Interviews

1. Growing up in a Japanese American family

2. The reason for coming to Japan

3. Sudden acceptance in Japanese society

4. Tracing my family crest

5. Disadvantages of looking Japanese

6. Ring name: "Yamato Damashi"

7. I’m American, but my home is Japan

8. Citizenship and identity

(b. 1967) Hawai`i-born professional fighter in Japan

Sudden acceptance in Japanese society

So now I’m going into my fifth year. And I think to myself, I want just one fight. I’m just going to try and fight this. I get into the fight, and up until then, I was considered a gaijin, a foreigner, a outsider.

And I thought because I had so many bad experiences being a outsider in Japan trying to get a visa, trying to live, trying to buy a car, everything gets so difficult when you’re not Japanese. I was really resentful for that. So in my first fight, I had red, white, and blue shorts in my first two or three fights, I think it was—or four fights—to resemble that I’m an American. I’m not Japanese. I had a real bad resentment towards Japan because of how I was treated.

So I got into the ring, beat up my opponent really good. The press just took to me like that. All of a sudden, I’m Japanese. I get a whole page, color page, in the magazine about my fight. And now I’m thinking, I can’t quit now because of this publicity. I got to do one more. And one more becomes two. One more becomes three, four. And then I’m on my fifth fight. And now I’m changing my thinking. I’m thinking, “Man, am I this good? Am I really good?” I want to see where I can go in the world.

Now, I’m 13 years here.

boxing Finding Home (film) identity sports

Date: October 14, 2003

Location: Saitama, Japan

Interviewer: Art Nomura

Contributed by: Art Nomura, Finding Home.

Interviewee Bio

Enson Inoue was born and raised in Hawai`i and attended college there for 3 years studying psychology. At age 23, he went to Japan to play racquetball in a two-week tournament without any intention of living there. He won the tournament and then stayed for 3 months to give racquetball seminars. Thereafter, he continued to live in Japan, intending to return to Hawai`i in a year. Enson, however, decided to stay for still another year, teaching English and running his brother’s racquetball company in Japan. He then became a boxer and gave up racquetball. At the time of the interview in Fall 2003, Enson had lived in Japan for thirteen and a half years and had not been back to Hawai`i for six years. Now he is a professional fighter with the ring name “Yamato Damashii (Japanese Spirit or Samurai Spirit).” As for his identity, he feels that although he is an American, his home is Japan. (October 14, 2003)