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1408 items

Narrator Masao Watanabe

Nisei male. Born December 10, 1923, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up near the Nihonmachi area of Seattle. Incarcerated at the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. In 1943, volunteered for the army while in camp. Served in Europe with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, L Company. Returned to Seattle after the war and …

Narrator Victor Ikeda

Nisei male. Born February 4, 1927, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Seattle's Japantown area, where parents operated a hotel. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Left camp to attend school in Minnesota, was drafted, and trained in the Military Intelligence Service Language …

Narrator Jim Tsujimura

Nisei male. Born February 10, 1931, in Westport, Oregon. Grew up in Portland, Oregon. During World War II, removed to the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, returned to Oregon for high school and college and went to medical school, eventually becoming a successful opthalmologist. Served in leadership positions with the Japanese American Citizens League …

Narrator Miyoko Tsuboi Nakagawa

Nisei female. Born March 8, 1925, in Portland, Oregon. Lost mother at an early age and helped to take care of the family. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, worked for a War Relocation Authority office helping to return confiscated property to …

Narrator May Ota Higa

Nisei female. Born March 14, 1916, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Seattle and Ellensburg, Washington, before going to Japan to teach just prior to the onset of World War II. Returned to Seattle in 1941, and was removed with family to Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After the war, resettled in …

Narrator George Azumano

Nisei male. Born June 9, 1918, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Portland where parents ran a hotel and grocery business. Was drafted into the army prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and was transferred to the army reserves. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, …

Narrator Kenji J. Yaguchi

Nisei male. Born December 22, 1922, in Tacoma, Washington. Grew up in the nearby town of Fife, Washington, where parents ran a farm. During World War II, removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Was drafted into the military and served with the Combat Engineer Company of the 442nd Regimental Combat …

Narrator Emi Somekawa

Nisei female. Born May 10, 1918, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in the small town of Brooks, Oregon, where parents ran a farm. Prior to World War II, became a nurse, married, and had a child. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Tule Lake concentration camp, California, and worked …
Tosh Yasutake Interview (ddr-densho-1000-138)
vh Tosh Yasutake Interview (ddr-densho-1000-138)
Nisei male. Born June 10, 1922, in Seattle, WA. Father was employed by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service as interpreter for twenty years, until he was separated from family on December 7, 1941, and interned as an enemy alien. Graduated 1941, Cleveland High School, and attended University of Washington before being removed from Seattle with …

Narrator Mae Kanazawa Hara

Nisei female. Born May 21, 1913, in Seattle, Washington. Spent childhood in Seattle before moving to Chicago, Illinois, for three years to study music. Taught music in Japan for four years before returning to Seattle. After the outbreak of World War II, removed to Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Left camp with …

Narrator Shiz Inaba

Nisei female. Born September 19, 1929, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Milwaukie, Oregon, where parents ran a farm. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, returned to Oregon and parents ran a hotel business in Portland. Went to business school and worked …

Narrator Yoji J. Matsushima

Nisei male. Born January 31, 1933, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Portland, where parents ran a general merchandise store. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Left camp for the East Coast because parents wanted to repatriate to Japan. Did not secure a place on …

Narrator Martha Nishitani

Nisei female. Born February 27, 1920, in Seattle, Washington. Family owned and operated the Oriental Gardens, the first nursery in Lake City. Incarcerated at Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. An award-winning modern dancer who established the Martha Nishitani Modern Dance School and Martha Nishitani Modern Dance Company, she also choreographs for modern …

Narrator Mits Takahashi

Nisei male. Born October 22, 1924, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Seattle, where father was a prominent member of the Japanese Gardeners Association. During World War II, removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Drafted into the army, and served in Italy with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Received …

Narrator Betty Morita Shibayama

Nisei female. Born May 30, 1933, in Hood River, Oregon. Raised in the Hood River valley on family farm. After December 7, 1941, removed to the Pinedale Assembly Center, California, and then to the Tule Lake concentration camp, California. In 1943, moved with family to the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho, before leaving camp for Chicago, Illinois, …

Narrator Warren Koichi Suzuki

Nisei male. Born February 27, 1921, in Seattle, Washington. At age ten, was sent to Japan to live and attend school. Returned to Seattle prior to World War II. During the war, was removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Answered "no-no" on the so-called "loyalty questionnaire" and was transferred …

Narrator Gus Tanaka

Nisei male. Born August 3, 1923, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Portland, where father was a physician in Japantown. Was attending college prior to World War II. During the war, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Left camp to attend college before being drafted in 1944. Served in …

Narrator Gerald L. Beppu

Sansei male. Family owned Linc's Tackle, a longtime Japanese American business in Seattle, Washington. Prior to World War II, father became the owner of Togo's Tackle shop. During the war, removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. While the family was in camp, their prewar insurance agent paid the premiums …

Narrator Fumiko Uyeda Groves

Nisei female. Born September 9, 1933, in Seattle, Washington. Parents operated a store in the Sanitary Market (now known as the Pike Place Market). Father was very active in kenjinkai (prefectural organization) activities, both before and after World War II. Spent prewar childhood in and among Seattle's Japanese American community. Incarcerated at the Puyallup Assembly Center, …

Narrator Thomas T. Kobayashi

Nisei male. Born September 4, 1916, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington prior to World War II. Fired from job at Seattle City Light after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. During the war, was removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Volunteered for …

Narrator Sharon Maeda

Sansei female. Born February 16, 1945, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where parents had resettled after leaving the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho, during World War II. Moved at an early age to Portland, Oregon, and then Seattle, Washington. Attended the University of Washington where she was active in student groups. Got involved in numerous political campaigns supporting Asian …
Mitsuye May Yamada Interview Segment 2 (ddr-densho-1000-137-2)
vh Mitsuye May Yamada Interview Segment 2 (ddr-densho-1000-137-2)
Living and working in an American Friends' hostel in Cincinnati after leaving Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho

Mitsuye Yamada was interviewed together with her two surviving brothers, William Toshio Yasutake and Joseph Yasutake, in group sessions on October 8-9, 2002. She was interviewed individually on October 9-10, 2002.

Before being contacted by Densho, the Yasutake siblings had …

Narrator Etsuko Ichikawa Osaki

Nisei female. Born February 19, 1931, in Fresno, California. Family moved to Seattle, Washington, where father became minister of the Seattle Buddhist Temple. During the war, removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Transferred to the Crystal City internment camp, Texas, to be reunited with father, who was arrested by the …

Narrator Art Ishida

Nisei male. Born June 2, 1921, in Fresno, California. Grew up in the Gardena area of Los Angeles, California, before moving to Japan with parents in 1929 and returning to California in the 1930s. During World War II, removed to the Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and the Jerome concentration camp, Arkansas. Gave a qualified answer …

Narrator Jim Akutsu

Nisei male. Born January 25, 1920, in Seattle, Washington. Incarcerated at the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Resisted the draft, with the rationale that the U.S. government had classified him 4-C, an enemy alien, and he was therefore under no obligation to serve. Imprisoned at McNeil Island Penitentiary, Washington. Vocal critic of …
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