Susumu Oshima Interview Segment 1

Born in Kona, Hawaii (ddr-densho-1000-283-1) - 00:02:18
Parents' family background (ddr-densho-1000-283-2) - 00:03:31
Father's entrepreneurial spirit: establishing a snack shop, barber shop, and taxi business (ddr-densho-1000-283-3) - 00:06:22
Father's participation in a community money-lending service (ddr-densho-1000-283-4) - 00:03:30
Memories of traveling across the island as a child to attend the circus (ddr-densho-1000-283-5) - 00:06:26
Description of siblings (ddr-densho-1000-283-6) - 00:03:54
Walking to school barefoot (ddr-densho-1000-283-7) - 00:03:15
Community support: helping families in need (ddr-densho-1000-283-8) - 00:05:08
Remembering community picnics (ddr-densho-1000-283-9) - 00:03:42
Class and ethnic distinctions on the Hawaiian plantations (ddr-densho-1000-283-10) - 00:06:43
The role of Japanese Americans in Hawaiian society (ddr-densho-1000-283-11) - 00:04:55
Father's arrest by the FBI on the night that Pearl Harbor was bombed (ddr-densho-1000-283-12) - 00:03:17
Visiting father at the Kiliauea Military Camp (ddr-densho-1000-283-13) - 00:05:09
Managing the family businesses without father (ddr-densho-1000-283-14) - 00:04:45
Father's experiences in Fort Sill, Oklahoma (ddr-densho-1000-283-15) - 00:02:24
In Fort Sill, Oklahoma, father is shot and killed by a camp guard (ddr-densho-1000-283-16) - 00:05:02
Trying to cope after father's passing, getting little support from the community (ddr-densho-1000-283-17) - 00:06:34
Induction into the military; trained as an interpreter (ddr-densho-1000-283-18) - 00:04:14
The journey overseas while in the service (ddr-densho-1000-283-19) - 00:03:41
First experiences in the Philippines: taking a "shower" in a typhoon (ddr-densho-1000-283-20) - 00:07:27
Interrogating Japanese soldiers (ddr-densho-1000-283-21) - 00:05:25
Being seasick on the journey to Japan (ddr-densho-1000-283-22) - 00:05:20
Serving in Japan during the U.S. occupation (ddr-densho-1000-283-23) - 00:06:16
Returning to Kona; a fire destroys the family store (ddr-densho-1000-283-24) - 00:08:32
Rebuilding and expanding the family business (ddr-densho-1000-283-25) - 00:09:58
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ddr-densho-1000-283-1 (Legacy UID: denshovh-osusumu-01-0001)

Born in Kona, Hawaii

This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.

00:02:18 — Segment 1 of 25

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June 9, 2010

Densho Visual History Collection

Densho

Courtesy of Densho

ddr-densho-1000-283

Susumu Oshima

Susumu Oshima Interview

02:07:48 — 25 segments

June 9, 2010

Kona, Hawaii

Nisei male. Born August 15, 1926, in Kainaliu-Kona, Hawaii. Grew up in Kona, where parents established a successful dry goods store, barber shop, and taxi service. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, father was immediately arrested by the FBI and held in the Kilauea Military Camp on the Big Island of Hawaii. During the war, father was transferred to Fort Sill internment camp, Oklahoma, where he was shot and killed by a camp guard. Susumu was drafted into the military in 1945, and he served as an interpreter in the Philippines and Japan. After the war, returned to Kona and resumed running the family's store.

(This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.)

Tom Ikeda, interviewer; Dana Hoshide, videographer

Densho

Courtesy of Densho

API