Forms part of the Japanese American Oral History Project.
Collection is open for research.
Corky Tokuyoshi Kawasaki was born in Shimane Prefecture, Japan, in 1909. In 1924, he immigrated to the United States, where his parents and younger siblings were already living. The family resided in Seattle, Washington. During the 1930s, Kawasaki owned a grocery store in downtown Seattle. He married Yuriko Tomota in 1936, and they later had three children. During World War II, he and his family were among more than 120,000 Japanese Americans incarcerated by the U.S. government. They were held at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho, the Tule Lake War Relocation Center in California, and the Granada Relocation Center (known as Amache) in Colorado. After the war, the family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Corky Kawasaki was the executive director of the Chicago Resettlers Committee, which was formed after World War II to help Japanese Americans find housing and employment in Chicago. He also assisted the American Friends Service Committee in their Japan relief work. Kawasaki became a U.S. citizen in 1953, his first opportunity to do so; prior to the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1952, immigrants from Japan were barred from becoming naturalized citizens. In 1960, he and his wife moved to Portland, Oregon, and Kawasaki opened Bush Garden, an upscale Japanese restaurant in downtown Portland. Kawasaki died in 2001.
Sources: Vital records in Ancestry.com; information provided by Kawasaki in his interview; "Two Japanese from Oregon Recall Trauma of Relocation," by Early Deane, Oregonian, September 18, 1972; Yuriko Kawasaki's obituary in the Oregonian, September 24, 1992; "Immigration Act of 1952," Densho Digital Repository, accessed June 12, 2024,
Forms part of the Japanese American Oral History Project.
Oral history interview with Corky T. Kawasaki, by Etsu Osaki, SR 970, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
This oral history interview with Corky T. Kawasaki was conducted by Etsu Osaki at Kawasaki's home in Portland, Oregon, in two sessions, on April 12 and May 10, 1995. The interview was recorded as part of the Japanese American Oral History Project, which was conducted by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library to preserve the stories of Japanese Americans. In addition to the audio recording of the interview, a transcript is available.
In the first interview session, conducted on April 12, 1995, Kawasaki discusses his family background and early life in Shimane Prefecture, Japan, and talks about immigrating to the United States in 1924. He describes adjusting to life in the U.S., including learning to speak English and attending public schools in Seattle. He talks about operating a grocery store in the 1930s. He shares his memories of the aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan, including selling his store, and being incarcerated by the U.S. government at the Minidoka and Tule Lake camps. He talks about how his father ended up in Japan during World War II, describes living conditions in the camps, and discusses the work he did as executive director of the Chicago Resettlers Committee after the war ended. He discusses participating with the American Friends Service Committee in their Japan relief work, including helping to transport goats to Japan. He also talks about his decision to send his children to Quaker schools.
In the second interview session, conducted on May 10, 1995, Kawasaki discusses moving to Portland, and talks about owning and operating the Bush Garden restaurant, an upscale Japanese restaurant in downtown Portland. He speaks about his children, their families, and their careers. He talks about his retirement activities, including his involvement with the Japan Society. He closes the interview by talking about his marriage to Yuriko Kawasaki, and by sharing his personal philosophy.
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA,