1415 items
Narrator Francis Mas Fukuhara
Nisei male. Born January 30, 1925, in Seattle, Washington. Spent prewar years in Seattle's Nihonmachi/Yesler Terrace area. Incarcerated at the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Drafted into the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). Postwar commander of Nisei Veterans Committee (NVC) in 1988 and 1989.
Narrator Rin Miura
Issei female. Born October 4, 1901, in Fukuda, Japan. Grew up in Japan and immigrated to the U.S. after marrying. Settled in Portland, and during World War II was removed to the Portland assembly center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After the war, returned to Portland.
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 Tadashi Sakuma
Nisei male. Born May 20, 1913, in Hiroshima, Japan, and immigrated to the United States at the age of eleven. Lived on Bainbridge Island, Washington. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California, later transferring to the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, lived in Moses Lake, Washington, for a time before …
Narrator Ted Kitayama
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 …
Narrator Jessie Hatsue Akiyama Okazaki Harry
Nisei female. Born October 24, 1925, in Parkdale, Oregon. Grew up in Parkdale, where parents ran a farm. During World War II, removed to the Pinedale Assembly Center, California, and the Tule Lake concentration camp, California, before transferring with family to the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Left camp to attend sewing school in New York before …
Narrator Lily Kajiwara
Nisei female. Born July 26, 1924, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in the Gresham/Troutdale area of Oregon, where parents had a farm. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. While in camp, worked as an assistant teacher. After camp, lived in New York before returning to …
Narrator Pearl Yoshikawa
Nisei female. Born April 25, 1926, in Vancouver, Washington. Grew up in Vancouver where parents ran a farm. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, moved to New York City to attend a fashion design school. Eventually resettled in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Narrator Hiro Takeuchi
Nisei male. Born April 9, 1915, in Troutdale, Oregon. Grew up in several areas in Oregon where parents ran a farm. Started a grocery business before World War II. During the war, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, returned to Oregon and reestablished grocery business.
Narrator Shig Oka
Nisei male. Born July 28, 1930, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Portland, where father worked for the railroad and then as an apartment building owner. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, returned to Portland, completed school, and became a pharmacist.
Narrator Kenji Onishi
Nisei male. Born April 24, 1927, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in the Portland area, where father worked for the railroad. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, served in the military and eventually returned to Portland and became a teacher.
Narrator Masuko Oyama
Nisei female. Born February 21, 1927, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Portland where parents ran a hotel business. During World War II, removed with family the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, attended high school for a time in Salt Lake City, Utah, before returning to Portland.
Narrator May K. Sasaki
Nisei female. Born May 31, 1935, in Seattle, Washington. Spent prewar years in Seattle's Nihonmachi, or Japantown. Incarcerated as child at Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Resettled in Seattle. In her interview, discusses issues of shame and loss of Japanese American identity as a result of incarceration.
Narrator Cherry Kinoshita
Nisei female. Born October 13, 1923, in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in the Green Lake area. Incarcerated at the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Active in National and Seattle Chapter Japanese American Citizens League politics, especially during the drive for redress in the 1970s and 1980s.
Narrator Frank Yamasaki
Nisei male. Born January 26, 1923, in Seattle, Washington. Spent prewar childhood in South Park and Belltown areas of Seattle. Incarcerated at the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Refused to participate in draft, imprisoned at McNeil Island Penitentiary, Washington, for resisting the draft. Resettled in Seattle.
Narrator Katsumi Okamoto
Nisei male. Born July 5, 1926, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Seattle, where parents owned and operated a grocery store. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed to Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Served in Japan with the Military Intelligence Service following World War II.
Narrator Victor Takemoto
Nisei male. Born October 27, 1926, in Bainbridge Island, Washington. Parents were strawberry farmers before World War II. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed with family to Manzanar concentration camp, California. Unlike most Bainbridge Island Japanese Americans, did not transfer to the Minidoka, Idaho, concentration camp. Returned to Bainbridge Island after the war, and attended …
Narrator Eddie Owada
Nisei male. Born December 22, 1925, in Tacoma, Washington. Grew up primarily on Vashon Island, Washington. Removed to the Pinedale Assembly Center and the Tule Lake concentration camp, Washington, later transferring to the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Drafted into the army and served with the Military Intelligence Service. Worked for the U.S. Forest Service and eventually …
Narrator Connie Thorson Chandler
White female. Born 1938 in Denver, Colorado. Father worked for the Bureau of Reclamation at the time WWII broke out, so family lived in Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho, in 1942. Mrs. Chandler was a child at the time, and attended elementary school in Minidoka. Moved to Twin Falls for junior high and high school years before …
Narrator Mary Kinoshita Ikeda
Nisei female. Born May 18, 1927, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Seatle, where father wsa the head bellboy at an exclusive club. Attended the Maryknoll Catholic school in Seattle prior to World War II. During World War II, removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. While at Minidoka, brother …
Narrator Tosh Tokunaga
Nisei male. Born January 2, 1925, in Selleck, Washington. Grew up in the Selleck logging camp before moving with family to Seattle, Washington, for high school. During World War II, removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Volunteered for the military as a paratrooper, and served in Europe. Eventually returned to …
Narrator Don Maeda
Nisei male. Born November 28, 1924, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Seattle prior to World War II. During the war, removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Drafted into the military while in camp and received a deferrment in order to help relocate family. Resettled in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Narrator Mae Hada
Nisei female. Born July 5, 1922, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Portland where father owned a clothing store. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, lived for a time in Ames, Iowa, and Detroit, Michigan, before returning to Oregon and raising a …
Narrator Ami Kinoshita
Nisei female. Born October 3, 1919, in Enumclaw, Washington. Family moved to Nahcotta, Washington, and ran an oyster farm. Married prior to World War II and lived on husband's family's farm in Gresham, Oregon. During the war, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, returned to Gresham.
Narrator Sumi Ikata
Nisei female. Born March 3, 1918, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Independence, Oregon, where parents ran a farm. Married and was pregnant with first child before World War II. During the war, was removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After leaving camp, returned to the Gresham, Oregon, area.