Hearing about the bombing of Pearl Harbor; surprise that Japan would attack the United States
During this interview, Mrs. Kurosu alternately speaks in both English and Japanese. As a result, the English translation of the transcript contains [Jpn.] and [Eng.], which indicate whether the original dialogue was spoken in Japanese or English.
Father's return to Japan due to fear of U.S. hostility prior to World War II
During this interview, Mrs. Kurosu alternately speaks in both English and Japanese. As a result, the English translation of the transcript contains [Jpn.] and [Eng.], which indicate whether the original dialogue was spoken in Japanese or English.
Receiving news that younger brother, still living in Japan, was killed during the war
During this interview, Mrs. Kurosu alternately speaks in both English and Japanese. As a result, the English translation of the transcript contains [Jpn.] and [Eng.], which indicate whether the original dialogue was spoken in Japanese or English.
This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.
This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.
Family background: parents' immigration from Japan, leasing a ranch in California
This interview was conducted by the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, and is part of a project entitled "Lasting Stories: The Resettlement of San Jose Japantown," a collaborative project between the Japanese American Museum of San Jose and Densho.
This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.
This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.
This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.
This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.
This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.
Nisei male. Born June 18, 1927, in Terminal Island, California. Grew up in Terminal Island before being removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California, during World War II. Joined the Military Intelligence Service, working as an interpreter in Japan during the U.S. occupation. Married in Japan and eventually returned to California.
Nisei female. Born July 9, 1930, in Salinas, California. Grew up in Salinas, where father ran a successful farm. In 1941, moved with family to Japan. Remained in Japan during World War II and worked as an interpreter. After the war, returned to the United States and presently lives in California.
A letter from Masao Okine to his parents, Seiichi and Tomeyo Okine in Hawthorne, California. This letter is written in Japan where Masao is stationed as a U.S. military soldier and mailed via San Francisco by the U.S. Army Postal Service. Masao describes his stay in Japan, being transferred from Sagamihara, Kanagawa, to Tokyo, possibly being …
Kibei-Nisei male. Born January 20, 1916, in Alameda, California. At the age of five, family returned to live in Japan. Attended school in Japan before returning to the U.S. in 1937. Drafted into the U.S. Army, and was in training when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Resisted military orders while in basic training, …
Nisei male. Born June 16, 1927, in Hood River, Oregon. Grew up in Hood River, where parents ran a farm. At the age of thirteen, went to Japan with family for a vacation and ended up staying there. Attended school in Japan and then was trained in the Japanese air force as a kamikaze pilot. Instead …
Nisei male. Born February 13, 1929, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Hollywood, California, and was living there when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. Removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. Parents signed "no-no" on the so-called "loyalty questionnaire" and the family was transferred to the Tule Lake concentration camp, California, then designated as a …
Caption on reverse [translation]: "July 17, [?]. A woman sculptor. Miss Kameno Ota. Miss Kameno Ota is a beloved pupil of [?]i Hirosuke, who is a leading figure of sculpting and belongs to the school of the Japan Fine Arts Institution Exhibition. Kameno Ota is the authority among women sculptors. I visited her studio called Hongo …
Caption on front: "'While Japan looks to America as a model for many modern ideas of life and manners, there is a great need of a constructive interpretation of the best that the West has to offer.' Iwasaburo Okino, famous Japanese novelist, who arrived in San Francisco aboard the Tatsuta Maru recently, added to his above …
Term paper by Shig Katayama for Social Problems class taught by Mr. Harry Bentley Wells, a teacher at Manzanar High School. Shig's greatest wish is to live in a democratic world and be a success in his chosen career. He has intended to attend the college of Pharmacy at UC Berkley and run a small drug …
Term paper by Toshiro Hara for period 5 Social Problems class taught by Mr. Harry Bentley Wells, a teacher at Manzanar High School. Toshiro discusses his ambition to be a stenographer. With the enforced draft of the armed forces, he believes his best hope is entering and helping to win the war. If Japan wins, he …
Roy Matsumoto's paternal grandparents. Roy's paternal grandfather, Wakamatsu, was the youngest son of the Matsumoto family. He married his sweetheart and came to Kauai, HI, as a government contract laborer to work in the sugar cane fields. Upon completion of the contract, he came to the mainland United States, leased land in southern California, and operated …
Caption on reverse [translation]: "American Youth Gorham Graduates From Tokyo Imperial University. Received Education in Japan from Elementary School. Returns to Birthplace of America on Yawata Maru. [Tokyo 1st Domei]. An American youth named Dan C. Gorham (25) was among the two thousand who had their graduation ceremony for Tokyo Imperial University on the 31st and …
Issei female. Born 1897 in Hiroshima, Japan. Graduated from Shintoku Jikka Girls' High School. Married Mr. Shizuto Terao, an Issei who returned to Japan temporarily from the U.S., through an arranged marriage, and immigrated to the U.S. Lived in Seattle until they moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, to stay with her cousin in the spring …