Interviews

1. His father, the pioneer of acupuncture in Argentina (Spanish)

2. Decision to settle in Argentina after WWII (Spanish)

3. Suffering in World War II (Spanish)

4. Joined Japanese Imperial Army during the WWII (Spanish)

5. Returning Argentina after the war (Spanish)

6. Proud to be a Japanese desecendant (Spanish)

7. A lucky man (Spanish)

Yamada,Luis

(b. 1929) Nisei Argentinean

Proud to be a Japanese desecendant (Spanish)

(Spanish) I left Japan on the Buenos Aires Maru. In practical terms, it [the ship] was built to be a battleship, I don’t know. But the crew, the majority had been to war. And before arriving at Yokohama because first we arrived at Yokohama and then at Kobe, I disembarked at Kobe. But before arriving at Yokohama, everyday, everyday, we did as one says in nihongo (Japanese), “donchan sawagi,” because we were at war, you know, as they celebrated with flags and a bunch of things. When we arrived at Yokohoma there was a big celebration, a welcoming [celebration], because already everything had been prepared. For that [reason] I say that I saw the best part of Nihon (Japan) before, during, and after the war, and over time, like twenty years or more…I saw four faces of Nihon. For that reason, I can say that I am lucky to have seen [every facet] of Japan, the worst, the best, the good and the bad, and much better. I saw it all. I don’t say this to everybody, of course, one has it inside, but it is a pride that I have in the strength of the nihonjin (Japanese). There is much that doesn’t bother them [the Japanese], but I feel it.

Japan World War II

Date: September 18, 2006

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Interviewer: Takeshi Nishimura, Ricardo Hokama

Contributed by: Centro Nikkei Argentino

Interviewee Bio

Luis Yamada is a Nisei born in Buenos Aires in 1929. His parents were immigrants who came from the Fukui province. As a little boy he traveled to Japan where he lived during World War II; afterwards he returned to Argentina. He was able to see Japan before, during, and after the war. Today he is the director of the Instituto Argentino de Paisajismo (Argentine Institute of Landscape Painting), one of the most prestigious institutes of its kind in Argentina. (September 18, 2006)