Linda Tamura oral history interviews with Issei in the Hood River Valley, Oregon, 1985 October 8-1986 May 31

Audio recording of interview with Tei Endow (1900-1992), with abridged English transcript (35 pages). Endow immigrated to the United States from Japan with her husband, Shohei Endow, in 1918. They farmed in Odell, south of Hood River, Oregon, and had four children. Endow discusses her early life in Shimizu, Japan, her marriage to Shohei Endow in 1917, and adjusting to life in the Hood River Valley. She talks about raising four children and about daily life working on a farm. She describes her experiences after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and her experiences of forced removal and incarceration during World War II. She discusses the train journey to the Pinedale Assembly Center in Fresno, California; living conditions at the Tule Lake incarceration camp in California; and her family's experiences working on a sugar beet farm in Montana and an apple orchard in Idaho in order to leave the camp. She discusses her return to the Hood River Valley after the end of the war in 1945, and closes the interview by reflecting on her experiences as a first-generation Japanese American woman.

Audio recording of interview with Miyoshi Noyori (1901-1993), with abridged English transcript (27 pages). Noyori immigrated to the United States from Japan with her husband, Seizaburo Namba, in 1919. They worked on a farm in Dee, south of Hood River, Oregon, and had five children. After Seizaburo Namba died, she remarried, to Shigeji Noyori, in 1939. Miyoshi Noyori discusses her early life in Okayama Prefecture, Japan; her marriage to Seizaburo Namba; and her journey to the United States in 1919. She talks about adjusting to life in the Hood River Valley, about raising a family while working on farms, and about her experiences after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. She discusses life at the Tule Lake incarceration camp in California and the Heart Mountain camp in Wyoming. She speaks about returning to the Hood River Valley after the end of World War II, and briefly discusses discrimination Japanese Americans experienced when they returned, particularly the removal of Japanese American names from a veterans memorial, including the name of her son, Isao Namba. She closes the interview by reflecting on her experiences as a first-generation Japanese American woman.

Audio recording of interview with Misuyo Nakamura (1903-1993), with abridged English transcript (35 pages). Nakamura immigrated to the United States from Japan with her husband, Hitoshi "Henry" Nakamura, in 1921. They worked on a farm in Odell, south of Hood River, Oregon, and had six children. Nakamura discusses her early life in Hiroshima, Japan; her marriage to Hitoshi "Henry" Nakamura; and their journey to the United States. She describes adjusting to life in the Hood River Valley, discusses her experiences raising a family while also working without child care, and describes how that led to the death of one of her children. She shares her experiences after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. She describes her life during World War II, including her preparations before the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans by the U.S. government; the train ride to the Pinedale Assembly Center in Fresno, California; living conditions at Pinedale and at the Tule Lake incarceration camp; and her reasons for choosing to work on a sugar beet farm in Ontario, Oregon, rather than remain in the camp. She closes the interview by reflecting on her experiences as a first-generation Japanese American woman.

Audio recording of interview with Asayo Noji (1897-1994). Noji immigrated to the United States in 1916 to join her husband, Kichizo Noji, whom she had married earlier that year. They farmed in Parkdale, south of Hood River, Oregon, and later had four children. Noji discusses her early life in Hiroshima, Japan; her marriage as a "picture bride" to Kichizo Noji; and her journey by ship to the United States. She talks about adjusting to life in Parkdale, and about raising a family. She shares her experiences after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. She talks about the arrangements the family made for the care of their property before the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. She talks about living conditions at the Pinedale Assembly Center in Fresno, California, at the Tule Lake incarceration camp in California, and at the Minidoka camp in Idaho. She discusses returning to the Hood River Valley after the end of the war. She closes the interview by talking about her activities at the time of the interview, and by reflecting on her experiences as a first-generation Japanese American woman.

Audio recording of interview with Itsu Akiyama (1896-1996). Akiyama immigrated to the United States with her husband, Tomeshichi Akiyama, in 1916. They farmed in the Oak Grove area of the Hood River Valley in Oregon, and later had five children. Akiyama discusses her early life on a rice farm in Okayama, Japan; her wedding to Tomeshichi Akiyama in 1915, and her journey by ship to the United States. She also talks about the role of women in early 20th-century Japan. She discusses living in Oak Grove, talks about raising a family while working on a strawberry farm with no child care, and shares her experiences after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, including her husband's arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She talks about her experiences during her incarceration by the U.S. government during World War II. She describes living conditions at the Pinedale Assembly Center in Fresno, California, at the Tule Lake incarceration camp in California, and at the Minidoka camp in Idaho. She talks about collecting shells to craft into flowers, and about the loyalty questionnaire that Japanese Americans were required to fill out. She discusses returning to the Hood River Valley after the end of the war, and closes the interview by reflecting on her experiences as a first-generation Japanese American woman, and by talking about her activities at the time of the interview.

Audio recording of interview with Chiho Tomita (1890-1988), with abridged English transcript (49 pages). Tomita immigrated to the United States in 1907, and married Matsuyo Osawa in 1918. They worked on a farm in Odell, south of Hood River, Oregon, and later had five children. Tomita discusses his early life in Fukushima, Japan, including his family's silkworm farm and his education. He shares his reasons for immigrating to the United States, and talks about his journey. He discusses adjusting to life in Portland, Oregon, talks about jobs he had there, and describes working in apple orchards in Hood River. He talks about his marriage to Matsuyo Osawa and about raising a family. He speaks about the Japanese American community in Hood River, and about the Japanese Methodist Church. He discusses purchasing an apple orchard in 1937, and talks about running it. He shares his experiences after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, including preparing his property before the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans. He describes the train ride to the Pinedale Assembly Center in Fresno, California. He describes living conditions at Pinedale, and at the Tule Lake incarceration camp in California and the Minidoka camp in Idaho. He discusses working on farms in Ontario and Nyssa, Oregon, while his family remained at Minidoka. He shares his feelings about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during the war. He discusses returning to the Hood River Valley after the war ended, and the discrimination that Japanese Americans experienced. He closes the interview by talking about becoming a U.S. citizen in the 1950s, about his activities at the time of the interview, and about his hopes for future generations of Japanese Americans.

Audio recording of interview with Hatsumi Nishimoto (1900-1999), with abridged English transcript (31 pages). Nishimoto immigrated to the United States with her husband, Otoichi Nishimoto, in 1918. They owned a farm in Pine Grove, south of Hood River, Oregon, and later had two children. Nishimoto discusses her early life in Hiroshima, Japan, and talks about her marriage to Otoichi Nishimoto in 1918. She describes their journey to the United States later that year, and discusses working on apple orchards in Hood River. She discusses the property they purchased in Pine Grove in 1930, and talks about raising a family. She shares her experiences after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, including the arrest of her husband by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She discusses her experiences while incarcerated by the U.S. government during World War II, and talks about living conditions at the Tule Lake incarceration camp in California and the Heart Mountain camp in Wyoming. She discusses returning to the Hood River Valley after the war ended, and closes the interview by reflecting on her experiences as a first-generation Japanese American woman.

Audio recording of interview with Hisa Wakamatsu (1893-1989), with abridged English transcript (12 pages). Wakamatsu immigrated to the United States to join her husband, Eitaro Wakamatsu. They farmed in the Oak Grove area of the Hood River Valley in Oregon, and later had ten children. Wakamatsu discusses her early life on a rice farm in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. She shares her experience as a picture bride, talks about her journey to the United States, and describes adjusting to life in Hood River. She discusses raising ten children, and shares her experiences after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. She talks about fragments of a meteorite that one of her children collected while the family was incarcerated at at the Tule Lake camp in California during World War II. Wakamatsu discusses returning to the Hood River Valley after the end of the war, and talks about her activities at the time of the interview.

Audio recording of interview with Masaji Kusachi (born Masaji Imai, 1903-1986), with abridged English transcript (49 pages). Kusachi immigrated to the United States to join his father in 1919. In 1930, he married Haruko Faye Kusachi, a widow with one child; they lived in Dee, south of Hood River, Oregon, and had six more children. Kusachi discusses his early life in Okayama, Japan, and shares his reasons for joining his father in the United States in 1919. He talks about adjusting to life in the U.S. He discusses his marriage to Haruko F. Kusachi, talks about being adopted by the Kusachi family as a yoshi (a Japanese practice in which a man becomes a family's eldest son through marriage), and speaks about the work he did in Dee. He also discusses raising seven children. He shares his experiences after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and describes living conditions at the Portland Assembly Center and the Tule Lake incarceration camp in California. He talks about Haruko F. Kusachi's death from cancer during their incarceration, then discusses his experience as the sole caregiver for seven children while incarcerated at the Minidoka camp in Idaho. He talks about returning to Dee after the end of the war, and describes the state of his property. He talks about his involvement in the Hood River Japanese Society, and closes the interview by sharing his feelings about becoming a U.S. citizen.

Audio recording of interview with spouses Miyozo Yumibe (1901-1990) and Masayo Yumibe (1904-1992), with abridged English transcript (35 pages). Miyozo Yumibe (born Miyozo Tanaka) immigrated to the United States in 1917, and Masayo Yumibe immigrated in 1921; they married in 1925 and had five children. Miyozo Yumibe discusses his early life on a rice and wheat farm in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan; his adoption by Masayo Yumibe's family in 1913; and immigrating to the United States by ship in 1917. He talks about adjusting to life in the Hood River Valley of Oregon, about working in a sawmill, and about his marriage to Masayo Yumibe. Then, Masayo Yumibe discusses her early life on a rice farm in Fukuoka Prefecture, and speaks extensively about attending a girls boarding school. She talks about immigrating to the United States to join her parents in 1921, about adjusting to life in the U.S., and about her marriage to Miyozo Yumibe. She also discusses raising a family. The Yumibes then describe their experiences after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and talk about their incarceration by the U.S. government during World War II. They describe living conditions at the Pinedale Assembly Center in Fresno, California, and at the Tule Lake camp in California, and discuss the loyalty questionnaire that Japanese Americans were required to complete. They also briefly talk about their experiences at the Jerome incarceration camp in Arkansas and the Heart Mountain Camp in Wyoming. They discuss returning to the Hood River Valley after the end of the war, and close the interview by discussing their activities at the time of the interview.

Audio recording of interview with Hama Yamaki (1891-1988), with abridged English transcript (40 pages). Yamaki immigrated to Portland, Oregon, with her husband, Eitaro Yamaki, a year after they married in 1913. Five years later, they moved to the Hood River Valley, where they first purchased an orchard in Oak Grove, and later moved to Pine Grove. Yamaki discusses her her early life on a silkworm farm in Fukushima, Japan, talks about her marriage to Eitaro Yamaki, and describes immigrating to the United States. She talks about adjusting to life in Portland and shares the reasons she and Eitaro Yamaki moved to the Hood River Valley. She discusses their life in Oak Grove and Pine Grove, and talks about raising their four children. She shares her experiences after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, and discusses making preparations before the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans by the U.S. government during World War II. She describes living conditions at the Pinedale Assembly Center in Fresno, California, and the Tule Lake incarceration camp, and talks about leaving the camp in 1943 to work on a farm in Nampa, Idaho. She closes the interview by reflecting on her experiences as a first-generation Japanese American woman.