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Wataridori: Birds of Passage film, 1974
Overview of the Collection
- Director
- Nakamura, Robert A
- Title
- Wataridori: Birds of Passage film
- Dates
- 1974 (inclusive)19741974
- Quantity
- 1 film reel (37 minutes, 1300 feet) : color, sound ; 16mm
- Collection Number
- PH0987
- Summary
- Interviews with three first generation Japanese Americans
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
Access to the original film is restricted. A viewing copy is available for patron use.
- Languages
- Japanese and English
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
Issei ("first generation") is a Japanese language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the Japanese people who were first to immigrate. Emigration of Japanese directly to the United States began in 1885, the earliest of these first arrivals settling in Hawaii and San Francisco. The number of Issei continually expanded in the late 1880s and early 1890s, the vast majority of which were males with plans for gaining new experiences and for making money before returning to homes in Japan. The Gentleman's Agreement of 1907 eventually allowed for the reuniting of Japanese families in America, and larger Japanese communities began to form in the U.S. shortly thereafter.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese army in 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This power was used to declare that all people of Japanese ancestry were excluded from the entire West Coast of the United States, including all of California and much of Oregon, Washington and Arizona, except for those living in government camps. The number of Japanese Americans interred in such government camps was between 110,000 and 120,000 people, with sixty-two percent of those incarcerated being United States citizens.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The film relates the histories of three elderly Issei, or first generation Japanese Americans, residing in California in the early 1970s. The three narratives are integrated within the film to describe a collective Issei history through shared personal memories. Immigration to the United States in the early twentieth century, employment in the adopted country, and family life are all major themes within the film. The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II serves as the climax of the film's narrative, with each participant recalling their own impressions of the camps.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
A Visual Communications Production, Asian American Studies Central, Incorporated. Directed by Robert A. Nakamura. Music scored by Dan & June Kuromoto. Narrators: Mako; Shizuko Hoshi; Yukio Shimoda. Historical consultants: Don Estes; Franklin Odo; Henry Taketa; Akiji Yoshimura.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
Documentary subjects: Harukichi Nakamura, Koshiro Miura, and Haruno Sumi.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact the Special Collections division of the University of Washington Libraries for details.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| viewcopy | item | ||
| VC449 | 1 |
Wataridori:
Birds of Passage Contemporary footage, old photographs, and translated narration
tell the individual stories of three Japanese Americans that immigrated to the
United States at the beginning of the twentieth century. The trio discuss the
process of immigration, the raising of families, and the work they've performed
in their adopted country. Racism in America before and during World War II is
also addressed, and personal stories and photographs illustrate life in the
Japanese internment camps of the early 1940s. A group of people visit the
memorial at contemporary Manzanar, a concentration camp in California used to
imprison Japanese Americans during World War II. The film concludes with a
celebratory picnic for the Japanese American community in California.
Original1 film reel (37 minutes, 1300 feet) : color, sound ; 16mm
|
1974 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Concentration Camps--United States
- Japanese Americans--California--Personal narratives
- Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945--Personal narratives
- Moving Image Collections (University of Washington)
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
Personal Names
- Miura, Koshiro--Interviews
- Nakamura, Harukichi--Interviews
- Sumi, Haruno--Interviews
Corporate Names
- Manzanar War Relocation Center
Form or Genre Terms
- Nonfiction films
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Miura, Koshiro (interviewee)
- Nakamura, Harukichi (interviewee)
- Sumi, Haruno (interviewee)
