PARTNER

INTERVIEW ID

ddr-densho-1000-138

NARRATOR

Tosh Yasutake

INTERVIEW TITLE

Tosh Yasutake Interview

04:04:06 — 42 segments

DESCRIPTION

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 mother, sister and two brothers in 1942. Incarcerated at Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Worked as hospital attendant and laboratory technician in Minidoka. While incarcerated in Minidoka, volunteered for U.S. Army, March, 1943. Allowed to travel from Minidoka, with sister Mitsuye (Yasutake) Yamada, to visit their father, Jack Kaichiro Yasutake, incarcerated at U.S. Department of Justice internment camp in Lordsburg, NM. Mr. Yasutake passed away on December 12, 2016. After basic training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, served in Europe in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team as a medic assigned to Company I, 2nd Platoon. Wounded during combat in southern France, October, 1944. Awarded Bronze Star. After recovery, assigned as a medic to Anti-tank Company, 1st platoon. December, 1945 discharged from the army. After visiting parents and younger brother in Cincinnati and living briefly in New York City, returned to Seattle. Married. Received B.A., Zoology, from University of Washington. Began career in research on fish pathology. Had four children. Received Ph.D in Fish Pathology from the University of Tokyo. Retired in 1988 as Research Histologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, after 36 years. Continues to serve as a Senior Scientist Emeritus in a volunteer capacity. Dr. W.T. Yasutake is the author of numerous articles published in scholarly journals, and the book, Microscopic Anatomy of Salmonids. He received awards and recognition for his pioneering and outstanding contributions to his professional field.

(William Toshio Yasutake was interviewed together with his sister Mitsuye (Yasutake) Yamada and surviving brother, Joseph Yasutake, in group sessions on October 8-9, 2002. He was interviewed individually on November 14, 2002.

Before being contacted by Densho, the Yasutake siblings had planned to conduct their own family history interviews. Individually and jointly, they and other family members had written and gathered material documenting their family history. They shared much of this with me to assist with research and preparation for the Densho interview. Mitsuye's daughter Jeni had coordinated much of the family history work. Jeni participated as a secondary interviewer during the group sessions, October 8-9, 2002.

The group interview sessions were conducted in Seattle at the home of Tom Ikeda, executive director of Densho. The oldest Yasutake sibling, Reverend Seiichi Michael Yasutake, had passed away less than a year before the Densho interviewing, in December, 2001. The remaining siblings emphasized that his absence left a gap in their discussion of family history. In addition to Jeni Yamada and videographers Dana Hoshide and John Pai, also present during some portions of the group interview were Tom Ikeda, and Mitsuye Yamada's son Kai Yamada.)

PRODUCTION

Alice Ito, interviewer; Tom Ikeda, interviewer; Dana Hoshide, videographer

PERSONS/ORGANIZATIONS

CONTRIBUTOR

Densho

PREFERRED CITATION

Courtesy of Densho

RIGHTS