ティム・アサメン

(Tim Asamen)

インペリアルバレー開拓者博物館の常設ギャラリー、日系アメリカ人ギャラリーのコーディネーター。祖父母は、現在ティムが暮らすカリフォルニア州ウェストモーランドに鹿児島県上伊集院村から1919年に移住してきた。1994年、ティムは鹿児島ヘリテージ・クラブに入会し、会長(1999-2002)と会報誌編集者(2001-2011)を務めた。

(2013年8月 更新)

community en

Masani Nagata: The Farmer Who Discovered a Comet

By July of 1931 the melon season was winding down in Southern California’s Imperial Valley. With fewer runners from the local produce companies wiring eastern wholesale markets, the Western Union telegraph office in the farming town of Brawley would reduce its business hours as it did each year when the harvest came to an end. But in the middle of the month a flurry of incoming telegrams caused quite a stir. The wires came from unheard-of sources—astronomical observatories across the country and scientists around the world. Causing even more disbelief was to whom they were inten…

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sports en

ニッケイ物語9—勝敗を超えて: ニッケイスポーツ

George Taniguchi: The Nisei Who Took Horse Racing by Storm - Part 2

Read Part 1 >> A wall in George’s home is adorned with three large, framed collages, each one highlighting a milestone race in his career: his first win, his biggest monetary win, and one race that made horse racing history. His very first race took place on March 8, 1954, at Bay Meadows in San Mateo. “I was pretty nervous on that. I tried to hide it but my hands were all wet.” His first mount was Radio Message and he came in a respectable third. Three days later the same track was sloppy; that is, wet and muddy. But it was in those less than perfect conditions t…

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sports en

ニッケイ物語9—勝敗を超えて: ニッケイスポーツ

George Taniguchi: The Nisei Who Took Horse Racing by Storm - Part 1

Strength is not just a tool for winning, it is necessary for survival. Jockey Johnny Longden was once rammed in midrace, knocked from his stirrups and sent flying downward in front of a pack of horses. He was saved by a jockey riding alongside him, George Taniguchi, who was so powerful that he was able to catch Longden with one hand…and righted him in the saddle, also with one hand. Incredibly, Longden won the race. The Daily Racing Form called it “the ultimate impossibility.” From Laura Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit: An American Legend (2001) Not long after Laura …

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culture en ja es pt

一世語彙

私は長年、日系アメリカ人の言葉やフレーズをまとめたいと思っていました。今回の記事で私が最初にリストアップしたその多くは、一世の世代から使われてきた言葉でした。しかしそれは、日系人の大半が使い、または意味を理解しているショウユやウルサイといった、現在日本でも同じ意味で使われている標準語ではありません。私が注目したのは、以下のリストで説明している理由で、日系アメリカ人特有のものとなった言葉や表現です。 ほとんどの読者の皆さんが知っていると思われる言葉を除き、標準語はイタリック表記にしました。ニッケイの言葉はイタリックにせず、さらに私の認識ではニッケイ語には長音符はないので、表記しませんでした(訳注:和訳には適宜長音府を使いました)。ある帰米の女性は私に、長母音と短母音の発音やアメ(雨)とアメ(飴)といった言葉のアクセントの位置から、日本語母語話者と日系人の話す日本語を聞き分けられると話してくれたことがあります。 私が最も興味深く思うのは、日本ではもう使われていない、または定義が異なるニッケイ人の使う日本語です。言語はあらゆる場所で進化しますが、一世の言葉やフレーズには時が経っても変わらないものがあります。ニッケイ人の話す日本語は古臭いと日本人に言われがちなのはそのためです。一番良い例はベンジョ(便所)でしょう。 「ベンジョ」という言葉は「屋外トイレ」のようなものなので、今では日本…

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identity en

Japanese American Name Culture - Part 2

Read Part 1 >> Cultural Heritage and Assimilation The names that immigrant parents select for their American-born children say something about culture, customs, hopes, and dreams. In a previous article I wrote about the popularity of the name George for Nisei boys. Most of them were named after George Washington. But some of them were actually named after the reigning sovereign of Great Britain at the time of their birth, such as actor and activist George Takei who was named after King George VI. Names can reflect a desire among Issei to maintain a cultural connection and sense of p…

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