Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1350/

Growing up "American"

I mean, well as soon as we started school I was an American.  I was... we did the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag and everything was American.  Well I mean the Japanese obviously part of it was mainly my father's side.  We used to go to the church in San Jose and that was our religion.  But we were... even if it were an isolated community and living on a farm on your own...We were Americans, yeah.  And I made friends in grammar school. And we, you know, and we never sort of like did anything together because I was always working. 

But yeah, it was when I was in Sacramento...  The only time I feel I was not American is when I went to Sacramento.  And it was very much a, uh, prejudice or a discrimination.  You know, and it was really quite, you know, strange I thought then.  I felt peculiar because I was born there and so...well I didn't look like the Americans so I knew I was different, you know.  But uh but to be... having to mix with that community you would feel you were accepted. Because there were Black communities, and Mexicans, and everything, you know.  But uh we were suddenly complete strangers.  We were foreigners you know.


Americans identity

Date: June 29, 2012

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Chris Komai, John Esaki

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Jimmy Murakami (1933 – 2014) was inspired as a child to become a film animator by watching the Disney cartoons that were shown to Japanese Americans confined at the Tule Lake concentration camp during WWII. After attending Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, he worked as an animator for UPA. He later founded Murakami Wolf—a company that produced many well-known commercials in the 1960s and 70s—and became a feature film director of When the Wind Blows and The Snowman. After establishing residence in Ireland in recent years, he passed away in February of 2014 at age 80.  (June 2014)

Kogiso,Mónica

Nihongo gakko - Preserving Japanese culture (Spanish)

(b. 1969) Former president of Centro Nikkei Argentino.

Mizuki,Peter

Not wanting to stand out as a foreigner

Sansei Japanese American living in Japan and Kendo practioner

Yamasaki,Frank

Have compassion for all of humanity

(b. 1923) Nisei from Washington. Resisted draft during WWII.

Kogiso,Mónica

Identity crisis (Spanish)

(b. 1969) Former president of Centro Nikkei Argentino.

(Jerome Charles White Jr.),Jero

Never sang Enka outside the family

(b. 1981) Enka Singer

Kansuma,Fujima

Both Japanese and American identities though Japanese dance

(1918-2023) Nisei Japanese kabuki dancer

Herzig,Aiko Yoshinaga

Results of being more American than Japanese

(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist

(Jerome Charles White Jr.),Jero

Trying to convey the meaning of the songs

(b. 1981) Enka Singer

Endo,Kenny

Internship on a Native American reservation in Arizona

(b.1952) Master drummer, artistic director of the Taiko Center of the Pacific

Ota,Vince

Different tension between East Coast and Los Angeles

Japanese American Creative designer living in Japan

Tanaka,Seiichi

Differences between American and Japanese taiko

(b.1943) Shin-issei grand master of taiko; founded San Francisco Taiko Dojo in 1968.

Sogi,Francis Y.

Meeting Japanese Americans from the mainland in MIS

(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation

Inoue,Enson

Sudden acceptance in Japanese society

(b. 1967) Hawai`i-born professional fighter in Japan