Masaji Inoshita's father grew up Kyushu where he learned sumo-Japanese wrestling. The elder Inoshita wanted to avoid the draft in Japan, and decided to come America where he traveled up and down the Pacific Coast as a sumo wrestler, challenging other people their wages for the day. After making money wagering on wrestling, he started a pig farm in central California and in 1916 persuaded his wife, a picture bride, to come to the United States.
In 1919, Masaji Inoshita, their second son, was born. Inoshita's older brother died as a baby, and so Inoshita became the eldest son and the first American citizen in the family. He grew up with, "You're going to take care of the family, you're going to buy land," [Oral History] whispered into his ear.
When the Great Depression hit, land that they had purchased was seized and his father looked for work as far east as Chicago. Eventually they settled on the central Coast in Santa Maria, Calif. His father again worked his way up from laborer to manager of a farm. When Inoshita turned 21, all of the leases and ownership of the horses, tractors, and everything else was put in his name:
I was fully prepared to accept that from years of training. In a way I was glad because the draft was in operation and I went to the draft board and they said, "You're 1A, you're healthy enough to go to the service." They asked what I did, I said, "I'm a farmer." They asked how much do you farm? I said, "I'm in charge of 80 acres." And I took all my lease papers up there. They see me as the operator of a farm and I didn't have to go to the draft. [Oral History]
My mother used to tell me, "Now you're going to school and learn the best you can. Get good grades and you can go out for sports, but you can't go off to any social type of activities." I felt this very keenly because I'm a fairly gregarious person and I like to talk to people. My mother used to warn me when you speak to a Caucasian girl, be very careful that you have someone else close by. I never went to a dance, didn't join any clubs that involved intersocial activities.... My mother was that way. [Oral History]
Here was a federal agency stating, "You have to continue your farming operation because your crops are necessary for the war effort." Can you imagine, on the one hand they're taking the heads of family away, freezing the bank account, and yet they're telling us to continue farming? Lot of the people quit that day on December 7th, let the crops go. But we continued. [Oral History]
The same Philbrick.... He walked up toward the Army personnel and pushes him aside, "I'm going to talk to my friends." I could hear his voice. He hugs my mother and me and said, "The government is making a terrible mistake, a terrible mistake. When this war is over, you come back." He turned around and got into his car and drove off. [Oral History]
I thought about it a long time. In fact, I didn't sleep a couple of nights. Right from the first I wanted to volunteer because I saw that as an opportunity for my personal freedom, and I also saw that as a plus for the family. [Oral History]
My sister keeps telling me, when you volunteered, you raised havoc in our family. I think that's true because all the families that came from Santa Maria valley were real friendly with one another, and we were included among the friends. The fact that I volunteered-complete association stopped.... People that I grew up with all my life no longer talked to me. [Oral History]
What I'd do is, I'd go to the prisoners and get an intelligent looking fellow that I can converse with and have him read it to me. I would translate it. I'd get commendation from the British for being so efficient, and I used the prisoners. [Oral History]
We looked everywhere, all though the back roads. The driver told me there aren't any, the only defense they had was a bamboo sharpened on one end. That's the way every man, woman, and child was going to repel the invasion.... Then you hear the President saying, "The atomic bomb saved a million lives." It makes me sad because the war was over and military Japan had asked for terms of surrender.... They wanted to demonstrate the atomic bomb. It was not a question that Japan wasn't ready to surrender; Japan was ready to surrender.... But that's only my interpretation and some of the other people's interpretation may not fit into what you're trying to say. [Oral History]