Eddie Sato was a Japanese-American artist who grew up in Seattle. In 1942, at age 19, Sato was incarcerated with other Seattle Japanese Americans at the Puyallup Assembly Center, called "Camp Harmony," in Puyallup, Washington. Sato served as a staff artist for the Camp Harmony newspaper, sketching scenes of everyday life at the camp. After his later transfer to the Minidoka relocation Center in Minidoka, Idaho, he began to publish cartoons in The Minidoka Irrigator starring a young boy named “Dokie.” Dokie’s name was chosen through a contest organized by the editors of the Irrigator and derived from that of the incarcerations center. The series ran until May 1943, when Sato enrolled in the US army and left Minidoka.
Sato subsequently fought in the U.S. Army's 442nd Battalion (also
known as the 442nd Regimental Combat Team), a highly decorated, all-Nisei unit
that took part in the Allied invasion of Italy. Immediately following this
demobilization in 1945, Sato began producing cartoons once again, creating new
characters and adventures in several narrative strips. As far as can be
determined, none of these cartoon strips were published, although Sato produced
a few Dokie cartoons for The Northwest Times, “[t]he only all-English Neisei
newspaper in the Pacific Northwest,” beginning in March 1947. Dokie
re-introduces himself to readers in a front-page article of the March 7, 1947
issue, entitled “Yes, Dokie Has Returned from the Wars. He Surely Misses Camp
Life.” Sato later worked as a commercial artist in Chicago. Digitized issues of
The Northwest Times can be found through the Library of Congress
In later life Sato worked as a commercial artist in Chicago and was involved in efforts to gain recognition for those incarcerated during WWII.
In 1942, in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor the previous December, over 100,000 Japanese Americans (more than 70% of whom were American citizens) were removed from their homes and incarcerated in camps. These residents of Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, and Alaska were sent to local temporary assembly centers and then to remote incarceration camps where many spent the rest of the war. Life at the camps was strictly regulated, with roll calls and curfews, and camp residents lost basic civil rights such as the right to religious freedom, the right to assemble, and the right to privacy. In April 1942, Seattle’s Japanese community began to be shipped to Camp Harmony, the temporary assembly center in Puyallup. Within a week, more than 2,500 Seattle Japanese Americans had been transported to Puyallup; by the end of May, over 7,000 people were living at Camp Harmony. After four months, the residents of Camp Harmony were transported to the Minidoka Relocation Center in southern Idaho, where many spent the duration of the war.
Arranged in 3 series.
The collection comprises watercolors, charcoal sketches, original cartoon strips, and mixed media works produced by Eddie Sato. The watercolor and charcoal sketches related to Sato’s time at Camp Harmony and the Minidoka Relocation Center. The original cartoon strips represent unpublished pen and ink designs, none of which correspond to those published in The Northwest Times. The mixed media works are either commercial in subject or related to the incarceration of Japanese Americans.
For further background on the Minidoka Relocation Center, see the
Densho encyclopedia entry
Selected images can be viewed on the Libraries' Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.
Creator's copyrights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
Donor: Doris Sato, September 9, 2011.
Processed by Grant G. Mandarino, 2022.
These hand-drawn cartoon strips date to the immediate post-WWII period, after Sato had been demobilized. The majority feature a character named "Pettibone," distinguished by his pipe and flat cap; others instead feature the character "Joshua," who wears glasses and smokes cigarettes. In addition to "Dokie," the star of Sato's earlier published cartoon strips from his time in the Minidoka Relocation Center who reappears in several "Joshua" cartoons, there are a number of supporting characters who play a role in one or more strips.
Several of the strips appear to be variations of a common theme or narrative and are indicated as such below. Sketches of characters and related doodles also appear on the reverse of several strips and are noted where applicable. [As far as can be determined, none of these cartoon strips have been published].
6in x 22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie Sato.
[Variation of same theme found in item number 10].
6in x 22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie Sato.
[Variation of same theme found in item numbers 7, 9, 25, 38, and 39].
6in x 22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie Sato.
[Variations of same theme found in item numbers 12 and 28].
6in x 22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie Sato.
[Variation of same theme found in item numbers 13 and 30].
6in x 22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie Sato.
[Variation on same theme found in item number 26].
12in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation on same theme found in item number 37].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation on same theme found in item numbers 2, 9, 25, 38, and 39].
12in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation on same theme found in item number 41].
5.75in x 19.5in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item numbers 2, 7, 25, 38, and 39].
[Verso side with Dokie sketches includes mention of the Northwest Times, an English Nisei -focused Seattle newspaper that began in 1947. Dokie is introduced therein and becomes a regular feature that same year].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation on same theme found in item number 1].
[The final panel is cut and appears to have a second layer appended over it].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation on same theme found in number 24].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item numbers 3 and 28].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item numbers 4 and 30].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item number 27].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item number 35].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item number 33].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation on same theme found in item number 32].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation on same theme found in item number 29].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation on same theme found in item number 11].
5.75in x19.5in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item numbers 2, 7, 9, 38, and 39].
5.75in x19.5in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item number 5].
5.75in x19.5in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item number 14].
5.75in x19.5in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item numbers 3 and 12].
5.75in x19.5in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item number 21].
5.75in x19.25in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item numbers 3 and 13].
5.75in x19.5in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
5.75in x19.5in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item number 20].
5.75in x19.5in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item number 19].
5.75in x19in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
5.75in x20in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on poster board.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of the same theme found in item number 16].
5.75in x20in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on poster board.
Signed: Eddie.
11in x22in.
Black ink, white correction, and watercolor on poster board.
Signed: Eddie.
[Variation of same theme found in item number 6].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie Sato.
[Variation of same theme found in item numbers 2, 7, 9, 25, and 39].
6in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie Sato.
[Variation of same theme found in item numbers 2, 7, 9, and 38].
9in x19in.
Black ink, and pencil on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie.
12in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie Sato.
12in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie Sato.
12in x22in.
Black ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on Strathemore paper.
Signed: Eddie Sato.
10in x11in.
Black ink on Strathemore paper.
Unsigned.
12in x 17.5in.
Watercolor on paper.
Signed: Eddie Sato.
6.75in x 9in.
Watercolor on paper.
Signed: Eddie Sato.
7.625in x 15.75in.
Watercolor on paper.
Unsigned.
8in x 13.25in.
Watercolor on paper.
Unsigned.
7.75in x 12.5in.
Charcoal on paper.
Unsigned.
11in x 15.25in.
Charcoal on paper.
Unsigned.
[Figure is identified as Mr. Fujikado and further information can be found in the Camp Harmony Newsletter, vol. 1, no. 7 (June 17, 1942), p. 7].
10.75in x 15in.
Charcoal on paper.
Unsigned.
9.5in x 9in.
Charcoal on paper.
Unsigned.
15.5in x 13in.
Ink and correction fluid on poster board.
14in x 21.75in.
Collage on cardboard.
Unsigned.
17in x 11in.
Ink and correction fluid on Crescent poster board.
Signed: E.S.
24in x 19.75in.
Ink on paper.
Unsigned.
26.5in x 20in.
Ink and white correction fluid on paper.
[This is the first of a two page drawing--see 57b].
26.75in x 20in.
Ink and white correction fluid on paper.
Signed: Eddie.
[This is the second of a two page drawing--see57a].
20in x 30in.
Ink on F. Weber Co. illustration board.
Signed: Eddie H. Sato.