Interviews

1. Activities growing up in Peru

2. Family's deportation from Peru to U.S. after the bombing of Pearl Harbor

3. Conditions aboard U.S. transport ship while being deported from Peru

4. Learning English upon discovering that family could not return to Peru

5. Playing baseball along with American Nisei and Kibei

6. Denied redress as a Japanese Peruvian

7. Thoughts on the post-9/11 atmosphere in the U.S.

Art Shibayama

(1930-2018) Nisei born in Peru. Taken to the United States during WWII.

Playing baseball along with American Nisei and Kibei

And then the other thing is when we went to Seabrook, we made our own team as the Peruvians. Oh, and then we, we got some of the, couple of the Kibeis, too, who were from (Crystal City), got on our team, and then we started playing against the other Nisei teams. And then this Dick Kunishima, which was the coach for the Seabrook, Seabrook team, that were playing against the hakujins (Caucasians). And so, after, after the Seabrook league, we were playing there and then Dick came to me and he says, Hey, how about playing for Seabrook? So, so he wanted one of the Kibeis and myself to be on the Seabrook team. And so then we were, we were, on the Seabrook team we play against the, in the city league and the industrial league against hakujins. And so then I mingled with the other Niseis and that's how, all the more, forced me to speak English.

baseball farms languages New Jersey Seabrook Farms sports United States

Date: October 26, 2003

Location: Washington, US

Interviewer: Alice Ito

Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Interviewee Bio

Nisei male. Born June 6, 1930 in Callao, Peru. Grew up in Peru, raised by both parents and grandparents. During World War II, taken with parents to the United States on a U.S. troop transport ship. Lived in the Crystal City internment camp, Texas, until family moved to work at Seabrook, New Jersey, a produce work company camp. Drafted into the army in the 1950s, even though considered an illegal alien, and served in Germany. Raised a family in Chicago, Illinois, and San Jose, California after military discharge. In recent years, attended several pilgrimages to Tule Lake incarceration camp, California, as well as reunions of Japanese Peruvians. Involved in the Campaign for Justice, an effort to obtain redress for Japanese Latin Americans. He passed away on July 31, 2018 at age 88. （July 2018)

*The full interview is available Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

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