Edward and Jeanette Otsuka film collection, circa 1946-1962

Overview of the Collection

Filmmakers
Otsuka, Edward and Jeanette
Title
Edward and Jeanette Otsuka film collection
Dates
circa 1946-1962 (inclusive)
Quantity
18 reels (14,400 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Collection Number
PH0934
Summary
Home movies of Japanese American community in Seattle, Bainbridge Island, and Japan in the 1940s through the 1960s.
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

The original films are not accessible due to preservation concerns. Viewing copies are available and arrangements can be made to view the film by contacting the Visual Materials Curator.

Additional Reference Guides

Languages
English

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Home movies of Japanese American community in Seattle, Bainbridge Island, and Japan in the 1940s through the 1960s.

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

Acquisition Information

Donor: Pamela Okano, October 2004, September 2005.

Processing Note

Processed by Woods Fairbanks, 2005; Alden Lee, 2013. Completed by Elizabeth Russell, 2014.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Container(s) Description Dates
Reel item
1 1 Shibai[Japan]
1 reel (400 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Building, people gathering, hanging clothes with Japanese characters. Women in traditional dress on stage; Japanese soldiers come on stage, dance. A choreographed fight scene. Men kneel on stage. Woman in pink walks on stage, dances. Man and woman in front of screen onstage. Choreographed dance.
circa 1948
viewcopy
VC114 2 Shibai 2[Japan]
Purple cloth with Japanese character. Men sit onstage with instruments. Individual and group dancing. Red cloth with Japanese writing at back of stage. Man dances with female dance group.
Original 1 reel (500 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1948
Reel
3 3 Japan Tour
1 reel (500 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Japanese men, women, small children wearing Western clothing, winter coats, standing by stairs; posing outside building, standing in crowd looking up at camera. Large dining hall, men in group, groups of people on boat. Officers walking through crowd. Ship on the water. Snowcapped mountains, trees, Japanese buildings. People stand by large statue. Bus parked next to women in kinomos. Large white house, coastline, traveling down river in boat, waving to people on shore. Man and women feed deer, Japanese buildings. At baseball game; kite flying. Woman in kinomo poses with men. People with umbrellas wave; parade, streamers, people on boat.
April 1954
4 4 Japan
1 reel (375 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Spires of buildings seen from rooftop and bridge. People rowing dragon boat. Palace by water, buildings, many boats in canal. Naked children diving and swimming. Palace/monument. Driving down street past buildings. Downtown; sign: "Skiko." View of city from above; women on walkway. Women carrying buckets, boats in canal. Night; building with lights. Sign: "Giraro Perregaux." Sign: "Ahoycan." Downtown at night. Women in jewelry store, trying on ring. People in gazebo. Driving on road, under bridges, signs. Sunbathing. Pink building. Coastline, people swimming, Japanese family poses. Building with statue. City at night from above. Waves break on rocks. Girl next to pink flowers.
circa 1963
viewcopy
VC92 5 Japan's Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko visit Seattle; Visit to Japan; Trip to Victoria, B.C., Orcas Island
Crowds at airport. Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko come out of plane. Crowds greeting passengers with flowers, waving Japanese flags. Prince and group get in car. Probably a visit to Japan: Man called Mr. Katayama writes Japanese characters on chalkboard. People in classroom take notes. Man writes with paintbrush. Sumo wrestling - wrestlers grapple, stretch, bow. Victoria, B.C., Orcas Island, other Pacific Northwest views: Driving past Empress Hotel gardens. View of ocean and mountains, boat. Trees and gardens, coastline. Sign: "Orcas Island."
Original 1 reel (350 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
October 1960-1962
Reel
6 6 Japan
1 reel (500 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Buildings, riding past field, people in open area, view of water and mountains. Panda bear digging, people, buses. Japanese characters carved into face of rock. Coast, men in traditional costume stand by boat deck. Trail of people stream out of "Blue Ride" bus. Waterfall, mist, coastline, boat, traveling on river. Tiny island with trees. People on ferry. Women outside Japanese building. Man in train car. People by statue. Woman in water with barrel. Man and woman walk along seashore. Water, mountains, boats. Koi pond. Woman carried in seat. Monkey by burlap sacks, dead monkey, monkey by woman. Face of rock. Marching band. View from plane, clouds, mountains.
circa 1963
viewcopy
VC114 7 Sport, Mushroom Hunting[United States]
Man and woman walk under flowering trees down steps. Car parked by tree-lines highway, mountain, small waterfall and brook; people walk through gardens. Waller Hall. Speedboat on water. Driving on highway; sign: "Entering Grand College Population 2735." Reservoir and dam. Man takes pictures. Hills, driving on highway past rocky cliffs, lake, snow-capped mountains. Rock bridge and waterfall. Sign: "Ricksecker Point Elevation 4212" [Ricksecker Point on Mount Rainier]. Snowy mountains, black bear. Woman in snow; people throw snowballs. Speedboats and sailboats on water. Door with Japanese writing; men coming out. University of Washington buildings and fountain. Edison Technical School, Seattle; men exiting the building. Driving past fields of flowers; picnic. Field, deer; man walks through woods to dead deer, puts deer in back of truck. Fishing. Waterskiiing, boating. Playing in snow; making snowmen, throwing snowballs at camera and each other. Japanese dancing in costume; "Queen" and "King" ride in car. Costumed men, women and children in synchronized dance parade in front of Kodak building; floats, maching band. Sign: "Join the US Naval Reserves." Boat race. Man on bridge. Three women in kimonos in synchronized dance. Drawing of warthog with Japanese writing.
Original 1 reel (825 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1952-1957
Reel
8 8 Austin, Crystal City[Texas]
1 reel (1,000 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Japanese family in front of house. Palm trees, little boy in cowboy hat. Cowan Hotel. Large group of people, driving through country, town, desert. Texaco gas station. View of rocky coastline. White peacock, ducks in pond, monkeys in cage, tropical bird in cage, storks, ostrich, emu, other animals. Field with white markers. Outside Japanese building in Little Tokyo. Street sign: "Buchanan." Streamers. Crowd on balcony, kids in swimming pool, people on boat, mountains along coast, buildings, women in front of ivy-covered house. Sign: "Senior High School." Man walking under trees. Snowy mountains. Snow-covered houses and street. People picnicking. Parade, marching band. American flag, downtown building.
circa 1948-1950
9 9 Japan Tour
1 reel (1,000 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Ship,Kikawa. Japanese family waves, men shake hands, people catch streamers on ground. People sunbathing on beach. People in outdoor restaurant. Pearl Island. Woman in water with barrel. Posters in Japanese. Dance performance, crowd of peole in front of Japanese pagoda. Woman with lei on boat, people pose. Roman architecture, people pose in front. People on ship wave. Hula dancers. Military band, crowds of people, bus, pagoda, large buildings, palm trees. Big eleaborate pagoda, people coming out. Group of people with sign: "Spring Tour of Japan." Large statue. Cruise ship people pose. Women swimming with oyster buckets.
circa 1949-1959
10 10 Cascade Mountain[United States: Washington, D.C, New York City, Seattle; Mexico]
1 reel (800 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
People boarding airplane. View from airplane, clouds, mountains. At airport, boy waves. Big brick apartment building. Driving in Washington, D.C. past buildings, gate, cemetery, White House. Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Soldier monument, Washington Monument, White House, cherry tree. Family poses for picture. Lincoln Memorial. Driving downtown. Sign "Congress Hall built 1787 enlarged 1993." Statue of Liberty. View of New York City at night. Shopping, tulips in planters. Sign: "Takashimaya" on building. Driving past Cascades, women looking at flowers, statues, and waterfall. Driving through city at night. View of glacier, Space Needle. Airport, people with sign: "Bienvenidos La Mexico." "Seattle Taiyo Club November 9, 1962." Inside museum, walls of plates. Monuments, fountain, palm trees. Sign: "Defensores Dela - 1846-1847." Two men practice karate in studio. People eat at banquet tables. Driving past fields, cacti, swimming pool. Fire crackers. Driving on highway. Girl holds lizard. Burro carrying sticks.
circa 1962
viewcopy
VC92 11 Winslow[Bainbridge Island, Washington]
Pauline Nakata exiting Eagle Harbor Market on Winslow Way, Bainbridge Island. Don Nakata exiting store. Family gathering; man eating a meal; family posing on couch, close-up of Bob Nakata and Alice Okana. Exterior of Town & Country Thriftway; man in front of store; fish and meat counter. Family gathering, scan of room full of family members. Boy on a tricycle pulling a boy in a wagon as a girl walks with them.
Original 1 reel (200 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1954-1959
Reel
12 12 Ji-chan - Lin-chan funeral Kawamat family[probably United States]
1 reel (450 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Shot from boat on lake with mountains in the background. Phil Okano rowint boat while fishing. Joe Kawamoto holding fish in front of two children, Pamela Ikano and Roy Kawamoto. Four more adults and kids looking at fish. Man holding up a string. Four adults and small child walking with dog. Man and child walking in front of blooming cherry tree. House on hill. Man and child on chairs in yard. Elderly man and women seated on chairs. Child, with help of mother, moves stool near pripod and stands on it. Multi-generational family posing in front of house; opening gifts at Christmas. Cutting "Merry Xmas" cake. Couple on sofa. Cake in front of coffee table. Couple on deck of ferry. People leaving church. Putting casket in hearse and adding flowers. Casket in cemetery. Gathering of people in house eating meal. Photo of deceased and flowers on table. Cutting hay. Gathering hay. Shot of silo. Man mowing lawn. Women in front of rose bushes. Close-up of rhododendrons. Bringing flowers out of church, then casket. Grave site with flowers. Casket at grave. Meal at house.
circa 1951-1959
13 13 Tacoma, Washington
1 reel (400 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Reo Kanogawa Kenilworth. Tacoma B&M Company. Tacoma Harry Berry house, garage. Mrs Fujimoto and store. Patty Nakano. Uetsuka and Kenilworth. William Penn. Kawabe store and apartment. Olympia hotel. Marble house. Mr. and Mrs. Kawabe Nishiyori. Fujimoto wedding.
circa 1948-1954
14 14 Japanese Buildings [probably Japan]
1 reel (375 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Large building crowded with people. Building under construction. Crowd in street. Man in front of garden fence. Group on boat; ship leaving port with colorful streamers next to crowded dock. People entering house from dock. Garden, pond, landscape. Japanese buildings. Shots from vista over sea, valley, city. People walking up to house. Two men in front of house. Shots of walks, trees, house on steep hill, steps houses other buildings on hillside. Group picnic.
circa 1954-1958
15 15 Seattle Art Museum
1 reel (450 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Two women and toddler on front steps of house. Family on lawn. Family at entrance to Seattle Art Museum, child on camel statue. Family looking at flowers in greenhouse. Family at airport, boarding plane. Child and woman blowing soap bubbles by birthday cake outdoors. Children wearing party hats hold hands in a circle. Family poses for photo. Family with ladder picking oranges from tree. Bon Odori festival. Family opening Christmas gifts on floor in front of tree. Christmas dinner table centerpiece. Family seated at table for dinner.
circa 1952-1959
16 16 Kanagawa, Aihara[Japan]
1 reel (200 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Girl opening Christmas presents; family gathered around Christmas tree. Exterior views of house. Fish-shaped windsocks. Man and two women, one in kinomo, standing and laughing. What appears to be a grave marker marked with kanji. Family gathered with baby. Close-ups of family members. Kids playing, spinning, girls and boy on swing set; boy riding tricycle; views of house; woman holding baby; two couples walking. Birthday cake reads "Happy Birthday Grandpa Jan 1 1960," people gathered around table.
circa 1953-1960
17 17 Japan, Bangkok, Taiwan, Hawaii, House of Henry
1 reel (200 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
Three Japanese men in suits and two women in kimonos stand in line facing camera. Walking outside. Kids playing garden. Shots of family gathering; older man in traditional Japanese dress. Family at cemetery. Having outdoor picnic. Boy riding tricycle while women watch. Family at table, man cutting cake.
circa 1949-1963
viewcopy
VC92 18 Rosebowl, Marineland, Disneyland[California]
Family trip to California Rose Bowl parade with brief footage of the UW Marching Band and Husky parade float. Family gathering. Boys playing with toy guns, dressed in cowboy outfits. Adults look at orange tree in yard. Aerial shots of downtown area. Sign: "Disneyland entrance park and hotel." Disneyland castle, boat ride, monorail. On highway traveling past oil rigs; exterior parking lot of restaurant. Marineland show. Boarding United airplane, shots of clouds taken in flight.
Original 1 reel (400 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1958-1959

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

  • Otsuka, Edward
  • Otsuka, Jeanette

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)