Masaru “Mas” and Kiyoko “Kay” Murakami Hamada photograph collection, 1918-1955

Masaru “Mas” Hamada (1917-2003) was born on December 21, 1917 in Ogden, Utah, to Kanekichi and Kasumi Hamada. Kiyoko “Kay” or “Kiyo” Murakami Hamada (1918-2005) was born on May 18, 1918 in Ogden, Utah to Maki and Monkichi Murakami. Both the Hamada and Murakami family were members of a Japanese American farming commdunity northwest of Ogden. Kay and Mas both attended Ogden High School. Kay Murakami's brother, Yoli Murakami, was a leader in the Japanese Farmers Association, Utah Nippon Wildlife Federation, and the Ogden Buddhist Temple. After graduating high school, Kay Murakami moved to San Francisco, California, to study fashion; she attended the Ohata Sewing and Drafting School and the Haymor School of Fashion. After his graduation, Mas Hamada worked for his family's farm. In 1943, he was drafted into the United States Army, serving in the 100th Battalion, later the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, during World War II; he was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service.

Kay Murakami and Mas Hamada married on July 19, 1944 in Ogden; together, they had two children. Around this time, Mas Hamada began studying civil engineering at Weber College and the University of Utah. After obtaining his BS from the University of Utah in 1951, Hamada did additional post-graduate studies at the same institution. After graduation, he worked for two years for the United States Department of the Interior as a highway engineer for the Public Roads Department before being hired by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company (later called CBI Industries, Inc.). Mas Hamada worked as a design engineer for ten years before the company assigned him to Japan. After a return to the United States to work in sales and purchasing in Oak Brook, Illinois, the Hamadas returned to Japan for an additional fourteen years after he was made company representative for Japan. In Japan, Kay Hamada learned Japanese and studied numerous traditional arts and crats, including ikebana (flower arranging), doll-making, and sumi-e (ink painting). During their residence in Japan, the couple traveled extensively throughout the world, but especially in southeast Asia. Mas Hamada retired from CBI Industries in 1983 and the Hamadas returned to Utah. There, Mas Hamada pursued his hobbies of woodworking and golf. Kay Hamada was a member of the Ogden Buddhist Temple, where she was active in the church and in the associated women’s organization.

Masaru Hamada died on November 20, 2003. Kiyoko Murakami Hamada died on August 22, 2005.