Oral history interview with George Iwasaki, 1992 August 19-September 16

Overview of the Collection

Interviewee
Iwasaki, George, 1912-2009
Title
Oral history interview with George Iwasaki
Dates
1992 August 19-September 16 (inclusive)
Quantity
.1 cubic feet, (2 audiocassettes (1 hr., 58 min., 10 sec.) + transcript (48 pages) + 1 photograph (color))
Collection Number
SR 958
Summary
Oral history interview with George Iwasaki conducted by Etsu Osaki from August 19 to September 16, 1992, as part of the Japanese American Oral History Project. Iwasaki was a Japanese American farmer and was incarcerated with his family during World War II.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

George Iwasaki was born in Sumner, Washington, in 1912. His parents had immigrated to the United States from Shiga Prefecture, Japan, and his family became farmers in the Hillsboro, Oregon, area. In 1942, he and Tomiko Natsuhara were married; they later had five children. Also in 1942, the Iwasaki family was among Japanese Americans ordered to the Portland Assembly Center by the U.S. government. The government gave them the option to work as farm labor, and they spent much of World War II working fields near Nyssa, Oregon. After the war, they were able to recover their farm in Hillsboro. In the 1960s, the farm rebranded as Iwasaki Bros. and became one of the leading bedding plant producers in Oregon. George Iwasaki died in 2009.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

Forms part of the Japanese American Oral History Project.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This oral history interview with George Iwasaki was conducted by Etsu Osaki at the Oregon Buddhist Church in Portland, Oregon, from August 19 to September 16, 1992. The interview was recorded as part of the Japanese American Oral History Project, which was conducted by the Oregon Historical Society to preserve the stories of Japanese Americans in Oregon. The interview was conducted in two sessions.

In the first interview session, conducted on August 19, 1992, Iwasaki discusses his family background and early life on a farm in Hillsboro, Oregon. He talks about the Japanese-American community in Oregon and about his education. He then discusses working on the family farm during the Depression, his marriage to Tomiko Natsuhara, and the lead-up to the U.S. government's incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, including making arrangements for the family farmland. He talks about his family's experiences while they were detained at the Portland Assembly Center and about accepting the option to work as fieldworkers in Nyssa, Oregon, including living conditions in the agricultural camp run by the Farm Security Administration. He then discusses returning to Hillsboro after the family's release in 1945.

In the second and final interview session, conducted on September 16, 1992, Iwasaki continues discussing the family's return to Hillsboro after their release in 1945, and describes how the family recovered their farmland and restarted their business. He talks about the evolution of the family farming business, now known as Iwasaki Bros., to focus on bedding plants. He also speaks about his involvement in Japanese American community organizations, including the Oregon Buddhist Church. He closes the interview by talking about his children, their families, and their careers.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

Audio and transcript available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Preferred Citation

Oral history interview with George Iwasaki, by Etsu Osaki, SR 958, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

Copyright to photograph has not been determined, and permission for use may require authorization from copyright holders. Copyright for the interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society, and use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Cassette
1 Interview session 1 1992 August 19
2 Interview session 1 1992 August 19
2 Interview session 2 1992 September 16
Folder
SR958 Transcript of oral history interview with George Iwasaki 1992 August 19-1992 September 16
SR958 Photograph of George Iwasaki circa 1992

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Farm life--Oregon
  • Farmers--Oregon--Hillsboro
  • Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
  • Japanese Americans--Oregon
  • Labor camps--Oregon--Nyssa
  • World War, 1939-1945--Japanese Americans

Personal Names

  • Iwasaki, George, 1912-2009

Form or Genre Terms

  • interviews

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Osaki, Etsu (interviewer)