Hiroshi Kashiwagi
Nascido em Sacramento em 1922, o escritor e ator Hiroshi Kashiwagi passou seus primeiros anos em Loomis, Califórnia. Ele foi encarcerado no Centro de Segregação de Tule Lake durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, onde foi definido como “desleal” por se recusar a responder às questões de lealdade. Ele renunciou à sua cidadania americana e mais tarde trabalhou com o Comitê de Defesa do Lago Tule e Wayne M. Collins para restaurar sua cidadania. Desde 1975 ele fala publicamente sobre sua experiência no encarceramento. Seu poema “A Meeting at Tule Lake”, escrito durante uma peregrinação em abril de 1975, estabeleceu-o como uma voz seminal entre os sobreviventes dos campos de concentração Nikkei.
Ele obteve seu bacharelado em Línguas Orientais pela UCLA em 1952, seguido por um MLS pela UC Berkeley em 1966. Kashiwagi trabalhou como editor, tradutor, intérprete e secretário de língua inglesa na sede da Igreja Budista da América; ele também atuou como bibliotecário de referência na Biblioteca Pública de São Francisco, com especialização em literatura e línguas. Suas publicações incluem Swimming in the American: A Memoir and Selected Writings , vencedor do American Book Award, 2005; Peças de caixa de sapato ; Praia Oceânica: Poemas ; e Começando com Loomis e Outras Histórias . Créditos de atuação notáveis incluem a peça The Wash , produzida no Eureka Theatre em São Francisco, e os filmes Hito Hata: Raise the Banner (1980, dir. Robert Nakamura), Black Rain (1989, dir. Ridley Scott), Rabbit in the Moon (1999, dir. Emiko Omori) e Infinity e Chashu Ramen (2013, dir. Kerwin Berk).
Ele faleceu em outubro de 2019 aos 96 anos.
Atualizado em dezembro de 2019.
(Foto do autor por Ben Arikawa)
Stories from This Author
Em homenagem a Hiroshi Kashiwagi
19 de Dezembro de 2019 • Hiroshi Kashiwagi , traci kato-kiriyama
Ao chegarmos ao dia 4 de dezembro e ao terceiro aniversário do Nikkei Uncovered: uma coluna de poesia , parecia muito apropriado prestar homenagem ao poeta recentemente falecido, Hiroshi Kashiwagi. Um querido membro da comunidade e escritor por muitas gerações, Hiroshi foi o poeta inaugural apresentado (ao lado de Amy Uyematsu) quando começamos a coluna. Tenho boas lembranças de ouvir o Sr. Kashiwagi ler sua poesia em voz alta e sempre fui inspirado por sua franqueza, sorriso levemente travesso e, …
Localização
15 de Dezembro de 2016 • Amy Uyematsu , Hiroshi Kashiwagi , traci kato-kiriyama
Para a postagem inaugural da coluna, queríamos começar com o tema lugar, localização e comunidade e destacar dois poetas veteranos – Hiroshi Kashiwagi, poeta Nisei radicado em São Francisco desde 1962, e Amy Uyematsu, poetisa Sansei e nativa de Angeleno. Estamos entusiasmados por começar com dois escritores que dedicam grande parte de seu foco criativo e de seu sustento à poesia e que influenciaram tantas pessoas. Felicidades com o que sua poesia revela… -traci kato-kiriyama * * * * * …
My Opposition to the Registration
17 de Setembro de 2013 • Hiroshi Kashiwagi
Background I will begin with a brief background of my life before camp as I feel it has some bearing on my reaction to the loyalty questionnaire or the so-called “Registration” order. My parents being aliens, foreigners, and outsiders, I remember that our life was quite marginalized. For example, my father’s store at the far end of town was always referred to as the “Jap store” by the people in town. Growing up, I constantly heard my father use the term …
Tule Lake - Part 2 of 2
16 de Julho de 2013 • Hiroshi Kashiwagi
Read Part 1 >>I was having the time of my life, working a few hours a day as a dishwasher in the mess hall and devoting the rest of my time to what I loved—acting, reading, writing, and meeting people with similar interests. Camp life was great. But it all came to an abrupt end in February 1943 with the so-called “loyalty registration,” which was a joint order by the Army and the WRA to facilitate the Army in recruiting …
Tule Lake - Part 1 of 2
9 de Julho de 2013 • Hiroshi Kashiwagi
When we arrived at Tule Lake in the morning, we were greeted by a man who claimed to be our Block Manager. It was nice to have someone welcome us on our arrival at this desolate place near the northern border of California. “If you need anything just ask me,” he said. He provided us with mattresses and Army blankets; we unpacked and settled in. After the miserable experience in Arboga, we were excited about the flush toilets in the …
Free Streets
1 de Julho de 2013 • Hiroshi Kashiwagi
It was in March of 1946, the morning after my brother, sister, and I came out of camp. We had been given $25 each and a free ride on the train. The train seemed better than the old milk train with the shade drawn that took us to Tule Lake in 1942. After being held until almost the closing of camp, we were finally released. I guess we were used to being confined, but camp was nearly deserted. We were …
A Trip to Cedarville
17 de Junho de 2013 • Hiroshi Kashiwagi
It was near the closing of camp, when restrictions were being relaxed a bit, that I heard from our neighbor George about Mr. Crane, the Camp Reports Officer, taking a small group to entertain some high school students at Cedarville. Cedarville is in Modoc County, about 120 miles from Tule Lake. George and a few of his musician friends were going and he asked me if I would be interested in joining them. My first thought was “I don’t sing …
Radio Station KOBY in Medford, Oregon
30 de Maio de 2013 • Hiroshi Kashiwagi
Daytime we could get only two radio stations—small town stations in Medford and Klamath Falls, Oregon that played incessantly. the women dug the lakebedand turned up seashellslong dormant in the sandsorted and cleanedpainted and shellackedthey became ornamental thingstrinkets and necklacesmade in captivity this is Radio Station KOBY in Medford, Oregon we took pieces of 2 x 4whittled and carved themmine were unremarkablebut old Yoshimoto-sanalways did womena shelf lined with themsevere and woodboundmore Egyptian than Japaneseall frontal and nude this is …
The Block Manager’s Canary
23 de Maio de 2013 • Hiroshi Kashiwagi
I knew three block managers in camp—actually, four, as I was one myself. Though I don’t consider myself a regular block manager, since I served only a few months toward the end of camp when there was little administrative work. But recently a former resident of my block unnerved me by announcing to one and all, “He was our Block Manager!” I didn’t know how to take that. A block manager was indeed an important functionary in the block. He …
A Visit to The White House
18 de Junho de 2011 • Hiroshi Kashiwagi
It was a windfall event, unexpected and surreal, especially the jaw-dropping reaction of the people. “You mean The White House?” “Yes.” “You’re kidding me?” “No.” And we showed the invitation from The President and Mrs. Obama to An Evening of Poetry at The White House on Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at six thirty o’clock. On Monday evening we were met at the airport by Dr. Raymond Murakami, a prominent dentist to Washington, D.C. power brokers, politicians, and celebrities such as …
