Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1169/

Father became trilingual to practice medicine

Well, he couldn't practice medicine, 'cause he had to take the state board. And he couldn't take the state board 'cause his English wasn't fluent enough. So he, his English was self-taught, but somehow or another he passed the state board in a year or so. And back in those days, to go to medical school in Japan, aside from Nihongo, you had to know German, 'cause most of the professors were German. And so my dad was quite proud that his German was quite good. And he'd spout out things to us, his kids, you know, never heard that kind of language before. But he was quite... of course, being Issei, your hatsuon, your pronunciation didn't have to be that sharp like in English. You could mumble something in German. Anyhow...

I*: But he was trilingual, so he was Japanese, German, and English.

Eventually, yeah. So all the Issei doctors had to take the test in English. In fact, my youngest son, when he was doing some research, he found, came across, there used to be a doctor named Isamu Sekiyama. My youngest son came across his papers for the state board, and it was all in English, beautiful handwriting. And so I guess they all made an effort to pass the state board. If they were alive now, it'd be a piece of cake, I'm sure.

* "I" indicates an interviewer (Tom Ikeda)


generations immigrants immigration Issei Japan Japanese hospitals medicine migration

Date: September 21, 2009

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Tom Ikeda, Martha Nakagawa

Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Interviewee Bio

Nisei female. Born April 30, 1928, in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in Gardena and her father was a prominent medical physician in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. During World War II, removed to the Poston incarceration camp, Arizona. Left camp with family to work on a sugar beet farm in Colorado, and eventually returned to Los Angeles, where father reestablished medical practice. She passed away in November 2016 at the age of 88. (April 2020)

Paul Terasaki
en
ja
es
pt
Terasaki,Paul

Finding a way to keep donor kidneys longer in order to ship to matched patients

(b.1929) Pioneer medical researcher in tissue transfer and organ transplantation.

en
ja
es
pt
Paul Terasaki
en
ja
es
pt
Terasaki,Paul

Creating a registry to study the outcome of transplants

(b.1929) Pioneer medical researcher in tissue transfer and organ transplantation.

en
ja
es
pt
Paul Terasaki
en
ja
es
pt
Terasaki,Paul

Using tissue typing and blood tests to determine paternity

(b.1929) Pioneer medical researcher in tissue transfer and organ transplantation.

en
ja
es
pt
Paul Terasaki
en
ja
es
pt
Terasaki,Paul

Developing the tray used in determining HLA types for tissue typing

(b.1929) Pioneer medical researcher in tissue transfer and organ transplantation.

en
ja
es
pt
Paul Terasaki
en
ja
es
pt
Terasaki,Paul

The HLA and transplantation history books

(b.1929) Pioneer medical researcher in tissue transfer and organ transplantation.

en
ja
es
pt
Paul Terasaki
en
ja
es
pt
Terasaki,Paul

Developing the micro test was the most important accomplishment

(b.1929) Pioneer medical researcher in tissue transfer and organ transplantation.

en
ja
es
pt
Paul Terasaki
en
ja
es
pt
Terasaki,Paul

Continuing to work to improve transplanting success

(b.1929) Pioneer medical researcher in tissue transfer and organ transplantation.

en
ja
es
pt
Toshio Inahara
en
ja
es
pt
Inahara,Toshio

Inahara shunt

(b. 1921) Vascular surgeon

en
ja
es
pt
Mas Kodani
en
ja
es
pt
Kodani,Mas

The performing arts not for Nisei

Senshin Buddhist Temple minister and co-founder of Kinnara Taiko.

en
ja
es
pt
PJ Hirabayashi
en
ja
es
pt
Hirabayashi,PJ

Sense of lineage between Sansei and Issei through Taiko

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

en
ja
es
pt
Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
en
ja
es
pt
Houston,Jeanne Wakatsuki

Her father as a typical Issei

(b. 1934) Writer

en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya
en
ja
es
pt
Mamiya,Richard

Treating international and VIP patients

(b.1925) Sansei, cardiovascular surgeon.

en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya
en
ja
es
pt
Mamiya,Richard

Innovation in heart surgery

(b.1925) Sansei, cardiovascular surgeon.

en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya
en
ja
es
pt
Mamiya,Richard

Taking pride in children’s surgery

(b.1925) Sansei, cardiovascular surgeon.

en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya
en
ja
es
pt
Mamiya,Richard

Former child patient turned professional volleyball player

(b.1925) Sansei, cardiovascular surgeon.

en
ja
es
pt