Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/330/

Kibei schoolchildren in Hiroshima, Japan

I started from first grade. So I'm, I'm one of the older, but so happened that Hiroshima, especially that town, a lotta immigrant came to United States. So we see -- I didn't realize but went there, then lotta people told me, I was born in United States. So lotta kids, about one-third of 'em, they're either from Hawaii or California or Oregon or Washington, most of 'em Southern California because that village... see, my grandfather called in so their kids, much, most of 'em younger than me, but... so then we talked to each other, and then start from the bottom, so it wasn't too hard. At first, of course, I didn't even know -- of course, lot of kids don't know anything about until start school, see.


Hiroshima (city) Hiroshima Prefecture immigration Japan migration

Date: December 17 & 18, 2003

Location: Washington, US

Interviewer: Alice Ito, Tom Ikeda

Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Interviewee Bio

Hiroshi Roy Matsumoto was born on May 1, 1913 in Laguna, CA, a rural area on the outskirts of Los Angeles. His family was from the Hiroshima prefecture in Japan. As a young child, he went to Japan to live with his grandparents where he attended elementary and middle school.

Upon his return to the United States, he worked a variety of jobs, while also graduating from Long Beach Polytechnic High School. During World War II, he was sent to the Santa Anita Assembly Center. From there, he was sent to the Jerome Relocation Center in Arkansas where he stayed for six months before volunteering for the Military Intelligence Service.

Mr. Matsumoto was in the first MIS class at Camp Savage. For his heroism as a member of Merrill's Marauders, he was later awarded the Legion of Merit and inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame. (December 18, 2003)

Tom Yuki
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Yuki,Tom

Felt no hostility in Los Gatos, California after the war

(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.

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Michelle Yamashiro
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Yamashiro,Michelle

Great grandfather Asato was a sumo wrestler

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Michelle Yamashiro
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Yamashiro,Michelle

Grandfather loved to tell her stories of her great-grandfather Arakaki

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Michelle Yamashiro
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Yamashiro,Michelle

Parents leaving Peru to move to California

Okinawan American whose parents are from Peru.

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Howard Kakita
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Kakita,Howard

His Memory of August 6, 1945

(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor

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Howard Kakita
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Kakita,Howard

Escape from Hiroshima

(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor

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Howard Kakita
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Kakita,Howard

Returning to Hiroshima in ruins

(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor

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Howard Kakita
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Kakita,Howard

Overcoming trauma and speaking about his A-Bomb experience

(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor

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Monica Teisher
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Teisher,Monica

Grandfather migrating to Colombia

(b.1974) Japanese Colombian who currently resides in the United States

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Masato Ninomiya
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Ninomiya,Masato

What made your parents decide to move to Brazil?

Professor of Law, University of Sao Paulo, Lawyer, Translator (b. 1948)

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Vince Ota
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Ota,Vince

Moving to and living in Japan

Japanese American Creative designer living in Japan

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Johnny Mori
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Mori,Johnny

Performing the koto and taiko drum together, in Japan

(b. 1949) Musician and arts educator and adminstrator.

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Luis Yamada
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Yamada,Luis

A lucky man (Spanish)

(b. 1929) Nisei Argentinean

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Kazuo Funai
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Funai,Kazuo

Company in Tokyo burned down (Japanese)

(1900-2005) Issei businessman

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James Hirabayashi
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Hirabayashi,James

Family interrelations between mother and father

(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline

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