Entrevistas

1. Life in Davao, Philippines

2. Kindergarten in Davao, Philippines

3. Evacuated to the Jungle

4. Captured by Guerillas after bombing of Pearl Harbor

5. Family was shipped back to Japan after the war

6. Attitudes toward Hikiagesha

7. Move to Los Angeles

8. First Impressions of the US

9. Life in the Philippines

10. Unique Identity from Having Multiple Backgrounds

11. On Nikkei Identity

12. Returning to the Philippines

Uchimura,Sawako Ashizawa

(n. 1938) Hikiagesha nascida nas Filipinas que mais tarde imigrou para os Estados Unidos.

Evacuated to the Jungle

The war became much more intense, so we had to escape into the jungle. And the jungle was very dark and – hardly any sun, maybe a spot here and there – so – and mother became very ill with the typhoid and malaria, and then the newborn baby, so I just became seven, and I was the only caregiver to mother and – my brother. So by the – six months, father was working to help the – settle the place, so I don’t know where he was. We – he was not there all the time, and once in a while, he would come and visit like in the middle of the night.

And the jungle life was not very easy – a lot of people died. But we were fortunately – it was all civilians, so the US Army did not attack, they just watched outside of the jungle, and we were lucky to survive. But a lot died of disease and malnourishment during the six months’ time. But, miraculously, my brother was only two months old, but he was able to survive. And we survived as well, so we were very fortunate.

florestas selvas Filipinas Segunda Guerra Mundial

Data: July 12, 2017

Localização Geográfica: California, US

Entrevistado: Mitsue Watanabe, Yoko Nishimura, Leighton Okada

País: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Entrevistados

Sawako Ashizawa Uchimura nasceu em Davao, Mindanao, Filipinas, em 25 de março de 1938, como a primeira filha de Katsujiro e Ura "Mie" Ashizawa. Ela tinha 7 anos em 1945, quando sua família teve que deixar as Filipinas após a derrota do Japão na Segunda Guerra Mundial. Sua família viveu em Shizuoka durante os 10 anos seguintes. Mais tarde, a família recebeu o status de residente nos Estados Unidos e chegou a Los Angeles em março de 1956. Sawako foi para a Alhambra High School e depois estudou em Pasadena City College. Ela finalmente encontrou um mentor generoso que ajudou a apoiá-la através de sua educação na Universidade do Estado de San Jose e tornou-se terapeuta ocupacional. Atualmente, ela é voluntária no Sakura Garden (antigo Keiro Retirement Home). (Março de 2018)