6865 items
Narrator Bill Hirabayashi
Nisei male. Born September 12, 1923, in Thomas, Washington. Grew up in small town of Thomas, where family was part of the White River Valley farming corporation. During World War II, removed to the Pinedale Assembly Center and Tule Lake concentration camp, California. After leaving camp, moved to Chicago and managed a large estate farm. Eventually …
Narrator Harry Umeda
Nisei male. Born May 12, 1915, in Sacramento, California. Grew up in Sacramento, where parents ran a successful farm. Drafted into the military in 1941, prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Served in the Military Intelligence Service, interrogating Japanese prisoners of war in New Guinea and the Philippines. After returning to the U.S., settled in …
Narrator Wakako Yamauchi
Nisei female. Born October 23, 1924, in Westmorland, California. Grew up in the Imperial Valley before being removed with family to the Poston concentration camp, Arizona, during World War II. After leaving camp, attended art school in San Diego before marrying and moving to Los Angeles. Published short story And the Soul Shall Dance, which was …
Narrator Yo Shibuya
Nisei male. Born August 23, 1927, in Los Angeles, California. Went to Japan for a time as a child with family before returning to California. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. While in camp, learned the saxophone and played with the Jive Bombers band. After leaving camp, attended college and began …
Narrator Bacon Sakatani
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 …
Narrator Louie Watanabe
Nisei male. Born August 22, 1925, in Walnut Grove, California. Grew up in Walnut Grove, where parents owned and operated a restaurant and rooming house. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed to the Merced Assembly Center, California, and Granada concentration camp, Colorado. Left camp for Chicago, Illinois, and worked in various places, including Colorado Springs …
Narrator Rose Nakagawa
Nisei female. Born May 7, 1915, in Auburn, Washington. Mother died at a young age, and was adopted by aunt and her family. Grew up in Washington state before moving to Fresno, California. Married and had a child before World War II, then removed to the Fresno Assembly Center, California, and Jerome concentration camp, Arkansas. After …
Narrator Hiro Nishimura
Nisei male. Born August 8, 1919, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Seattle, and was attending the University of Washington when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Drafted into the military a few months after the bombing, and then transferred to the Military Intelligence Service. Served as a linguist in Burma and India during …
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 Dorothy Kuwaye
Nisei female. Born May 7, 1928, in Covina, California. At young age, suffered an accident in which she was hit by a car, and was raised by a non-Japanese American family. During World War II, rejoined biological family in the Pomona Assembly Center, California, and Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming. Lived for a time in New …
Narrator Kay Aiko Abe
Nisei female. Born May 9, 1927, in Selleck, Washington. Spent much of childhood in Beaverton, Oregon, where father owned a farm. Influenced at an early age by parents' conversion to Christianity. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. After the war, worked to establish a successful …
Narrator Ed Yoshikawa
Nisei male. Born January 30, 1925, in Sacramento, California. Grew up in Sacramento. During World War II, removed to the Sacramento (Walerga) Assembly Center, and Tule Lake concentration camp, California. Left camp to attend college in Michigan. Drafted into the military and served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Europe. After military discharge, moved to …
Narrator Takeshi Nakayama
Nisei male. Born April 15, 1937, in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles. During World War II, removed to the Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and the Rohwer concentration camp, Arkansas. After leaving camp, lived with family in the Burbank trailer camp before returning to Los Angeles. Established a …
Narrator Sam H. Ono
Nisei male. Born July 10, 1926, in Sacramento, California. Moved frequently as a child after mother passed away. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. Graduated from high school in Manzanar. Left camp to attend Morningside College in Iowa. Drafted into the army and served in the medical corps. Eventually returned to …
Narrator George Hara
Nisei male. Born January 12, 1925, in Portland, Oregon, where parents ran a hotel business. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Left camp early to attend college in Ohio. Was drafted into the Military Intelligence Service and served in Japan during the U.S. occupation. Returned …
Narrator Taira Fukushima
Nisei male. Born February 8, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in Los Angeles, where father did custodial work. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. Finished high school at Manzanar, and left camp to attend Drake college in Des Moines, Iowa. Drafted into the military and served as a medic …
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 Toshio Moritsugu
Nisei male. Born April 2, 1925, in Heeia, Hawaii. Grew up in a village called Fish Camp, where father was a fisherman. Witnessed Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Father was picked up and detained by the FBI at the Sand Island internment camp, Hawaii. After the war, earned a PhD in chemistry …
Narrator Akira Otani
Nisei male. Born January 26, 1921, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Grew up in Honolulu where father owned a successful fish auction business. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, volunteered for the Hawaiian Territorial Guard. Eventually was able to join the U.S. Army, and served in Japan during the U.S. occupation. Returned to Honolulu …
Narrator George Katagiri
Nisei male. Born September 22, 1926, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Portland where parents ran a small grocery store. During World War II, removed to the Portland Assembly Center, Oregon, and the Tule Lake concentration camp, California. After leaving camp, was drafted into the Military Intelligence Service and served in Japan during the U.S. occupation. …
Narrator Bennie Ouchida
Nisei male. Born April 10, 1917, in Oregon. Grew up in Gresham, Oregon, where parents ran a farm. Drafted into the army before December 7, 1941. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, was segregated from fellow soldiers along with other Japanese Americans. Recruited to the Military Intelligence Service and trained in Minnesota. After the war, lived …
Narrator Setsuko Izumi Asano
Nisei female. Born March 3, 1932, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. During World War II, removed to the Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and the Rohwer concentration camp, Arkansas. After leaving camp, moved with family to New Orleans, Louisiana. Remained in New Orleans for thirteen years, finishing school and establishing a career …
Narrator Minoru Tajii
Nisei male. Born February 23, 1924, in Brawley, California. Grew up in El Centro, California, where parents ran a farm. During World War II, was removed to the Poston concentration camp, Arizona. Family signed "no-no" on the so-called "loyalty questionnaire" and transferred to the Crystal City internment camp, Texas, then to Japan. Lived and worked in …
Narrator Amy Iwasaki Mass
Nisei female. Born July 5, 1935, in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in Los Angeles, where father ran a produce business. During World War II, removed to the Pomona Assembly Center, California, and the Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming. After leaving camp, returned to family home in Los Angeles. Became a social worker, one of the …
Narrator Eiko Yamaichi
Nisei female. Born October 25, 1924, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Snoqualmie, Washington, where father worked for the Weyerhaeuser company before the war. During World War II, removed to the Pinedale Assembly Center, California, and the Tule Lake concentration camp, California. Later transferred to the Jerome concentration camp, Arkansas, and the Gila River concentration camp, …