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Oral
History A-B
MASATOSHI
ABE
Mr. Abe was
interviewed in Japanese by Mary Tsukamoto at age 92. The book
consists of 32 pages in English and 34 pages in Japanese text,
one photo of Abe and Mrs. Schulzeís letter. The transcription
and translation was under direction of Dr. Kobashigawa of
San Francisco
State
University
. Son James assisted with the editing. Mr. Abe was able to
recall coming to
America
at age 18 and working with his father in
Utah
copper mines with several hundred other Japanese. He talks about
prewar anti-Japanese feelings in the
Sacramento
area, working hard for $1 a day for John Davis growing berries
and grapes, and sending any savings back to relatives in
Japan
. The post-war years were spent farming in the Elder Creek area,
cared for by son James until his death in 1991. James now
operates the farm.
ONATSU
AKIYAMA
There is a
lot of material in the 59 pages of text out of the total 67
pages of this Oral History of Mrs. Akiyama (89), a widow. The
interview took three sessions and was in Japanese with some
comments from the interviewer and son Ryozo. She talks of doing
many kinds of work, in many places in
Japan
,
Jerome
Relocation
Center
, with husband in Crystal City, Texas, and around
Sacramento
for very low pay, and pooling of resources among relatives and
friends. As her four sons became older, they were a big help as
the family tried to cope and survive in
Japan
and
Sacramento
, especially in her retirement years. The eight grandchildren
and two great grandchildren bring satisfaction, as well as
various religious literature. Living in
Hiroshima
after the atom bomb, defeat of
Japan
and resultant hardships were ěthe saddest time of our entire
life.î
BUNZO AND
HARUYE ASOO
Bunzo Asoo
was 86 and Haruye Asoo was 80 when interviewed in Japanese and
both are now deceased. They migrated to
California
as young adults due to hard times but returned in 1919 to
Okayama
to get married. They felt
America
offered the best for their seven children but returned to Japan
frequently, often to study. The war years were spent in
Tule Lake
,
California
and Topaz,
Utah
camps. In 1945, they returned to
Sacramento
and Bunzo worked as a gardener from 7 a.m. at 25 cents an hour
with a push mower. The temperature rose to 105 degrees at times.
After retirement at 65, he engaged in yoga exercises, enjoyed
all kinds of food, and did much volunteer work for the
Adventist
Church
. The appendix of the book contains many prewar and wartime
documents, passports, travel permits, immigration forms,
evacuation claims forms, personal property listings and family
trees.
LARSON AND
BUTLER
This brief
oral history is about two Non-Nikkei friends of Japanese
Americans of the
Florin
area, especially of Mary Tsukamoto. There are two photos--one
each of Larson and
Butler
; twenty pages of text (two devoted to
Butler
). Some Japanese names are misspelled. Both spent their
childhood and later life as friends of the Nikkei. Larson
mentions association with Hawaiian Nisei in his military service
of two years.
Butler
was a life-long friend of education and there is
Arthur
C.
Butler
Elementary School
in his honor.
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