Kenneth Nishiyori collection

Kenneth Nishiyori collection, 1942-1944

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Nishiyori, Kenneth
Title: Kenneth Nishiyori collection
Dates: 1942-1944 (inclusive)
19421944
Quantity: 0.25 Linear feet of shelf space, (1 Box)
Collection Number: SC 014.4 (collection)
Summary: The Kenneth Nishiyori Collection contains one issue of the Heart Mountain Relocation Center Quarterly Census from March 1944 and several documents from the Tule Lake mess halls dating from 1942-1943.
Repository: Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions: This collection is open and available for research use.
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

In 1942, the Nishiyori family was removed from their home on Vashon Island, Washington and sent to Pinedale Assembly Center in Central California by the War Relocation Authority as part of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans authorized by Executive Order 9066. At the time of their forced relocation, the Nishoyori family consisted of Yukichi, Fuyo, and their children Kenneth, Meiko and Monty. The family spent the incarceration at Tule Lake Relocation Center in Northern California. After leaving Tule Lake, the family returned to Vashon Island.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Executive Order 9066:

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which resulted in the incarceration from 1942 to 1946 of approximately 120,000 adults and children of Japanese ancestry, many of whom were United States citizens. They were expelled from their homes and placed in incarceration camps without due process and in violation of their civil rights. These camps were euphemistically referred to as “relocation centers” or “internment camps”. After decades of advocacy by the Japanese American community, in 1988 the United States issued a formal apology and began redress to survivors of Japanese incarceration during World War II.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection contains the March 31, 1944 quarterly census for Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Wyoming. This census includes the names of over 9000 individuals who were incarcerated at Heart Mountain at the time, as well as birth dates, citizenship status, barrack number, and the family number assigned by the War Relocation Administration.

The collection also contains menus and administrative documents from Tule Lake Relocation Center, where Kenneth's grandfather Yukichi was a senior steward. The menus list what was served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Memos and other documentation include recipes, policies, and training documents for mess hall staff. This includes documents on the duties of the kitchen and wait staff, notifications on changes in mess hall procedures, and a training outline for wait staff.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

Some items in this collection have been digitized and are available online as part of the Japanese American Incarceration Collection.

Restrictions on Use

The Kenneth Nishiyori Collection is in the public domain. No restrictions apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Kenneth Nishiyori Collection, 1942-1944 (SC 014.4)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in a single series.

Acquisition Information

The Kenneth Nishiyori Collection was donated to Washington State University by Kenneth W. Nishiyori in 2011 and 2013 (MS 2011-41 and MS 2013-29.1).

Processing Note

This collection orginally was processed by Steven Bingo in 2012 as the Heart Mountain Quarterly Census, March 1944. The collection was reprocessed in by Steven Bingo in 2014 and renamed the Kenneth Nishiyori Collection as result of a second accession to the collection containing mess hall documents from Tule Lake.

In 2021, in response to evolving societal understanding regarding the language used to describe the impact of Executive Order 9066, this finding aid was revised to more accurately provide context to the mass incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

Related Materials

George and Frank C. Hirahara Photograph Collection of Heart Mountain, Wyoming, 1932-2016 (SC 014)

Tom T. Hide Collection, 1925-2012 (SC 014.1)

Okubara Family Collection, circa 1943-2008 (SC 014.2)

Takeda Family Collection, 1938-circa 2012 (SC 014.3)

George and Doris McIntyre Papers, 1944-1945 (SC 014.5)

Mari Tsuruyama Okumura Collection, 1936-2014 (SC 014.6)

Patti Hirahara Collection, 1955-2020 (SC 014.7)

Terry Ishihara Collection, 1989-2012 (SC 014.8)

Mike Mackey Collection, 1940-2002 (SC 014.9)

Heart Mountain High School Tempo, 1945 (SC 014.10)

Fusataro Nakaya Photographs, circa 1944 (SC 014.11)

Nabata Family Collection of Heart Mountain Photographs, circa 1942-1945 (SC 014.12)

Frank Chin Oral History Collection, 1974-1986 (Cage 654)

Inez Puckett McEwen Collection on Japanese-American Incarceration, 1942-1943 (Cage 4923)

Japanese American Redress Collection, 1976-2000 (Cage 5126)

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Japanese Americans -- Forced removal and internment, 1942-1945

Corporate Names

Heart Mountain Relocation Center (Wyo.) -- History -- Sources
Tule Lake Relocation center (Calif.) -- History -- Sources

Archives West Finding Aid

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