Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/921/

Grandparent's unspoken past

I heard a little bit about the history Japanese Americans and their struggle but, my grandparents rarely spoke of it. I think that they had gone through so much and really wanted to put it behind them and they never talked about it. It was really strange. Unless you specifically asked them what happened or what was it like for you. You know they just wanted to face forward and look into the future and they raised their own kids purely American.


families

Date: January 16, 2000

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

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

Interviewee Bio

Kristi Yamaguchi was born in 1971 in Fremont, California, a fourth-generation Japanese American. She was born with a foot deformity and at the age of six her family encouraged her interest in skating to develop her coordination and balance. In 1992, she captured the gold medal in womens’ figure skating at the Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. (January 16, 2000)

Venancio Shinki
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Shinki,Venancio

Iron discipline at home (Spanish)

(b. 1932-2016) Peruvian painter

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Kimi Wakabayashi
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Wakabayashi,Kimi

Arranged marriage

(b.1912) Japanese Canadian Issei. Immigrated with husband to Canada in 1931

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Shizuko Kadoguchi
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Kadoguchi,Shizuko

Marrying Bob against family’s wishes

(b.1920) Japanese Canadian Nisei. Established the Ikenobo Ikebana Society of Toronto

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Enson Inoue
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Inoue,Enson

Growing up in a Japanese American family

(b. 1967) Hawai`i-born professional fighter in Japan

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George Katsumi Yuzawa
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Yuzawa,George Katsumi

Death of sister in October 1942

(1915 - 2011) Nisei florist who resettled in New York City after WW II. Active in Japanese American civil rights movement

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Roy Hirabayashi
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Hirabayashi,Roy

Learning Japanese at school and at home with family

(b.1951) Co-founder and managing director of San Jose Taiko.

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Aiko Yoshinaga Herzig
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Herzig,Aiko Yoshinaga

Family separated in the camps

(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist

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Bert A. Kobayashi
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Kobayashi,Bert A.

Family first

(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC

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Bert A. Kobayashi
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Kobayashi,Bert A.

Being accepted as biracial family

(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC

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George Yamada
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Yamada,George

Memories of railroad workers who stayed at family's prewar hotel in Spokane, Washington

(b. 1923) Chick sexer

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Paula Hoyos Hattori
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Hattori,Paula Hoyos

Her interests in Japanese culture (Spanish)

Sansei Argentinean

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Margaret Oda
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Oda,Margaret

Growing up with Japanese language and values

(1925 - 2018) Nisei educator from Hawai‘i

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Doris Moromisato
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Moromisato, Doris

I’m a Japanese, Peruvian… who am I? (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

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Henry Suto
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Suto,Henry

Fitting back into American life

(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.

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Henry Suto
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Suto,Henry

Helping youth in the community

(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.

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