Japanese American Museum of San Jose Collection
PARTNER
Japanese American Museum of San Jose
Visit partner
COLLECTION ID
ddr-jamsj-2
DESCRIPTION
This collection consists of interviews conducted in partnership with the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj). The museum's mission is to preserve and disseminate the culture and history of Japanese Americans, with a special focus on the Santa Clara Valley. Many of the interviews in this collection focus on the pre- and postwar Japantown neighborhood of San Jose, with particular emphasis on the Japanese American small business owners, and how their livelihoods were affected by the World War II mass removal and incarceration. For more information about the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, please visit www.jamsj.org.
INCLUSIVE UNIT DATE
2016-2019
BULK UNIT DATE
2016-2019
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
15 oral history interviews
CONTRIBUTOR
Japanese American Museum of San Jose
CREATORS
PREFERRED CITATION
Courtesy of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose
RIGHTS
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
15 Objects
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James Sakamoto Interview (ddr-jamsj-2-1)
Nisei male. Born April 18, 1924, in Mayfield, California. Spent prewar childhood years in Alviso, California. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, moved with family to Stockton, California, in an attempt to avoid mass removal. Despite this, was removed to the Stockton Assembly Center, California, and the Rohwer concentration camp, Arkansas. Resettled in Colorado …
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Richard Onishi Interview (ddr-jamsj-2-2)
Nisei male. Born October 15, 1931, in Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii. Moved to San Jose, California, from Hawaii in 1936. Grew up in San Jose's Japantown before the onset of World War II. Removed to Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming. Returned with family to San Jose, after the war, and helped …
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Perry Dobashi Interview (ddr-jamsj-2-3)
Sansei male. Born in 1938 in San Jose, California. Raised in San Jose, where parents and grandparents owned a store in Japantown. Removed to Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and then to Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming. Returned to San Jose after the war, where family reestablished their business, the Dobashi Market. Mr. Dobashi eventually took …
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Mollie Nakasaki Interview (ddr-jamsj-2-4)
Nisei female. Born November 17, 1930, in Salinas, California. Grew up in Salinas's Japantown community before moving to various towns in California after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Removed to Poston concentration camp, Colorado. Left camp with family for Denver, Colorado, in 1945 before returning to California and establishing the Mandarin Restaurant in San Jose's Japantown. …
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George Hanada Interview (ddr-jamsj-2-5)
Nisei male. Born 1924 in Penryn, California. Spent most of childhood in San Jose, California, before being removed to Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming. Served in the military at the end of World War II before returning to California. Opened owned business, George's Service Center, in San Jose's Japantown following …
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Dave Tatsuno Interview (ddr-jamsj-2-6)
Nisei male. Born March 31, 1913, in San Francisco, California. Spent difficult childhood years in San Francisco under care of a guardian while family lived in Japan. Graduated with a degree in business administration from the University of California at Berkeley before World War II. Removed to Tanforan Assembly Center, California, and then to Topaz concentration …
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Eiichi Edward Sakauye Interview (ddr-jamsj-2-7)
Nisei male. Born January 25, 1912, in San Jose, California. Grew up in San Jose, working on family's extensive farmholdings, and graduating from San Jose Teachers College. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, was removed to Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming. While at Heart Mountain, became the agriculture superintendent, and …
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Richard Konda Interview (ddr-jamsj-2-8)
Sansei male. Born February 27, 1951, in San Francisco, California. Grew up in San Francisco and attended UC Berkeley. Went to law school at Santa Clara and became involved in Asian law student groups and the Asian Law Alliance. Continued community work after law school and was involved in founding the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee in San …
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Iwao Peter Sano Interview (ddr-jamsj-2-9)
Nisei male. Born June 9, 1924, in Brawley, California. Grew up in Brawley until the age of eleven, when family decided to send him to Japan to be adopted by an uncle and aunt. Attended school in Japan and was conscripted into the Japanese military. After Japan surrendered, was captured as a prisoner of war and …
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Lily C. Hioki Interview (ddr-jamsj-2-10)
Nisei female. Born July 3, 1925, in San Jose, California. Moved with family frequently as a child before returning to San Jose for high school. In 1942, family decided to avoid incarceration by moving to Utah, and joined an automobile caravan of several families from San Jose. Lived and worked in Utah during the war primarily …