Issei

The earliest wave of Japanese immigrants, the Issei (first generation), had a strong sense of their ethnic identity and retained the values and traditions of their country of birth. Most came to the United States as sojourners and planned to return to Japan after earning their fortunes. In addition, discriminatory laws forbade them from becoming American citizens and from exercising other basic rights, such as owning or leasing land. Since they were thus prevented from fully taking part in American life, it is not surprising that many still identified strongly with the culture of their homeland.

Identity and values (344)
Issei (1035)

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Issei

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1035 items
Four young girls and a woman with an umbrella (ddr-densho-362-33)
img Four young girls and a woman with an umbrella (ddr-densho-362-33)
Four young girls and a woman with an umbrella stand sideways in a row in an open field.
Large group of men and women take a group photo in front of a camp building (ddr-densho-362-53)
img Large group of men and women take a group photo in front of a camp building (ddr-densho-362-53)
Large group of men, women, and children gathered together for a group photo in front of a camp building. A Japanese caption appears on the front of the photograph.
Large group picture in front of a camp building (ddr-densho-362-8)
img Large group picture in front of a camp building (ddr-densho-362-8)
A large group of men, women, and children pose together in front of a Heart Mountain building. Japanese text appears on the front of the photo.
Japanese American family (ddr-densho-362-2)
img Japanese American family (ddr-densho-362-2)
A family sits on a building's ledge for a family group photo. An open field and a mountain are in the background.
Group photo of Japanese American family (ddr-densho-362-40)
img Group photo of Japanese American family (ddr-densho-362-40)
A family sitting on a building's ledge poses for a family picture. An open field and a mountain are in the background.
Group photo of two women, one man, and a young girl in open field (ddr-densho-362-37)
img Group photo of two women, one man, and a young girl in open field (ddr-densho-362-37)
Two women, one man, and a young girl stand in a row for a group photo in an open field. Both women wear white dresses.
Large group of men and women in front of a camp building (ddr-densho-362-29)
img Large group of men and women in front of a camp building (ddr-densho-362-29)
A large group of men and women gather in front of a building for a group photo. Japanese writing is on the front of the photograph.
Six Japanese Americans (ddr-densho-362-18)
img Six Japanese Americans (ddr-densho-362-18)
Six individuals consisting of two men, three women, and a child stand together for a group photo.
Japanese American man and woman stand together (ddr-densho-362-51)
img Japanese American man and woman stand together (ddr-densho-362-51)
A man wearing a suit and a woman wearing a coat pose together near a wire fence.
Japanese American women wearing aprons (ddr-densho-362-9)
img Japanese American women wearing aprons (ddr-densho-362-9)
A large group of women wearing aprons/ uniforms gather together to pose for a photograph in front of a building.
Japanese American children and school teachers (ddr-densho-362-52)
img Japanese American children and school teachers (ddr-densho-362-52)
Group picture of 27 school children and 10 female teachers. Marie Coon is in the first row, 3rd child from the left.
Japanese American men and women wear aprons/ uniforms (ddr-densho-362-6)
img Japanese American men and women wear aprons/ uniforms (ddr-densho-362-6)
Nineteen men and women wear aprons/ uniforms in a group photo. Those in the front row kneel while the rest stand. A building appears in the background.
Five Japanese Americans in front of D-C building (ddr-densho-362-15)
img Five Japanese Americans in front of D-C building (ddr-densho-362-15)
Two men, two women, and a child stand together in front of a building with a sign that reads "D-C". The Konishi family lived at 12-11 C.
Eight Japanese Americans (ddr-densho-362-17)
img Eight Japanese Americans (ddr-densho-362-17)
Eight individuals consisting of men, women, and a child gather for a group photo. A cabin appears in the background.
Japanese American woman and girl walk into the distance (ddr-densho-362-43)
img Japanese American woman and girl walk into the distance (ddr-densho-362-43)
A woman and girl walk up a trail with their backs towards the camera. A long road lays before them.
Japanese American man, woman, and three girls group photo (ddr-densho-362-46)
img Japanese American man, woman, and three girls group photo (ddr-densho-362-46)
A man, woman, and 3 young girls gather together for a group picture in an open field. A crowd of people are in the background.
Two Japanese American women at barracks steps (ddr-densho-362-55)
img Two Japanese American women at barracks steps (ddr-densho-362-55)
Two women wearing black dresses pose together for a picture near a cabin barracks steps.
Four Japanese Americans in an open field (ddr-densho-362-14)
img Four Japanese Americans in an open field (ddr-densho-362-14)
A group of two men and two women stand together near an open field.
Two men, two women, and a girl with stuffed bunny (ddr-densho-362-56)
img Two men, two women, and a girl with stuffed bunny (ddr-densho-362-56)
Two men, two women and a little girl holding a stuffed bunny gather together for a group shot. Camp cabins are in the background.
Japanese American woman and three children sit on barracks steps (ddr-densho-362-11)
img Japanese American woman and three children sit on barracks steps (ddr-densho-362-11)
One woman and three children (two boys and one girl) sit together on barracks steps. Tom Konishi is seated in the front of the group.
Group of Japanese American men, women, and children with coats and blankets (ddr-densho-362-32)
img Group of Japanese American men, women, and children with coats and blankets (ddr-densho-362-32)
Large group of men, women, and children dressed in coats and blankets, gather for a group picture in an open field.
Six Japanese Americans at railroad crossing (ddr-densho-362-42)
img Six Japanese Americans at railroad crossing (ddr-densho-362-42)
Two men, two women and two girls gather together near train tracks for a group photo.
Portrait of Harry Matsuoka (ddr-densho-390-1)
img Portrait of Harry Matsuoka (ddr-densho-390-1)
A small portrait of Harry Matsuoka, most likely for an identification card.
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