Returning home

When the camps closed, Japanese Americans were handed $25 and put on trains headed for the places they had been forcibly removed from nearly four years earlier. Harassment was common -- many returning Japanese Americans were greeted with signs reading "No Japs Allowed." Other discovered their property had been vandalized or stolen. Homes and businesses that had been boarded up or left in the care of others were abandoned and stripped of furnishings and goods. For the majority, who did not have homes to return to, housing was the most serious problem. Housing discrimination was severe in many areas and persisted to varying degrees until the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. Former camp inmates with no other options moved into hostels and converted community institutions with conditions not much better than the camps they had just left. Although this period was stressful, it is remembered as a time when people came together to share what they had.

World War II (277)
Leaving camp (372)
Returning home (1150)

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1150 items

img Buddhist Convention (ddr-one-1-331)

Black and white photographic negative of members of the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as the Oregon Buddhist Temple) at a Buddhist convention at Collin's Field House in Seattle, Washington. Back row left to right: Frances (Kinoshita) Mayeda, Aki (Shiraishi) Dong, Mary (Nakata) Fujii, unidentified, Jean (Tsujimura) Takashima, remaining unidentified. Front row left to right: Sumi …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-331/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 31 "Human Cannon" (ddr-one-1-144)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 31 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside the Shoreline Hotel and Anchor Inn. The float has four elephants made of yellow flowers on the front sitting in a circle with trunks raised in the air. A cannon made of green flowers is on the back …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-144/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- Pistol Creek Fire Department (ddr-one-1-140)

Color slide of the Pistol Creek Fire Department pushing a small wagon up W Burnside, the Noon Bag Company and White Stag Manufacturing building is visible in the background, two large advertisements are partially visible on the Noon Bag Company building. The firemen are dressed in red long-johns and rubber boots with their fire department name …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-140/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade float- Chamber of Commerce (ddr-one-1-565)

Color slide of the side of the Chamber of Commerce driving down SW Third Ave in front of a large crowd gathered outside a Signal gas station and San Francisco Tailor, behind the Signal gas station is the old Multnomah Hotel in the Portland Rose Festival Parade. Eight women in pink gowns sit on the float, …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-565/

img Nisei Bowling League at Rose City Bowling Alley (ddr-one-1-129)

Black and white photographic negative of Nisei women sitting and standing around a booth at Rose City Bowling Alley. A Nisei women's team is still in uniform. Standing left to right: Kathleen Sasaki, Yoko (Hishikawa) Iwata, Sachi (Nakata) Nakashima, Fumi Inukai, Takako Inukai, unidentified, Jane (Kawamoto) Hinatsu, unidentified. Seated left to right: Toshi (Tamiyasu) Fukuhara, Florence …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-129/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade - "Parkrose" (ddr-one-1-464)

Color slide of a Rose Festival Parade float driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside White Stag Manufacturing. The side of the float reads "Parkrose." Four women sit on top of the float in gowns holding bouquets of flowers. The Portland Rose Festival Parade is an annual event in which floats are made …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-464/

img Reed College (ddr-one-1-362)

Black and white photographic print of Carlos Ogimi and other students sitting at drawing table working on an unknown project. Carlos is the first seated student on the right, everyone else is unidentified. This photographic negative was taken at Reed College where Carlos was a student. Negative ONLC 3182 (ddr-one-1-364).

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-362/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 26 "At the end of the rainbow" (ddr-one-1-520)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 26 driving down SW Third Ave in front of a large crowd gathered outside a Signal gas station and San Francisco Tailor, behind the Signal gas station is the old Multnomah Hotel. The float is of rainbow coming out of an overturned leprechaun pot with six young women in …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-520/

img Hanamatsuri (birth of Buddha celebration) Odori Performance (ddr-one-1-402)

Black and white photographic negative of an Odori folk dance performance on a stage for Hanamatsuri (birth of Buddha celebration) inside the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as the Oregon Buddhist Temple). Dancers on stage: second to the right, Shiz (Fujita) Inaba; third to the right, Mary (Nakata) Fujii.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-402/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade float- "Sport of Queens" (ddr-one-1-513)

Color slide of a Rose Festival float driving down SW Third Ave in front of a large crowd gathered outside a Signal gas station and San Francisco Tailor, behind the Signal gas station is the old Multnomah Hotel. The float has "Sport of Queens" written on the side in yellow flowers. The float depicts greyhound racing, …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-513/

img Garden dance (ddr-one-1-529)

Color slide taken from the top of a hill behind a crowd watching what appears to part of an event for the Rose Festival. There are eight girls in colorful gowns, and one girl is leading them in a dance in a short white dress. A military band is seated in the background on the left. …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-529/

img Dance (ddr-one-1-102)

Black and white photographic negative of an unidentified couple sitting at a table in semi-formal attire possibly manning the coat check.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-102/

img Nisei in formal dress (ddr-one-1-434)

Black and white photographic negative of four Nisei in formal dress outside. From left to right: Sam “Pompadour Sam” Sasaki, Mieko Fujita, Masako “Massie” (Endo) Hinatsu, and Akiko “Aki” (Endo) Akagi.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-434/

img Yellow Sedan (ddr-one-1-177)

Color slide of a yellow 1950 Studebaker Champion two door sedan with white wall tires and an unknown male driver.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-177/

img Community Picnic (ddr-one-1-379)

Black and white photographic negative of a family sitting at a picnic table at a community picnic at Viking Park hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as the Oregon Buddhist Temple). From left to right: unidentified, Kazuo “Kaz” Ochiai, Tamiyo Ochiai, and Zenzaburo Ochiai.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-379/

img Obon Festival Dance Rehearsal (ddr-one-1-305)

Black and white photographic negative of small audience watching the Obon dance rehearsal inside Norse Hall in Northeast Portland. Fifth from the right standing up in back row of the audience is Larry Tamiyasu. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple) and attended by the wider …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-305/

img Oregon Buddhist Church 50th Anniversary Celebration Procession (ddr-one-1-52)

Color slide of procession in front of US Customs House in Northwest Portland. Procession led by a color guard of Boy Scouts, carrying the United States flag and the Buddhist flag. Women in kimonos or yukatas follow, then black vehicles with flowers on top, then the Chigo "children's" procession. From left to right: Kenneth "Kenny" Yasutome, …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-52/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance (ddr-one-1-227)

Black and white photographic negative of two Obon dancers performing in front of crowd. From left to right: Carol (Murahashi) Asakawa, Phyllis Midori (Ando) Muramatsu. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as Oregon Buddhist Temple) and attended by the wider Nikkei community. This image was taken at Holladay Park …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-227/

img Portland Rose Festival Parade- float 32 "First Prom" (ddr-one-1-530)

Color slide of Rose Festival Parade float 32 driving down W Burnside in front of a crowd outside the Blue Eagle Café on the corner of NW Second Ave. The float has four women standing inside large oversized prom skirts made of flowers. The front of the float reads "PGE" and has a small yellow sign …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-530/

img Obon Festival- Odori folk dance Tanko Bushi (ddr-one-1-196)

Black and white photographic negative of Obon dancers dancing the Tanko Bushi. Obon dancers: Patricia “Pat” (Ikata) Iboshi, Joe Shiraishi, Mrs. Okiyama, Thomas "Tom" Honma, and Jean Yasuko (Kida) Tomita. Couple to the left of the light pole are Mary (Muramatsu) Shiiki and Ray Shiiki. Obon is an annual event hosted by the Oregon Buddhist Church …

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-196/

img Hanamatsuri (birth of Buddha celebration) Odori Performance (ddr-one-1-409)

Black and white photographic negative of an Odori folk dance performance on stage for Hanamatsuri (birth of Buddha celebration) inside the Oregon Buddhist Church (now known as the Oregon Buddhist Temple). First dancer on the left: Sakae Kobayashi.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-409/

img Wedding of Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto (ddr-one-1-42)

Black and white photographic negative of Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto's wedding from above and behind. Original print ONLC 2804 (ddr-one-1-31).

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-42/

img Sorelles Beach Outing (ddr-one-1-394)

Black and white photographic negative of Lillian (Niimi) Mikariya kneeling on the sand at the Oregon Coast at a beach outing planned by the Sorrelles (a high school social group).

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-394/

img Wedding of Sam Sakamoto and Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto (ddr-one-1-33)

Original black and white photographic print of Bride and Groom, Hanaye (Fujiwara) Sakamoto and Sam Sakamoto, in front of the alter, bride's train twisted and laying on the stairs. Negative ONLC 2817. (ddr-one-1-44).

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-33/

img Wedding portrait of Tatsu Watanabe and Ruth Sono (ddr-one-1-131)

Black and white photographic negative of Tatsu "Dutch" Watanabe and Ruth (Sono) Watanabe looking at each other in their wedding attire.

https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-one-1-131/