1550 items
Narrator Robert Katsuto Fujioka
Nisei male. Born in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in Los Angeles, where parents ran a farm and then father became a gardener. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. Left camp to finish high school in Chicago, Illinois, and attend college in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Drafted into the military. Eventually returned to …
Narrator Hank Shozo Umemoto
Nisei male. Born October 12, 1928, in Florin, California, a small community outside of Sacramento, California. Lost father at an early age, and was raised primarily by older brother. During World War II, removed with family to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. While in camp, snuck out of camp to spend time in the surrounding hillside. …
Narrator Nob Koura
Nisei male. Born April 10, 1920, in Seattle, Washington. Moved from Seattle to Bainbridge Island, Washington, at age five. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. Volunteered for the military and served in Europe. After the war, eventually returned to Bainbridge Island and reestablished family's farm.
Narrator Masahiro Nakajo
Nisei male. Born May 17, 1927, in Moneta, California. Grew up in the Garden Grove area where parents ran a farm. Was taken to Japan to live as a young child until age ten. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, Caliifornia. After leaving camp, served in the military during the Korean War.
Narrator Takeshi Minato
Nisei male. Born July 13, 1922, in Park City, Utah. Family moved several times prior to World War II, and was living in Terminal Island, California, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California, during the war. After the war, lived and worked in Chicago, Illinois, and Seabrook, …
Narrator Charlie Matsubara
Nisei male. Born June 3, 1920, in San Francisco, California. Grew up in the Los Angeles area. When World War II broke out, Charlie stayed in California with his brother to help take care of property and belongings while the rest of the family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Charlie and his brother were then sent …
Narrator Ron Osajima
Nisei-Sansei male. Born July 8, 1935, in Gardena, California. Spent childhood in Gardena, where father had a wholesale produce business. During World War II, removed with family to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. Returned to Southern California after leaving camp, living briefly in a hostel set up at the Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles. Moved …
Narrator Grace Hata
Nisei female. Born December 5, 1930, in Gardena, California. Grew up in Gardena where parents ran a restaurant. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, father was arrested and taken away by the FBI. During mass removal, family was sent to the Manzanar concentration camp, California, and reunited with father. Following the Leave Clearance questionnaire in 1943, …
Narrator Hikoji Takeuchi
Nisei male. Born December 18, 1921, in Los Angeles, California. Parents owned and operated a restaurant. Father passed away prior to the onset of World War II, so mother was responsible for preparing the family to move to camp. Removed to Manzanar concentration camp, California, and in 1942, was shot by a military police officer while …
Narrator Yoshimitsu Suyematsu
Nisei male. Born May 30, 1927, on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Grew up on Bainbridge, where parents ran a strawberry farm. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California, then transferred to the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, returned to Bainbridge for a time and then volunteered for the military, serving in …
Narrator Shimako "Sally" Kitano
Nisei female. Born April 6, 1932, in Bainbridge Island, Washington. Grew up on Bainbridge, and was eight years old when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Removed with family to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. Before the war was over, moved to Chicago, Illinois. Returned to Bainbridge Island after World War II.
Narrator Henry Nishi
Nisei male. Born March 20, 1919, in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in several cities in California, where father owned and operated several nurseries and a landscaping business. Attended University of California at Davis prior to World War II. During the war, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California, where, along with a group of friends, …
Narrator Robert A. Nakamura
Nisei/Sansei male. Born July 5, 1936, in Venice, California. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. After leaving camp, lived for a time in Denver before returning to Los Angeles. After the war, became a pioneering filmmaker. Founder of Visual Communications, the oldest community-based media arts center in the United States. Along …
Narrator Richard E. Yamashiro
Nisei male. Born February 13, 1929, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Hollywood, California, and was living there when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. Removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. Parents signed "no-no" on the so-called "loyalty questionnaire" and the family was transferred to the Tule Lake concentration camp, California, then designated as a …
Narrator John Kats Marumoto
Nisei male. Born June 24, 1927, in Terminal Island, California. Grew up on Terminal Island, where father was a fisherman. Lived in Japan for a short time in 1941. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, moved to Compton after the Japanese Americans were excluded from Terminal Island. Removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. After leaving …
Narrator Kiyo Maruyama
Nisei male. Born August 28, 1920, in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in the Glendale area, where father ran a gardening business. Was in college at UC Berkeley when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. Left camp to work in Chicago. Drafted into the army and served …
Narrator Fumiko Hayashida
Nisei female. Born January 21, 1911, in Winslow, Washington. Grew up in Japan and the Fletcher's Bay area of Bainbridge Island, Washington. Member of the first group of Japanese Americans to be forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated. Incarcerated at Manzanar concentration camp, California, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho, while pregnant and caring for two …
Narrator Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga
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 the Commission on Wartime …
Narrator Mas Akiyama
Nisei male. Born May 19, 1917, in Eastport, Idaho, and spent childhood in Spokane, Washington. In 1933 traveled to Japan with family where father became ill and died. Attended school in Japan for three years and then returned to Spokane in 1936 and worked on a farm. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, volunteered for military …
Narrator Rose Matsui Ochi
Nisei female. Born December 15, 1938, in Los Angeles, California. As a child, removed to the Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and the Rohwer concentration camp, Arkansas. Following World War II, became a teacher and then went to law school. In 1974, worked for Los Angeles Mayor Bradley as a legislative research coordinator and eventually executive …
Narrator Jim Matsuoka
Nisei male. Born July 27, 1935, in Los Angeles, Califonia. Grew up in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood prior to World War II. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed with family to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. After leaving camp, returned to Los Angeles and attended school. Became involved in gang activity in L.A. in …
Narrator Bruce T. Kaji
Nisei male. Born May 9, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in Los Angeles and was in high school when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. During the war, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. Left camp to attend Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, then was inducted into the army. Joined …
Narrator Alan Nishio
Sansei male. Born August 9, 1945, at the Manzanar concentration camp, California, where his parents were incarcerated during World War II. Grew up in the Venice area of California, and became increasingly politically active while attending the University of California, Berkeley, during the Free Speech Movement during the late 1960s. Earned a master's degree at the …
Narrator Cedrick M. Shimo
Nisei male. Born October 1, 1919, in Heber, California, in the Imperial Valley. Grew up in Boyle Heights. Received draft notice one day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and joined the Military Intelligence Service. After being denied furlough to visit his mother in Manzanar concentration camp, refused to serve overseas with his unit. Was placed …
Narrator Paul Bannai
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. …