Interviews

1. Life in Davao, Philippines

2. Kindergarten in Davao, Philippines

3. Evacuated to the Jungle

4. Captured by Guerillas after bombing of Pearl Harbor

5. Family was shipped back to Japan after the war

6. Attitudes toward Hikiagesha

7. Move to Los Angeles

8. First Impressions of the US

9. Life in the Philippines

10. Unique Identity from Having Multiple Backgrounds

11. On Nikkei Identity

12. Returning to the Philippines

Uchimura,Sawako Ashizawa

(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.

Evacuated to the Jungle

The war became much more intense, so we had to escape into the jungle. And the jungle was very dark and – hardly any sun, maybe a spot here and there – so – and mother became very ill with the typhoid and malaria, and then the newborn baby, so I just became seven, and I was the only caregiver to mother and – my brother. So by the – six months, father was working to help the – settle the place, so I don’t know where he was. We – he was not there all the time, and once in a while, he would come and visit like in the middle of the night.

And the jungle life was not very easy – a lot of people died. But we were fortunately – it was all civilians, so the US Army did not attack, they just watched outside of the jungle, and we were lucky to survive. But a lot died of disease and malnourishment during the six months’ time. But, miraculously, my brother was only two months old, but he was able to survive. And we survived as well, so we were very fortunate.

forests jungles Philippines World War II

Date: July 12, 2017

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Mitsue Watanabe, Yoko Nishimura, Leighton Okada

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

Interviewee Bio

Sawako Ashizawa Uchimura was born in Davao, Mindanao, Philippines on March 25, 1938 as the first daughter of Katsujiro and Ura “Mie” Ashizawa. She was 7 years old in 1945 when her family had to leave the Philippines after Japan’s defeat in World War II. Her family lived in Shizuoka for the next 10 years. Later the family received residency status in the United States and arrived in Los Angeles in March 1956. Sawako went to Alhambra High School and later studied at Pasadena City College. She eventually found a generous mentor who helped support her through her education at San Jose State University and became an occupational therapist. Currently she is volunteering at the Sakura Garden (Formerly Keiro Retirement Home). (March 2018)