History of Seattle Nikkei Immigrants from The North American Times
This series explores the history of pre-war Seattle Nikkei immigrants by researching old articles from the online archives of The North American Times, a joint project between the Hokubei Hochi [North American Post] Foundation and the University of Washington (UW) Suzzallo Library.
*The English version of this series is a collaboration between Discover Nikkei and The North American Post, Seattle’s bilingual community newspaper.
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The North American Times
The newspaper was first printed in Seattle on September 1, 1902, by publisher Kiyoshi Kumamoto from Kagoshima, Kyushu. At its peak, it had correspondents in Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Spokane, Vancouver, and Tokyo, with a daily circulation of about 9,000 copies. Following the start of World War II, Sumio Arima, the publisher at the time, was arrested by the FBI. The paper was discontinued on March 14, 1942, when the incarceration of Japanese American families began. After the war, the North American Times was revived as The North American Post.
Stories from this series
Chapter 20 (Part 2)—The Japanese Association, a Support for Japanese American Community
May 21, 2024 • Ikuo Shinmasu
Read Part 1 >> Abolition of the distribution of the certification guarantee fee The funding source of the Japanese Association (Nihonjinkai) consisted of membership fees and the distribution of the fee of certification guarantee from the consulate. The North American Japanese Association (Hokubei Nihonjinkai) was established inside the Seattle consulate in 1913 to oversee the distribution of funds to each individual Japanese association. However, the system disbanded in 1918, and the Communication Committee of North American Japanese (Hokubei Renraku Nikkai, …
Chapter 20 (Part 1)—The Japanese Association, a Support for Japanese American Community
May 20, 2024 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In the last chapter, I covered the topic of prefectural associations (Kenjinkai). The focus of this chapter is the Japanese American Association (Nihonjinkai) that supported the Japanese American community. The significance and deep connection of the Japanese American Association to the Nikkei community in Seattle is evidenced by the almost daily mentions of Nihonjinkai in The North American Times. I will share some excerpts from those articles here.1 The History of the Japanese Association Genji Mihara, the chair of the …
Chapter 19 (Part 2)—The Solidarity of the Japanese Brought by Kenjinkai
March 20, 2024 • Ikuo Shinmasu
Read Chapter 19 (Part 1) >> Notable Activities and Obituaries of People from Yamaguchi Prefecture 1. Seiichi Okamura from the Agenosho village in the Oshima disctrict “Department Chief of Nissho, Japanese Business Association, Seiichi Okamura Passes Away” (June 28, 1939 issue1) The president of Grand Union Laundry Corporation, Seiichi Okamura, had recovered from a cerebral hemorrhage after having taken some rest and had been working full-time. He, however, fell ill again around March. He had been under treatment at home, …
Chapter 19 (Part 1) — The Solidarity of the Japanese Brought by Kenjinkai
March 19, 2024 • Ikuo Shinmasu
The last chapter shared stories about the prosperity of the Nisei males’ judo. In this chapter, I would like to write about the prefectural associations (Kenjinkai) that played a big role in bringing Japanese residents in Seattle together. To enhance the unity of those from the same prefecture in the Seattle Nikkei community, Hiroshima Kenjinkai was first established in 1901, followed by Tokushima Kenjinkai in 1902, Yamaguchi Kenjinkai in 1903, Ehime Kenjinkai in 1904, Kanagawa Kenjinkai in 1905, and many more …
Chapter 18 (Part 2) — The Rise of Judo among Nisei
Jan. 24, 2024 • Ikuo Shinmasu
Read Chapter 18 (Part 1) >> Jim Yoshida’s Judo The book, The Two Worlds of Jim Yoshida, discusses how Jim Yoshida practiced hard at judo training. In the book, Jim was into football first. He practiced judo reluctantly at first with the strong encouragement of his father, Ryunosuke. Later he found it interesting. The article on February 7, 1938 seems to be written around that time. The article said his father, Ryunosuke Yoshida, served a councilor of Tentokukai. In February 1938, …
Chapter 18 (Part 1) — The Rise of Judo among Nisei
Jan. 23, 2024 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In my previous chapter, I reported on the Nisei women's tour of Japan. In this chapter, I would like to talk about the prosperity of judo around 1938 and 1939, when many Nisei men were engaged in this sport in Seattle. Establishment of Judo Dojo According to some literature, the Seattle Dojo was established in February 1908 in the city of Seattle for the training of youth in judo. At the time of its establishment, there were only about 20 members, …
