Ikuo Shinmasu
@IkuoShinmasuIkuo Shinmasu is from Kaminoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. In 1974, he started working at Teikoku Sanso Ltd (currently AIR LIQUIDE Japan GK) in Kobe and retired in 2015. Later, he studied history at Nihon University Distance Learning Division and researched his grandfather who migrated to Seattle. He shared a part of his thesis about his grandfather through the series, “Yoemon Shinmasu – My Grandfather’s Life in Seattle,” in the North American Post and Discover Nikkei in both English and Japanese. He presently lives in the city of Zushi, Kanagawa, with his wife and eldest son.
Updated August 2021
Stories from This Author
Chapter 4—Notable People in Seattle
April 29, 2022 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In the last chapter, I introduced some articles about the growth of Japanese businesses in Seattle in and after 1917. This time I would like to present The North American Times articles about some notable people in Seattle. “One Person a Day – Let Us Introduce Them” (1919) In 1919, The North American Times published a column titled “Ichinichi hitori hito iroiro” (One Person a Day – Let Us Introduce Them) that featured notable people working in various fields in …
Chapter 3—Seattle Development and Flourishing Japantown
Dec. 15, 2021 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In chapter 2, I introduced Manjiro Morita and Masajiro Furuya, who moved to Seattle around 1890 and were referred to as the “founding” Japanese. This chapter explores articles about Seattle’s rapid growth in and after 1917 and the flourishing of Japantown. Rapid Growth of Seattle Since World War I, the rapid growth of the military and the shipbuilding industries had turned Seattle into a significantly busy trading port, especially in the years after 1917. Its trade value (exports and imports) …
Chapter 2—Seattle Japanese Pioneers
Sept. 22, 2021 • Ikuo Shinmasu
The first chapter featured articles related to the early days of Seattle from around 1850. Here, the focus is Japanese immigrants who first went to Seattle around 1890. The Pioneers of Japanese Businesses Around 1890, Japanese people began landing in Seattle and starting various businesses. These individuals laid the foundations for later Japanese society in the area. The 1928 edition of the Hokubei Nenkan (North American Yearbook) introduces the pioneers of Japanese businesses in Seattle. Manjiro Morita and Masajiro Furuya are …
Chapter 1—19th Century Seattle and Nikkei Immigrants
Aug. 18, 2021 • Ikuo Shinmasu
The North American Times is a Japanese newspaper that was published in Seattle from 1902 until shortly after the United States’ entry into World War II. A microfilm archive is kept at the University of Washington (UW) Library. Scott Edward Harrison was a librarian at the East Asian Library, UW. In 2004, he researched the newspaper and archived what is available of it. From June 2019 to May 2020, the author serialized “Yoemon Shinmasu – My Grandfather’s Life in Seattle” …
Final Part: Atae’s re-entry into the U.S. and the family’s life afterwards
May 27, 2020 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In the previous part, I wrote about Aki’s challenge and her two daughters’ re-entry into the U.S. after Yoemon’s death. This is the final part of the series in which I share the eldest son Atae’s re-entry into the U.S. and the family’s life afterwards. Atae’s re-entry into America Due to his father Yoemon’s death, Atae returned to Japan with his mother, Aki, in February 1929. He lived in Kamai and went to Japanese school. For Atae, who was bilingual …
Part 11 – Aki’s challenge and re-entry of her two daughters into the U.S.
April 22, 2020 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In the last part, I wrote about Yoemon’s death from an unexpected accident and the family’s sorrowful return from Seattle to Kamai. In this part, I will write about how Aki recovered from sorrow, headed to Seattle again, and had her daughters come to the U.S. Re-opening of Aki’s barbershop business After Yoemon’s death, Aki lived desolate days in sorrow. Gradually she started to think that continuing to live and farm in Kamai would not do any good for her. …
Part 10 – Unfortunate death and sorrowful return home
March 25, 2020 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In Part 9, I wrote about the Japanese Association that provided support for Yoemon and the days leading up to the opening of his hotel. In this part, I will write about how Yoemon came to his unfortunate end. An unforeseen accident It was Sunday morning, December 2, 1928. Yoemon left his home in New Central Hotel (map lower right) for a walk and to go and inspect his hotel in Occidental Street (map left). There were still a number …
Part 9 – The Japanese Association and Yoemon’s final days
Feb. 26, 2020 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In Part 8, I wrote about the immigrants from Yamaguchi Prefecture, the process of sending money back to Japan, and the construction of Yoemon’s new house in Kamai. This time, I will write about the Japanese association (Nihonjinkai) that supported Yoemon in Seattle and the final days of his life. Yoemon’s Support: The Japanese Association In the background of Yoemon’s successful barber shop and his ability to jumpstart his hotel business in the foreign land of Seattle was the presence …
Part 8 – Sending money home and a new house
Jan. 22, 2020 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In Part 7, I wrote about Yoemon Shinmasu’s venture into the hotel business. This time, I will write about Yoemon’s birthplace, Yamaguchi Prefecture, him sending money back home, and the construction of his new house in Kamai. An Immigrant from Yamaguchi Prefecture Yoemon’s home prefecture of Yamaguchi had one of the highest numbers of emigrants in Japan. According to the immigration statistics by prefecture in the Japanese Overseas Migration Museum’s archives, between 1885 and 1894 and between 1899 and 1972, …
Part 7 - Leap to the hotel business
Dec. 25, 2019 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In Part 6, I wrote about how Yoemon educated his eldest son, Atae, in Seattle. This part will focus on how Yoemon’s barbershop business led him to make a big leap forward in starting a hotel business. From barbershop business to hotel business After moving from Kamai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, to Seattle, Yoemon moved to Walla Walla and made his barbershop business a big success. For an even bigger leap, Yoemon was thinking about going back to Seattle and starting a …
