Digitized selections from a larger collection that documents the lives and activities of three generations of the Yasui family, particularly the first generation (the Issei) who immigrated from Japan to Oregon in the early 1900s, and the second generation, the Nisei. Major topics represented the collection overall include the experience of the Issei -- Masuo Yasui, Shidzuyo (Miyake) Yasui, and Renichi Fujimoto -- as immigrants to the United States; the family's business and community activities in Hood River, Oregon, through 1942; family members' experiences of forced removal and incarceration during World War II; the Nisei's advocacy for redress after the war; and extensive research on family and Japanese American history. The 150 digitized items that are viewable in OHS Digital Collections consist of diary entries by Masuo Yasui and Renichi Fujimoto, and correspondence among various family members, as well as to and from other correspondents outside the family. Some of these materials were written in English, and others in a pre-World War II script that is distinct from modern Japanese. Each digitized item is accompanied by translations into English, modern Japanese, or both.

The 150 digitized selections are a small portion of the overall collection, which consists of just under 20 cubic feet of material, and is available for use onsite at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library. A guide to the full collection is viewable in Archives West.

Most of the materials in the collection overall date from 1910-1995, and consist of correspondence, personal papers, extensive historical research, and photographs. Approximately 20 percent of the material is written in pre-World War II Japanese script. Correspondence in the collection includes letters of the Issei generation, but predominantly consists of material to or from the Nisei -- siblings Kay, Ray (Tsuyoshi), Minoru, Michi, Roku, Shu, Homer, and Yuka -- from youth through late adulthood, depending on the individual. The correspondence contains many letters exchanged among the family members, including incarceration-era correspondence. It also includes occasional letters from family members in Japan, and business correspondence of the Yasui Bros. stores operated by Masuo Yasui and Renichi Fujimoto. Personal papers in the collection consist of diaries and notebooks; immigration and identification papers; documents relating to day-to-day life, finances, and family members' education; materials related to the Yasui Bros. stores; poetry, essays, and articles by family members; and ephemera. Photographs include early images relating to the family's life and business operations in Hood River, as well as later images of the Nisei in their adult lives, but primarily depict travel and events related to advocacy work by Homer Yasui and his wife, Miki (Yabe) Yasui, in the latter 20th century.

A substantial portion of this collection consists of extensive research materials compiled or written by Homer Yasui and other family members about topics including Yasui family history, other Japanese Americans in Oregon, government incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, and Japanese American history broadly. These materials include translations and annotations of family documents; correspondence and news clippings; biographical notes and recollections; census extracts and other data on Japanese Americans in Oregon; copies of incarceration-era government files on Masuo Yasui and other family members; and essays, articles, newsletters, editorials, and press releases. The collection also includes a significant quantity of material related to Homer Yasui and Miki (Yabe) Yasui's advocacy and educational work, and their pilgrimages to incarceration camp sites.

Letter from Masuo Yasui in Portland to Yasui Brothers Company in Hood River, postmarked September 2, 1908. Masuo begins the letter by mentioning some other correspondence and writes that he understands the requests in a letter he received. He discusses the work he has been doing as a labor contractor and his difficulty in finding laborers to fulfill a contract for a job which is to start in two days. Masuo laments his poor planning but writes that he views this setback as an opportunity for growth and vows to find the required laborers for the job. He also expresses his disappointed that one of his brothers would not be present in Portland for a purchase of goods. Masuo reiterates his intention to work hard and addresses a number of business and financial matters. He ends the letter with an accounting of various amounts of money owed to or from a number of people. Translation Note: This document has been translated into modern Japanese and English.

Letter from Masuo Yasui to Taiitsuro Yasui dated July 18, 1908. In the letter Masuo describes some of the adversity they have encountered in establishing their business in Hood River, particularly some unexpected competition from a Mr. Yoshinari who opened a contracting business for Japanese agricultural laborers. He attempts to reassure Taiitsuro that their business enterprises will yet succeed, and encourage more confidence in their ability to overcome their current business challenges. He includes a transcription of a telegram from Renichi Fujimoto, sent in English, dated July 16, 1908.
Translation Note: This document has been translated into modern Japanese and English.