1339 items
1339 items
Narrator Richard M. Murakami
Sansei male. Born January 29, 1932, in Florin, California. Grew up in Sacramento, California, where father ran a farm. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, returned with family to Florin. Removed to the Marysville Assembly Center, California, and the Tule Lake concentration camp, California. After the so-called "loyalty questionnaire" in 1943, transferred to the Jerome concentration …
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An Oral History with Mitsuhiko H. Shimizu - Segment 1 (ddr-csujad-29-57-1)
Issei community leader and businessman in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo recounts his arrest by Federal Bureau of Investigation after Pearl Harbor, his experiences in internment camps in North Dakota and Louisiana, and the Manzanar incarceration camp, California. This oral history was conducted for the Japanese American Oral History Project, Oral History Program, CSU Fullerton. Translated into …
Narrator Kazue Yamamoto
Nisei female. Born January 14, 1927, in Wapato, Washington, where family operated a truck farm. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed to North Portland Assembly Center and Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming. Family left camp in 1945 for Spokane, Washington. Worked as a domestic on Spokane's South Hill before becoming a licensed beautician. Married husband …
Narrator Joe Ishikawa
Nisei male. Born July 29, 1919, in Los Angeles, California. Went to live in Japan as a college student, returning just prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Removed to the Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and the Granada concentration camp, Colorado, before leaving to attend the University of Nebraska. Worked as a curator in the …
Narrator Toyoko Okumura
Nisei female. Born October 14, 1916, in Gardena, California. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed to the Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and the Jerome concentration camp, Arkansas. In response to the so-called "loyalty questionnaire," transferred to Tule Lake segregation center with family, and expatriated to Japan. Worked in Japan for the U.S. government and …
Narrator Thomas T. Kobayashi
Nisei male. Born September 4, 1916, in Seattle, Washington. Grew up in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington prior to World War II. Fired from job at Seattle City Light after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. During the war, was removed to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Volunteered for …
Narrator Yukiko Miyahara
Nisei female. Born November 29, 1919, in Venice, California. Married in Venice prior to World War II, and had a child only a few days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Removed to the Santa Anita Assembly Center, California, and Jerome concentration camp, Arkansas. Transferred with family to the Tule Lake concentration …
Narrator James A. Nakano
Nisei male. Born November 12, 1933, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Grew up in Honolulu, and was nine years old when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Father was arrested by the FBI, and family went to the concentration camp at Jerome, Arkansas, to reunite with him. Transferred to Tule Lake, California, following the so-called "loyalty questionnaire." After the war, …
Narrator Shig Miyaki
Nisei male. Born November 18, 1923, on Terminal Island, California. Grew up on Terminal Island, where father was part of the large Japanese American fishing community. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. While at Manzanar, joined the irrigation crew and took expeditons out in the hills surrounding camp to …
Narrator Misako Shigekawa
Nisei female. Born January 2, 1909, in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in California, attending the University of Southern California before World War II and graduating with a degree in pharmacy. Married and was living in Terminal Island, California, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After being removed from Terminal Island, moved to …
Narrator Art Okuno
Nisei male. Born September 15, 1921, in San Francisco, California. Grew up in San Francisco, and was attending the University of California at Berkeley when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Removed with family to the Pomona Assembly Center, California, and the Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming. While in Heart Mountain, served as scoutmaster …
Narrator Harry K. Yoshikawa
Nisei male. Born June 26, 1922, in Montebello, California. Grew up in California, spending a short time in Japan prior to World War II. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, moved to Denver, Colorado, during the "voluntary evacuation" period designated by the U.S. government. Arrested after refusing to report for military service after being drafted. Tried …
Narrator Yutaka Inokuchi
Nisei male. Born August 25, 1924, in Waipahu, Hawaii. Grew up on the Waipahu sugar plantation where parents worked. Was attending Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Father was picked up by the FBI and eventually interned in the Honouliuli POW camp. Mr. Inokuchi got a job in the …
Narrator Frank Hiratsuka
Nisei male. Born July 16, 1926, in Alviso, California. Lived in various places in California as a child. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, family moved to Reedley, California, in an attempt to avoid incarceration, but were removed when the exclusion zone extended to Reedley. Sent to the Poston concentration camp, Arizona. …
Narrator Miyoko Kaneta
Nisei female. Born December 16, 1926, in El Centro, California. Grew up in various places in California, where parents owned a barbershop. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed with her family to the Poston concentration camp, Arizona. After leaving camp, resettled in Hazelton, Idaho, and Oakland, California, before moving to Seattle, Washington. After the war, …
Narrator Kenji Suematsu
Nisei male. Born April 29, 1934, in Brawley, California. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Father was arrested by the FBI and mother had a nervous breakdown. Kenji and his sister were sent to stay at the Shonien orphanage in Los Angeles. During mass removal, taken to Manzanar with other orphans and placed in the Manzanar …
Narrator James Sakamoto
Nisei male. Born April 18, 1924, in Mayfield, California. Spent prewar childhood years in Alviso, California. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, moved with family to Stockton, California, in an attempt to avoid mass removal. Despite this, was removed to the Stockton Assembly Center, California, and the Rohwer concentration camp, Arkansas. Resettled in Colorado …
Narrator Eddie M. Inaba
Nisei male. Born May 9, 1917, in Walnut Grove, California. Parents worked at Canal Ranch, an agricultural community, where they grew produce for Libby, McNeill & Libby. Parents also owned and ran a bar in Walnut Grove. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed to the Merced Assembly Center, California, and Granada (Amache) concentration camp, Colorado. …
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 Jean Shiraki Gize
Nisei female. Born June 16, 1938, in Alameda, California. Was age three when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Removed with family to the Tanforan Assembly Center, California, and the Topaz concentration camp, Utah. While in camp, father volunteered for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Mother answered an ad in the camp newspaper and …
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 Joe Takehara
Nisei male. Born April 2, 1932, in San Diego, California. Prior to World War II, father worked as a fisherman and mother worked in a fish cannery. Father passed away at an early age, leaving mother to raise eight children. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, temporarily moved to Sunnydale, California, before being sent to the …
Narrator Sam Mihara
Nisei male. Born February 1, 1933, in San Francisco, California. Grew up in San Francisco's Japantown, where father edited a bilingual newspaper. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed to the Pomona Assembly Center, California, and the Heart Mountain concentration camp, Wyoming. After leaving camp, lived for a time in Salt Lake City, Utah, before returning …
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Fred Korematsu - Kathryn Korematsu Interview (ddr-densho-1000-181)
This interview centers on the experiences of Fred Korematsu, a Nisei born January 30, 1919, in Oakland, California. Mr. Korematsu was working as a welder in San Francisco when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After Executive Order 9066 was issued in 1942, he decided to resist the evacuation orders, and was not removed …
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Tomiye Terasaki Interview (ddr-densho-1000-122)
Kibei female. Born October 5, 1910, in San Francisco, California. At age three, sent to live with grandfather and receive education in Fukuoka, Japan. After high school, temporarily moved to Tokyo and assisted family-owned business. In 1929, returned to U.S. to join parents in Sacramento. After arranged marriage to Mr. Tadao Sakita, moved to Los Angeles, …