Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/890/

Visiting Japan to study kendo

When I was in high school, I wanted to do something – some type of martial art and my cousins did judo. My brother did karate and I wanted to do something else. So at my church, they taught kendo. So I saw that and the teacher was an old friend of my family’s. He was from Akita and the story goes he was at his dojo. My great-grandfather was his teacher. So I started kendo there and my father said, “Once you start, you can’t quit.” So I’m still practicing today. So at least, he said…so eventually, because of my involvement in kendo, I became very interested in Japanese culture. I wanted to train in kendo for one year. So I came to Japan and studied Japanese first. And then I started studying kendo, actually while I was studying Japanese. For a long time, I stayed in Japan on a cultural visa, studying kendo and studying Japanese.


combat Finding Home (film) kendo martial arts

Date: November 11, 2003

Location: Kyoto, Japan

Interviewer: Art Nomura

Contributed by: Art Nomura, Finding Home.

Interviewee Bio

Peter Mizuki, a Sansei, was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. As a child he helped in his family’s lumber business and was involved with the Japanese martial art of kendo. Later, while a student at the University of Washington, he was one of the founding members of the Kendo Club. As his interest in Japanese culture developed, he traveled to Japan on a cultural visa to learn Japanese and continue his study of kendo. There, he met his wife in Kyoto. He now has two sons, is a permanent resident of Japan, and continues to practice kendo and teach English part-time at universities. In his interview, Peter shares his experiences of being a Japanese American in Japan and the struggles he’s endured to be accepted by Japanese society. (2005)

Inoue,Enson

Disadvantages of looking Japanese

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

Ota,Vince

Little contact with Asians growing up on the east coast

Japanese American Creative designer living in Japan

Ota,Vince

Spending summers in Los Angeles

Japanese American Creative designer living in Japan

Ota,Vince

Japanese Americans brought up to deny their roots

Japanese American Creative designer living in Japan

Ota,Vince

Japan as my home

Japanese American Creative designer living in Japan

Ota,Vince

Main differences between Japanese and Japanese Americans

Japanese American Creative designer living in Japan