Interviews

1. Early Childhood

2. The meaning of his middle name Yaichio

3. Discrimination in San Francisco

4. Life in Yamato Colony

5. Social life in Livingston versus San Francisco

6. Becoming head of the family at age 8

7. Advice from his mother

8. Attending San Francisco City College

9. Celebrating his birthday on December 7, 1941

10. Starting a YMCA program in camp

11. Leaving Topaz

12. Leaving a camp to attend college

13. Getting a job in Honolulu

14. Feeling free and accepted in Hawaii

15. Getting fired from a job

16. Marriage and Family

17. Becoming involved at JANM

18. Volunteering at JANM

19. Defining “Nikkei”

Fred Y. Hoshiyama

(1914–2015) Nisei YMCA and Japanese American community leader

Advice from his mother

She said there are two things about life that she taught me from her background and he culture. One was about – see she had four boys, and she was without a man, and yet she had character, I felt. She said, “One thing that you remember, is that you have to ‘gambate,’ ‘gaman,’ G-A-M-A-N,” and I said, “what does that mean?” she said, “you just have to kind of hang in there,” The best way I could describe that would be to "suck it up", with a hope for a better tomorrow. That was one concept that was very helpful to me. So that no matter how hard things were, you hang in there and persevere, and hope that a better tomorrow will come. That’s one.

The second thing that remember, she said, “Nobody makes it by themselves.” The word, “Giri,” G-I-R-I, she told me about “giri,” or maybe “on,” but I think “giri” is a little more generic and broader for me. She said that somebody help me out, will help me along the way, in society, therefore, when I have the opportunity to help someone else, I should do that, that is “giri.” And she never let me forget that. Said, “don’t ever forget the people that helped you,” and a lot of people did help me. So my life took on the philosophy of being helpful to others as I could, as I kept going. So when I reflect upon my life, that has meant a lot to me, because it did tell me how my life should turn out.

aesthetics families metaphysics psychology theory of knowledge values

Date: Mar 4, 2005

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Florence Ochi, Art Hansen, Yoko Nishimura

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

Interviewee Bio

Fred Yaichio Hoshiyama was the first of six children born to Issei immigrant farm workers who were members of the pioneering Yamato Colony of Livingston, California. His father died when he was only eight, and his family struggled to keep their farm, eventually losing it and moving to San Francisco in 1929. After earning a BA from the University of California, Berkeley in 1941, he was confined at the Tanforan Assembly Center in San Francisco and the Topaz “Relocation Center” in Utah in 1942 with thousands of other innocent Japanese Americans—victims of their racial similarity to the enemy that had attacked the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawai‘i.

Even in confinement, Fred continued his lifelong association with the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association), helping to establish much needed recreational, educational and social programs. After obtaining an early release from Topaz to earn his Masters Degree at Springfield College in Massachusetts, he served as a YMCA youth program director in Honolulu before returning to California where he continued to work in urban youth programs. From 1976 to 1983 he helped to form the National Association of Student YMCAs. In retirement, he contributed his expertise and knowledge of financial planning, development and management to several non-profit organizations. (February 2016)

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