Issei female. Born 1907 in Shimonoseki, Japan. Attended school in Japan, and was encouraged by father to study English. Married a Buddhist minister and immigrated to the United States. Lived in Fresno, California, then returned to Japan for two years. Moved to Seattle, Washington, where husband was a minister at the Seattle Buddhist Temple. During World …
Issei female. Born 1907 in Shimonoseki, Japan. Attended school in Japan, and was encouraged by father to study English. Married a Buddhist minister and immigrated to the United States. Lived in Fresno, California, then returned to Japan for two years. Moved to Seattle, Washington, where husband was a minister at the Seattle Buddhist Temple. During World …
Nisei male. Born August 23, 1924 in the area of Spokane, Washington, known as Hillyard. Grew up in a multi-ethnic Hillyard area where his parents owned the Hillyard Laundry. When World War II began, was a senior at Rogers High School. Went on to attend Gonzaga University and then volunteered for military service, joining the 442nd …
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 …
Kibei male. Born August 1, 1903, in Sprecklesville, Maui, Hawaii. Taken to Japan in 1905 and raised by grandparents. Returned to the United States in 1919, joining father at Barneston sawmill in Washington. Married and farmed in Bellevue, Washington. Founded Bellevue Seinenkai and managed the Bellevue Vegetable Growers Association prior to World War II. Was picked …
White male. Born February 25, 1910, in Seattle, Washington. Co-publisher (with his wife Milly) and editor of the newspaper, The Bainbridge Review, from 1935-1963. During World War II, The Bainbridge Review was the sole newspaper on the West Coast to continuously speak out against the mass removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans, primarily through Woodward's editorials. …
The Okano Family Collection is comprised of photographs, letters, and ephemera from the personal family collection of Pam Okano. The photographs depict the lives of the of the Kawamotos, Okanos, and Otsukas prewar in Japan and Western Washington, as well as during the war when the family was granted leave to work in Caldwell, Idaho, and …
The Matsuzawa Collection consists of one panoramic photograph showing the August 10,1930 dedication of the Bellevue Community Center in Bellevue, Washington.
Witnessing segregation Mississippi: "It was a just completely different world for us"
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Memories of traveling into Spokane every weekend to attend Japanese language school
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Attending Gonzaga university after being barred from volunteering for the military
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Returning home, meeting a member of the "Lost Battalion" from Texas
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Hearing news of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor: "I felt vulnerable"
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Changes in Spokane's Japanese American community with the influx of "voluntary evacuees"
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Pulled out of rest period for the rescue of the "Lost Battalion"
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Father's work upon immigration to the U.S.: railroad laborer, hotel busboy
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Combat in Bruyeres: new replacement soldiers seeing battle for the first time
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
A squad leader uses improvised Japanese language to communicate with troops
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Realizing the immense casualties after the battle of the "Lost Battalion"
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Father's work in the U.S. in the family's import/export business
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Feeling frustrated on the difficult train ride to Minidoka concentration camp
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Coincidentally sketching a battleship upon hearing about the bombing of Pearl Harbor
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Living conditions in Minidoka concentration camp, work as the camp's artist
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Encountering a "color line" and housing discrimination after World War II
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Observations of changes within Spokane community after the bombing of Pearl Harbor
This interview was conducted as part of a project to capture stories of the Japanese American community of Spokane, Washington. Densho worked in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
