8741 items
8741 items
vh
Norm Hayashi Interview (ddr-densho-1000-468)
Sansei male. Born September 11, 1939, in Oakland, California. Grandfather, father, and other family members established a nursery business in San Francisco, California prior to World War II. During the war, removed with family to the Tanforan Assembly Center, California, and the Topaz concentration camp, Utah. After the war, the family returned to San Francisco and …
vh
Paul Bannai Interview I (ddr-densho-1000-128)
Nisei male. Born July 4, 1920 in Delta, Colorado. Grew up in small mining and farming towns in Colorado, Utah and Arizona, until his family moved to Boyle Heights in the Los Angeles, California area. After graduating from high school, he tested discrimination and employment practices and eventually succeeded in obtaining a job at a bank. …
vh
Jan Kumasaka Interview (ddr-densho-1000-518)
Sansei female. Born August 12, 1937, in Seattle, Washington. During World War II, family removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Lived in Minidoka for only four months before leaving camp to live and farm in Great Falls, Montana. After a few years, returned to Seattle. Attended the University of …
vh
Helene J. Minehira Interview (ddr-densho-1000-319)
Nisei female. Born April 30, 1925, in Waipahu, Hawaii. Just before World War II, moved with family to the Ewa Beach area of Oahu, near Pearl Harbor. Witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Because of proximity to the harbor, family was forced to evacuate their home in Ewa Beach and had …
vh
Betty Fumiye Ito Interview (ddr-densho-1000-189)
Nisei female. Born March 29, 1918, in Seattle, Washington, and spent childhood in Medina and Bellevue, Washington. While in high school was a member of the Bellevue Strawberry Festival's Queen's Court. In 1939 married Kenji Ito, a prominent Japanese American lawyer who practiced in Seattle. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, recounts her experiences as her …
vh
Irene Najima Interview (ddr-densho-1000-226)
Nisei female. Born August 9, 1927, in Petaluma, California. During World War II, removed to the Merced Assembly Center, California, and the Granada concentration camp, Colorado. Following World War II, established career as a teacher in Hawaii and California.
vh
Paul Bannai Interview II (ddr-densho-1000-150)
Nisei male. Born July 4, 1920 in Delta, Colorado. Grew up in small mining and farming towns in Colorado, Utah and Arizona, until his family moved to Boyle Heights in the Los Angeles, California area. After graduating from high school, he tested discrimination and employment practices and eventually succeeded in obtaining a job at a bank. …
vh
Bacon Sakatani Interview (ddr-densho-1000-298)
Nisei male. Born August 23, 1929, in El Monte, California. Grew up in El Monte, before being removed with family during World War II to the Pomona Assembly Center, California, and the Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming. Returned to California after leaving camp, and opened a produce market and did gardening work. Active with various Japanese …
vh
Mary Kageyama Nomura Interview (ddr-densho-1000-255)
Nisei female. Born September 29, 1925, in Los Angeles, California. Lost both parents at an early age, and was raised by older siblings as part of a large family. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. Trained in music from childhood, became known as the "Songbird of Manzanar," performing in camp. After …
vh
Lillian Nakano Interview (ddr-densho-1000-254)
Sansei female, born April 30, 1928, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Grew up in Hawaii, where family ran a successful wholesale bakery business. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, father was picked up by the FBI and sent to Sand Island internment camp. Moved with rest of the family to Jerome concentration camp, Arkansas, to be reunited with …
vh
Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga Interview II (ddr-densho-1000-250)
Nisei female. Born August 5, 1924, in Sacramento, California. Grew up in Sacramento and Los Angeles. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California, and transferred to the Jerome concentration camp, Arkansas. Washington representative and researcher for National Council for Japanese American Redress (NCJAR) and primary archival researcher for Commission on Wartime Relocation …
vh
Ted Kitayama Interview (ddr-densho-1000-334)
Nisei male. Born July 27, 1929, on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Grew up on Bainbridge where parents ran a nursery business. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. Transferred to the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho, along with many other Japanese Americans from Bainbridge Island. After leaving camp, moved to Seattle, Washington, eventually establish …
vh
Wilbur Sato Interview (ddr-densho-1000-455)
Nisei male. Born April 26, 1929, in Pasadena, California. Grew up on Terminal Island, California. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. After leaving camp, family lived for a time in a hostel in Des Moines, Iowa, before returning to California. After the war, became an attorney and longtime community activist.
vh
Hikaru Morohoshi Interview (ddr-densho-1000-303)
Kibei Nisei male. Born October 4, 1915, in Stockton, California. As a young child, sent to Japan to live with grandparents and attend school. Returned to California at age eighteen, and drafted into the U.S. military. Discharged from the army after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Removed to the Tanforan Assembly Center, Washington, and the Topaz concentration …
vh
Setsu Tsuboi Tanemura Interview (ddr-densho-1000-266)
Nisei female. Born February 28, 1930, in Portland, Oregon. After losing mother at age two, went to live with a Swedish family until age nine. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Returned to Portland to finish school following World War II.
vh
Yuri Kochiyama Interview (ddr-densho-1000-257)
Nisei female. Born May 19, 1921, in San Pedro, California. During World War II, incarcerated in the Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and the Jerome concentration camp, Arkansas. After leaving camp, lived and worked in Mississippi before marrying and moving to the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Became involved in a number of political causes …
vh
Hitoshi "Hank" Naito Interview (ddr-densho-1000-286)
Nisei male. Born April 20, 1926, in San Diego, California. Grew up in Terminal Island, California, where father was a fisherman. During World War II, removed with family to the Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and the Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming. Family was transferred to Tule Lake in response to father's answers on the so-called …
vh
May Ota Higa Interview (ddr-densho-1000-174)
Nisei female. Born March 14, 1916, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Seattle and Ellensburg, Washington, before going to Japan to teach just prior to the onset of World War II. Returned to Seattle in 1941, and was removed with family to Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After the war, resettled in …
vh
Arthur Ogami Interview (ddr-densho-1000-154)
Nisei male. Born April 10, 1922, in Whittier, California. Spent childhood in California, before being removed to Manzanar concentration camp in 1942. Left Manzanar several times to work as a beet topper for local farmers. Decided to expatriate to Japan because of mother's wishes, and was transferred to Tule Lake concentration camp. In 1945, was moved …
vh
John Kanda Interview (ddr-densho-1000-116)
Nisei male. Born July 10, 1925, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in the Thomas-Auburn area of Washington. Following Executive Order 9066, family was removed to the Pinedale Assembly Center, then to Tule Lake concentration camp in California. Later transferred to Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Volunteered as a replacement for the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team and trained …
vh
Takeko Yokoyama Todo Interview (ddr-densho-1000-430)
Nisei female. Born April 3, 1927, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Seattle, where father was a truck driver and mother was a Japanese language school teacher. During World War II, removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Left camp to finish high school in Ohio and work as a …
vh
Janice Mirikitani Interview (ddr-densho-1000-435)
Sansei female. Born February 1941, in Stockton, California. As an infant, she was incarcerated with her family at the Rohwer, Arkansas, concentration camp during World War II. After leaving camp, she grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and Petaluma, California, where she endured an unstable home life and years of abuse. During the 1960s and '70s, she …
vh
Taneyuki Dan Harada Interview (ddr-densho-1000-306)
Kibei male. Born June 17, 1923, in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in Los Angeles before moving to Japan and attending school. Returned to the U.S. in 1938, and was attending high school when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Removed to the Tanforan Assembly Center, California, and the Topaz concentration camp, Utah. While …
vh
Ramsay Yosuke Mori Interview (ddr-densho-1000-316)
Nisei male. Born February 23, 1933, in Tokyo, Japan. Moved with parents to Hawaii at a young age, and grew up in Honolulu, where family held a prominent position in the community. Just prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, parents received a phone call from Japan, which was tapped by the FBI. The U.S. government …
vh
Henry Miyatake Interview V (ddr-densho-1000-57)
Nisei male. Born April 28, 1929, in Seattle, Washington. Incarcerated at Puyallup Assembly Center and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Had some key childhood experiences with discrimination that made him a self-described, "independent thinker," and later, an influential figure in the Japanese American community. While a teenager in camp, he wrote and defended an essay criticizing the …