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United States Series World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--United States
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Oral history interview with Jim Tsugawa

This oral history interview with Jim Tsugawa was conducted by Sankar Raman and Elizabeth Mehren on July 19, 2018. Amy Tsugawa, Jim Tsugawa's wife, was also present and contributed at the end of the interview. The interview was recorded for The Immigrant Story, an organization that documents and archives the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States. In this interview, Jim Tsugawa discusses his family background and early life in Portland, Oregon. He describes his experience of being incarcerated by the U.S. government, including his family's detention at the Portland Livestock Pavilion and transfer to the Minidoka War Relocation Camp in Idaho. He also discusses his older brother Henry Tsugawa's military service during World War II. He talks about his family being sponsored by a reverend for residency in Boise, Idaho, and briefly describes his childhood there. He talks about the family renting a strawberry farm in Ontario, Oregon, and his high school experience in Beaverton, Oregon, particularly his interest in sports. He speaks briefly about attending Lewis & Clark College on a sports scholarship, then discusses his experience in the U.S. Army and being stationed in Zweibrücken, Germany, during the Korean War. He talks about studying at Oregon State University after his discharge, and about earning his degree in dentistry from the University of Oregon Dental School, which is now part of Oregon Health & Science University. He then briefly speaks about his marriage to Amy Goda, now Amy Tsugawa, her family background, and her experience of incarceration by the U.S. government during World War II. He discusses the U.S. political climate at the time of the interview in 2018, particularly the Trump administration's immigration policies. Mehren and Tsugawa discuss the large Asian populations in California and Hawaii. Tsugawa describes a recent trip to the Minidoka National Historic Site and revisits the topics of his childhood and playing sports. Amy Tsugawa closes the interview by talking about spending her teenage years in postwar Japan.

Tsugawa, Jim M. (James Masao), 1932-

Oral history interview with John Y. Murakami

This oral history interview with John Y. Murakami was conducted by George Katagiri from July 13-20, 1992, at Murakami's home in Portland, Oregon. The interview was recorded as part of the Japanese American Oral History Project, which was conducted by the Oregon Historical Society to preserve the stories of Japanese Americans in Oregon. This interview was conducted in three sessions.

In the first interview session, conducted on July 13, 1992, Murakami discusses his family background and early life on a farm in Sherwood, Oregon, and in Portland, Oregon. He talks about the grocery store that his father, Shuichi Sam Murakami, owned; his experience during the Depression; and his education. He discusses jobs he worked after dropping out of high school and talks about playing in the Nisei Baseball League.

In the second interview session, conducted on July 14, 1992, Murakami continues discussing his experiences in the Nisei Baseball League, as well as his interest in other sports. He also talks about his social life as a teenager. He speaks about a few instances of prejudice that he experienced. He discusses his experience in the U.S. Army, serving in the European Theater during World War II. He also talks about the U.S. government's incarceration of his family at the Minidoka War Relocation Center, and about his marriage to Sumi Matsushita. He then discusses his life in Portland after his discharge from the Army in 1945, including working in construction and teaching building construction at Benson Polytechnic High School.

In the third and final interview session, conducted on July 20, 1992, Murakami talks about his children, their education, their families, and their careers. He then talks about his retirement activities, particularly his involvement in Japanese American community organizations. He also revisits the topic of his Army experience during World War II. He shares his opinion about the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which granted redress to Japanese Americans whom the government incarcerated during the war. He closes the interview by reflecting upon his life and accomplishments.

Murakami, John Y. (John Yoneo), 1919-2005

Oral history interview with Tatsuro Yada

This oral history interview with Tatsuro Yada was conducted by Taka Mizote on March 8, 1992. The interview was recorded as part of the Japanese American Oral History Project, which was conducted by the Oregon Historical Society to preserve the stories of Japanese Americans in Oregon.

In this interview, Yada discusses his family background and early life on a farm in Salem, Oregon. He talks about the Japanese community in Salem, his education, and attending Japanese school. He speaks about returning home to take over the family farm after graduating from Willamette University. He discusses his involvement in the Civil Defense Corps before the United States joined World War II; talks about his reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor; and describes the Japanese-owned businesses in the Salem area. He talks about his incarceration at Tule Lake Relocation Center during World War II. He describes living conditions in the camp, his role as a teacher, and the military service of his siblings. He talks about getting out of the camp less than a year later to work at a hotel in Nebraska, while his parents were incarcerated at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho. He then talks about returning to the family farm after the government ended incarceration of Japanese Americans in 1945. He discusses his marriage to Masako Onishi, his Christian faith, and the Japanese American community in post-war Salem. He talks about his children, their families, and their careers. He discusses his retirement activities, including farming, as well as his hopes for the future. He closes the interview by discussing serving on the Salem-Keizer School Board.

Yada, Tatsuro, 1916-2003

Tule Lake photographs

Photographs taken by Jerry Jiro Yasutome and other members of the Yasutome family documenting their time at the Tule Lake Relocation Center in California. These images include portraits of the Yasutome family, including Jerry Yasutome’s son, James Mamoru Yasutome, and his parents, Sadao Kurata Yasutome and Ju Jiro Yasutome; group portraits of electrical workers and a Buddhist Sunday School; and photos of a fire at the center. Between 1942 and 1946 the Yasutome family was incarcerated by the United States government at the Tule Lake Relocation Center in California. The Tule Lake Relocation Center was one of ten American concentration camps to which Japanese Americans were forcibly removed and incarcerated during World War II. The Yasutomes' son, James Mamoru Yasutome was born at Tule Lake in 1943.

Yasutome, Jerry Jiro, 1919-1994