Yenokida discusses his time after his imprisonment, working in Denver, farming and shipping vegetables with his brother. Later, they would head back to Cortez to visit their mother and start their own farm, which ended up having over 3,000 acres of…
Before the war, Ray Shiiki's parents buy land in Damascus, OR. However, due to the alien land law, the property is under Ray's sister's name. Later Ray's parents discover they have been taken advantage of by a cannery worker.
Mano discusses his prefecture of origin and familial description. He also recalls home life with his parents, school years leading up to forced removal. In Mano's adolescent years, his family visited relatives in Japan.
Minoru Miyasaki recalls the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. When President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, Minoru and his family went to Tanforan on a Greyhound Bus. The Miyasaki family left their belongings with Mr. Driscoll. However, in 1946…
Minoru "Minor" Miyasaki was born March 18, 1925. Minoru's father immigrated from Japan to Hawaii to work on the sugar plantation. Later, he moved to California to sharecrop strawberries and vegetables. Minoru lost his mother at an early age, and his…
Dan Uchimoto is born October 9, 1921, in Loomis, California. Dan's Issei parents immigrated to the United States from Japan for better opportunities. His parents are sharecropped farmers, raising canning tomatoes. People of Japanese descent are not…
Leo Morishita is born December 24, 1923, in Shelley, Idaho. Leo's parents are from Hiroshima, Japan, and immigrates to the United States for a better life. When Leo's father arrives in the United States, he works on the railroad and later becomes a…
Toyota discusses family religion, secondary school, and going overseas for the European Theater. In Japan Toyota's Issei parents are Buddhist. However, when migrating to the United States, Toyota's parents believe their children should follow the…
Frank Tadao Matsuda is born on January 9, 1922, in Seattle, Washington. His father, Saiki Frank Matsuda, and mother, Masae Miyoshi, are from Japan. Frank has an older sister Aiko and a younger sister Kathryn Sumiko. Frank is closest to Aiko because…
Tadayoshi "Tad" Sugiyama is originally from San Francisco City, few blocks away from Japan Town. Tadayoshi's Issei parents come to the United States in the early 1900s and work at Tadayoshi's grandfather's restaurant in San Francisco, California.…
Shigeru Iba discusses Australia and POWS. In Australia, he is in the hospital for a year. During this time in the hospital, he hears about the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and the war ends.
Shigeru's family is in Amache, CO, while he is in the Army.…
Mr. Tsubota talks about returning home from the war where he was able to meet his young daughter again and was reunited with his wife and mother. He later began a career working in the insurance business. Mr. Tsubota discusses how he met his wife and…
Sato discusses his familial origin and description. He grows up in a farm community and discusses the Alien land law. He recalls racism pre-war and going into an American Concentration Camp after Pearl Harbor. He soon joins the military and is…
Kirihara discusses about the Alien land law and the racial problems he once encountered growing up. He details about the aftermath from Pearl Harbor and dealing with forced removal. Kirihara also discusses about his experiences at Merced Temporary…
Maya Miyamoto was born on January 28, 1922, in Carmel Valley, CA. His father and mother were from Kumamoto, Japan. Maya's father taught him respect, how to get along with others, honesty, and do not shame the family. Maya said his parents wished him…
Fukushima discusses his birth and foster parents; talks about the reasons why he was adopted; discussing his brothers; and talks about his foster father's employment. He then talks about his step-siblings; his foster parents' personalities; attending…
Kozono discusses his experiences growing up in rural farming community outside of Sacramento. He talks about his home life and how he and his 6 sisters worked on the family farm. He also discusses how his parents dealt with obstacles to land…
Yasukochi begins the interview talking about his family background, and his father coming from Japan and becoming a farmer in California despite alien land laws. They would become known for their chili peppers at the farm. Next, he talks about…
Namba discusses his post-war experiences with discrimination in Oregon and talks about a local pastor who showed kindness to Japanese Americans during that time. He then talks about his brother's military experiences including his involvement as part…
Inoshita explains how his parents immigrated. He talks about his grandfather. He describes his fathers personality and skill sets. He shares his fathers experiences with discrimination. He explains how moving to the coast of California affected his…
Fujimoto talks about growing up in Los Angeles and describes his neighborhood. He then talks about his father's life in Japan and immigration to the United States; and his father's various jobs including his nursery business. Lastly, Fujimoto talks…
Taketomo reveals how the California Alien Land Law of 1913 affected the family business. He talks about the attack on Pearl Harbor and the aftermath. He explains how his family ended up in the Manzanar Concentration Camp. Taketomo discusses his…
Fujiwara talks about his birthplace. He describes his father's early life. He discusses his Japanese identity. He talks about his siblings. He explains how his father immigrated to the United States. He describes his father's family. Fujiwara…
Kitaoka discusses the Alien Land Laws and the reasons why Japanese immigrants are only able to lease land and not buy. Kitaoka recalls his Father transitioning form produce farming to a chicken ranch because farm the lease expires. At this time only…
Yano begins the interview talking about being born and raised in California, playing marbles and hanging out with friends and neighbors. His family would come from Hiroshima, Japan and settle in California, his father as a farm laborer and his mother…
Mori discusses his prefecture origin, familial description and two variations of his name spelling. Growing up, Mori goes to Japanese School and English School. He shares details about his childhood activities, family pet, and religion. Due to the…
Naito discusses his experiences living in Kent, Washington before and up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He grew up on a farm and married a German-American woman, these events made an impact on his internment experiences. He also discusses his…
Taniguchi describes his parent’s backstories. He talks about his early life in California. He describes his father’s physical features and his mother’s personality. He discusses his siblings. Taniguchi describes his experiences in Japanese language…
