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Oral history interview with John Y. Murakami, 1992 July 13-20
Overview of the Collection
- Interviewee
- Murakami, John Y. (John Yoneo), 1919-2005
- Title
- Oral history interview with John Y. Murakami
- Dates
- 1992 July 13-20 (inclusive)1992-07-131992-07-20
- Quantity
- 0.1 cubic feet, (4 audiocassettes (3 hr., 33 min., 29 sec.) + transcript (67 pages))
- Collection Number
- SR 952
- Summary
- Oral history interview with John Y. Murakami conducted by George Katagiri from July 13-20, 1992, as part of the Japanese American Oral History Project. Murakami, the son of Japanese immigrants, was born in Sherwood, Oregon. During World War II, Murakami served in the U.S. Army while his family was incarcerated at the Minidoka War Relocation Center. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. After the war, he worked in construction and taught at Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland.
- 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
John Yoneo Murakami was born in Sherwood, Oregon, in 1919. His parents, Shuichi Sam Murakami and Yaeno Goto, immigrated to the United States from Japan around 1917. When Murakami was 7 years old, his family moved from their farm in Sherwood to Portland, where his father owned a grocery store, called Johnson Street Grocery. Murakami dropped out of high school in his sophomore year and later earned his GED. In 1942, he and Sumi Matsushita were married. That same year, Murakami's family was among the Japanese Americans incarcerated by the U.S. government at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho. Murakami enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the European Theater during World War II. He was injured in France and was discharged in 1945. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. After his discharge, he returned to Portland and worked in construction. He then taught building construction at Benson Polytechnic High School. After ten years of marriage, John Murakami and and Sumi Murakami adopted two children. After John Murakami's retirement in 1984, he was active in numerous community organizations, including the Japanese Ancestral Society, the Nisei Veterans Committee, and Portland Taiko. He died in 2005. In 2011, he was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
Forms part of the Japanese American Oral History Project.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
Handwritten index (4 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This oral history interview with John Y. Murakami was conducted by George Katagiri from July 13-20, 1992, at Murakami's home in Portland, Oregon. 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. This interview was conducted in three sessions.
In the first interview session, conducted on July 13, 1992, Murakami discusses his family background and early life on a farm in Sherwood, Oregon, and in Portland, Oregon. He talks about the grocery store that his father, Shuichi Sam Murakami, owned; his experience during the Depression; and his education. He discusses jobs he worked after dropping out of high school and talks about playing in the Nisei Baseball League.
In the second interview session, conducted on July 14, 1992, Murakami continues discussing his experiences in the Nisei Baseball League, as well as his interest in other sports. He also talks about his social life as a teenager. He speaks about a few instances of prejudice that he experienced. He discusses his experience in the U.S. Army, serving in the European Theater during World War II. He also talks about the U.S. government's incarceration of his family at the Minidoka War Relocation Center, and about his marriage to Sumi Matsushita. He then discusses his life in Portland after his discharge from the Army in 1945, including working in construction and teaching building construction at Benson Polytechnic High School.
In the third and final interview session, conducted on July 20, 1992, Murakami talks about his children, their education, their families, and their careers. He then talks about his retirement activities, particularly his involvement in Japanese American community organizations. He also revisits the topic of his Army experience during World War II. He shares his opinion about the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which granted redress to Japanese Americans whom the government incarcerated during the war. He closes the interview by reflecting upon his life and accomplishments.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
Audio and transcript available online in OHS Digital Collections.
Preferred Citation
Oral history interview with John Y. Murakami, by George Katagiri, SR 952, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. 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 July 13 |
2 | Interview session 1 | 1992 July 13 |
2 | Interview session 2 | 1992 July 14 |
3 | Interview session 2 | 1992 July 14 |
4 | Interview session 3 | 1992 July 20 |
Folder | ||
SR952 | Transcript of oral history interview with John Y. Murakami | 1992 July 13-20 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Baseball--Oregon--20th century
- Grocery trade--Oregon--Portland
- Japanese American baseball players
- Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
- Japanese Americans--Oregon
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--United States
- World War, 1939-1945--Japanese Americans
- World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Personal Names
- Murakami, John Y. (John Yoneo), 1919-2005
Corporate Names
- Minidoka Relocation Center
Form or Genre Terms
- interviews
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Katagiri, George (interviewer)