<Begin Segment 21>

AI: All right. We're continuing with Mr. Bannai. And just to ask you a little bit more about Manzanar. You mentioned earlier that you had known Toyo Miyatake, the photographer...

PB: Right.

AI: ...in Los Angeles from before the war?

PB: Right.

AI: And he was in Manzanar also.

PB: Miyatake, right.

AI: Miyatake. Did you know that he had smuggled in parts to make a camera? Were you aware that he was taking pictures...

PB: No. I became aware of it after the end results of some of the pictures he had. But no, he was, I'm sure he had to keep it very secretive. And as a result, I never knew. And in camp I didn't do things that I'm sure that he would need a photograph. As I mentioned, it was prior to the war. His studio was right down on First Street, and I'd go down there. And because of my activities at Nisei Week and all that, he would take a lot of pictures of me. And so he retained an awful lot of copies and negatives. So I used to put on all the Nisei Week talent shows. He would take pictures of not only myself, but the talent that I introduced, the coronation balls, I would introduce the queen. He would be, always be there. The parades, he would be there. He was the number one photographer in L.A. at that time. So as a result of it, I got to know Toyo real well. So I would see him in camp, but there was very seldom anything that I did that I think that he would say I would record on film. So it was only after the war that I found out that he had taken pictures in Manzanar, because I don't know if you know Ansel Adams, I think was his name, that was a photographer that they allowed into camp to take pictures of camp life. But that was the permission of the WRA.

And so after the war I got to know the family. His son, Archie, has a studio on the east side of town. His son has his studio in the same lot that I have my office in Gardena. So I still have the opportunity to see pictures from before the war, not pre-, after the war that were taken by Miyatake. But nothing that I know of did he ever take a picture of me in camp.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.