Kenneth Nobuji Iyeki Collection
PARTNER
Densho
Visit partner
COLLECTION ID
ddr-densho-392
DESCRIPTION
The Kenneth Nobuji Iyeki Collection consists of photographs of the Iyeki Family and documents telling the story of their life before, during, and after World War II. The bulk of the collection is made up of pencil sketches done by Kenneth Nobuji Iyeki while he was incarcerated in Tanforan Assembly Center and Topaz concentration camp. These sketches show everyday life in these two facilities through the eyes of Kenneth who was an older teenager when he and his family were forcibly removed from their home.
INCLUSIVE UNIT DATE
1880s-1990s
BULK UNIT DATE
1942-1945
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
54 sketches, 13 photographic prints, miscellaneous documents and ephemera
CONTRIBUTOR
Densho
CREATORS
- Iyeki, Kenneth Nobuji (author)
PREFERRED CITATION
Courtesy of the Kenneth Nobuji Iyeki Collection, Densho
RIGHTS
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
88 Objects
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Drawing from the middle of the race track at Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-392-1)
Caption written by Kenneth Iyeki: "Here is another scene, skeched from the middle of the track. The striped pole in the foreground represented a furlough. 220 yards. The barrack in the scene is number 115. There were five rooms to a barrack. Five families. Separating each room were plywood walls, built half-way to the ceiling. One …
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Drawing of the northwest corner Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-392-2)
Caption written by Kenneth Iyeki: "This is the north west corner of camp. Beyond the two green tankers, concealed in the trees was a cleverly hidden guard post. Beyond the fence lay the highway. People used to come roaring up, then slam[?] their cars close to satisfy their curiosity. Some waived, some smiled, some frowned, and …
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Drawing of the south side of Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-392-3)
Caption written by Kenneth Iyeki: "This is a scene on the south side of Tanforan. The eucalyptus trees were always green, a factor which helped to keep our morale up. The green houses in the background were the better stables, on the opposite side of the track from the 'common' planked horse shelters. These that were …
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Drawing of barracks 16 at Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-392-4)
Caption written by Kenneth Iyeki: "This # barrack 16 served as our dwelling during the months spent at Tanforan. During our stay, peculiar odors persisted, reminding us of horse manure. We lived in the end apartment. The balcony came in very handy as we had an excellent view. All day long evacuees would be scurrying back …
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Drawing of the music school at Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-392-5)
Caption written by Kenneth Iyeki: "This is the Tanforan music school which prior to evacuation served the racetrack fans as a refreshment house. At all hours, the sounds of pianos and violins would sound forth from every window. Every so often, music concerts would be held, and the edifice would be jammed every time. The [sic] …
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Drawing of the latrine and barracks at Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-392-6)
Caption by Kenneth Iyeki: "This is a scene from the roof of an old stable. The latrine building which served our area [?] to the left. To the right is barrack #16 and between the two buildings is the stable where the batchelors [sic] used to sit all day and talk. Beyond the stable, partially hidden …
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Drawing of the military camp at Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-392-7)
Caption by Kenneth Iyeki: "After drawing this picture of the military camp in the south-west corner of Tanforan, I found that such pictures were prohibited. The soldiers in this camp were all swell fellows, and when on guard duty, were as amicable as could be. Along the fence, the soldiers would play horseshoes, and wash the …
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Drawing of the latrine and barracks at Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-392-8)
Caption by Kenneth Iyeki: "A scene midway on the track length on the west side of camp. At the very end of the track to the left is the commisary warehouse. The rails were a favorite of youngsters. They would boast of having walked such and such a distance. Never heard of anyone balancing his way …
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Drawing of the San Francisco sign on the hills outside of Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-392-9)
Caption written by Kenneth Iyeki: "This is a scene drawn from the porch where my cousins lived. The huge sign up on the [?] hills were late blacked out as a precaution against possible air raids. Out over the fence about a mile along can be seen the old dog race grounds. The huge wooden grandstand …
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Drawing of the laundry buildings at Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-392-10)
Caption written by Kenneth Iyeki: "These are the laundry buildings from which all the internees left for Topaz, Utah. As the time for the trip to Utah neared, fences were put up around these three makeshift structures and people were leaving the camp every day like herds of cattle."