses with his siblings and neighborhood kids. Another activity the kids would do is roll down the hill in a sugar cane cart. Yoroku says famous Olympic swimmers from Hawaii like Charlie Ota and Bill Smith swam in the ditch too.

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Keywords: childhood activities; friendship; Hawaii; Japanese Americans; Nisei; siblings

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Partial Transcript: Yoroku discusses famous swimmers from Hawaii and their training. Coach Sakamoto also teaches sixth grade, and Yokoru is also his student. The Ito family is close with Coach Sakamoto because he is a family friend. Moreover, Coach Sakamoto owns a Japanese drama store, and Yoroku remembers visiting the store sometimes with his parents. Yoroku attends Puunene Grammar School and Japanese Language School. After Puunene Grammar School, he goes to Maui High School.

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Keywords: education; high school; Japanese Americans; Japanese language school; Nisei; plantation; primary school; sports

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Partial Transcript: Yoroku did not go to Japanese Language School for a year but returns back later when he attends Maui High School. At home, Yoroku communicates with his parents in Japanese. At school, Yoroku enjoys carpentry, English, and sports. He would participate in seasonal games. He remembers playing baseball for American Legion League, and football. However, football at the time is categorized by weight. The team would play against other district leagues within Maui.

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Keywords: Japanese Americans; Japanese identity and values; Japanese language school; Nisei

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Partial Transcript: During the summer, Yoroku would work at the pineapple farm. Yoroku says it is hard labor work. He says the Filipinos could carry 12 pineapples at a time, whereas he can carry six pineapples. Yoroku works at the pineapple farm for two summers during high school. Previously, he works at the plantation cutting grass. He would get paid by the amount of grass is cut. The money earned at the plantation, Yoroku would give to his parents. With the money from the pineapple farm, Yoroku pays for his Boy Scout fees plus his brother's fees.

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Keywords: employment; Hawaii; high school; Japanese Americans; Japanese identity and values; Nisei; plantation; siblings; youth organizations

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Partial Transcript: With the money earned from working at the pineapple farm, Yokoru and his younger brother Thomas goes to the Boy Scouts Camp. At the Boy Scout, Yoroku learns how to cook, the first aide, tie knots, and earn merit badges. In 1940, Yoroku graduates from high school. Since his sister Michiko is to married a carpenter, she invites him to O'ahu to work with her husband. Yoroku leaves Maui for the first time. He describes the transportation difference between O'ahu and Maui.

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Keywords: childhood activities; employment; Hawaii; high school; Nisei; siblings; youth organizations

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Partial Transcript: Yoroku lives with his sister and her husband in Liliha, Honolulu. He describes what Liliha is like in the 1940s. Later he moves to Star Road and visits the Hongwanji Temple. Yoroku would also go to downtown Honolulu to watch western movies and cartoons. He works at E.E Black as a carpenter. At the Wheeler Army Base in Wahiawa, he works on the construction of the officer's quarters. When the project is completed, he goes to Fort Shafter, Honolulu, and works on the nurses' quarters.

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Keywords: employment; Hawaii; Japanese Americans; Nisei

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Partial Transcript: At E.E.Black, Charlie Nomura is Yokoru's supervisor. The owner of the company is Mr. E.E. Black. On December 7, the company has a project at the Honolulu Harbor at the pier working on the roof. Yoroku recalls seeing the Japanese planes flying above. At lunchtime, Nomura tells them the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. After a week from the attack, Yoroku returns to finish the construction work at the Harbor.

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Keywords: employment; Hawaii; Japanese Americans; Nisei

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Partial Transcript: Yoroku did not know Mr. Black personally. He recalls how they receive their paycheck. Mr. Black would come personally to pay the employees. To get your paycheck, you have to give your number and name. Yoroku does not remember his number from working at E.E. Black, but he does remember his Army serial number 30104733. Yoroku says he would make more than the plantation at E.E. Black. He would earn 75 cents a day as a carpenter. Yoroku is inducted into the Army on March 24, 1943.

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Keywords: 100th; employment; Japanese Americans; Nisei

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Partial Transcript: Yoroku remembers after the Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese Americans are issue a black badge, and everyone else has a white badge. He hears that due to Japan bombing Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Americans needs to be segregated with the black badges at work. No one in his family is placed in the internment camp or questioned by the FBI. Yoroku decides to volunteer for the Army because to spare his older or younger brother from being drafted. This way, his older brother can help support the family. Yoroku is inducted into the Army, March 24, 1943.

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Keywords: 100th; Americans of Japanese Ancestry; family; Japanese Americans; Japanese identity and values; Nisei; racism; siblings

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Partial Transcript: Yoroku goes to Maui to inform his family that he has volunteered for the Army. Both of his parents say he should serve the country because he is born and raised in America. Then he returns to go to work for E. E. Black before being inducted.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; Americans of Japanese Ancestry; Hawaii; Japanese Americans; Japanese identity and values; Nisei; World War Two

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