Masaru “Mas” and Kiyoko “Kay” Murakami Hamada photograph collection

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

Overview of the Collection

Collector: Hamada, Kiyoko Murakami, 1918-2005; Hamada, Masaru, 1917-2003
Title: Masaru “Mas” and Kiyoko “Kay” Murakami Hamada photograph collection
Dates: 1918-1955 (inclusive)
19181955
Quantity: 3 boxes
Collection Number: P1528
Summary: Masaru "Mas" Hamada (1917-2003) and Kiyoko "Kay" Murakami Hamada (1918-2005) were second generation, or Nissei, Japanese Americans born and raised in Ogden, Utah who married in 1944. Mas Hamada was a veteran of the United States Army, serving in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II; afterwards, he worked as a civil engineer for the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, where he worked as company representative in Japan. This collection contains digital only photographs and black and white prints depicting the Hamada's youths in Ogden, Mas Hamada's military service, their friends and family, and travel to California in 1948.
Repository: University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions: Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

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.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Masaru “Mas” and Kiyoko “Kay” Murakami Hamada photograph collection consists of 3 boxes of black-and-white photographs and digital-only items depicting the lives of Mas Hamada and Kay Murakami Hamadi. The collection primarily documents the 1930s and 1940s. Box 1 contains black-and-white formal portraits of Kay and Mas Hamada's friends and family; some of these photographs are identified and contain inscriptions and dates, while others are unidentified or undated. The box also contains photographs taken and collected by Mas Hamada during his military service in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. 47 photographs of Mas Hamada's military service and portraits of Kay and Mas Hamada are digital only, with original copies retained by the donors. Finally, Box 1 contains photographs taken by Kay or Mas Hamada during a trip to California circa 1948, including photographs of floats at the 59th Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. Box 1 also contains a photograph album compiled by the Ogden YBA and containing 46 black-and-white photographs of members, including the Hamadas.

Box 2 consists of photographs dating primarily from Mas and Kay's youth in Ogden, Utah in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly their involvement in outdoor activities with friends and family, likely through the Utah Nippon Wildlife Federation. Subjects include camping, hiking, climbing, and skiing. This box also contains snapshots of friends, family, and acquaintances of the Hamadas in Ogden and California; some are dated and identified, while others are unidentified. Box 3 consists of 2 panoramas: a panorama of United States Army soldiers "Co-A-33 BN" at Fort McClellan, Alabama in 1943 and a panorama of an unidentified organization of Japanese Americans, perhaps the Young Buddhist Association (YBA).

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Masaru “Mas” and Kiyoko “Kay” Murakami Hamada photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: Masaru “Mas” and Kiyoko “Kay” Murakami Hamada photograph collection, P1528, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Following Citations: P1528.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Arranged by subject

Acquisition Information

Donated by Claudia Nakano in 2008.

Processing Note

Processed by Special Collections staff.

Related Materials

This collection forms part of the Mitsugi M. Kasai Memorial Japanese American Archive.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box	Folder
1	1	Murakami and Hamada family portraits; Mas Hamada in World War II photographs (Digital Only)	1918-1950
1	2	Formal Portraits: Friends and Classmates	1937
1	3	Formal Portraits: Edwin, Surname Unknown	circa 1937-1940
1	4	Formal Portraits: Friends	circa 1940-1945
1	5	Formal Portraits: Friends, Undated	circa 1937-1945
1	6	Intermountain Y.B.A. Conferences, Portrait of H.J. Takahashi	1940-1941
1	7	Mas Hamada Serving in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team	1943-1944
1	8	442nd Regimental Combat Team: Unidentified Soldiers at Barracks	1942-1943
1	9	442nd Regimental Combat Team: Unidentified Soldiers Outdoors, in Italy	1943-1945
1	10	59th Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena, California	January 1, 1948
1	11	Airport terminals and airplanes	circa 1948
1	12	United Helicopters, Inc.	circa 1948
1	13	General California: San Francisco, Los Angeles	circa 1948
1	14	Souvenir Album, Ogden Young Buddhist Association (YBA)	1946
1	15	Autobiographical speech given by Mas Hamada (transcript)	September 2007
2	1	Utah Nippon Wildlife Federation, Camping	circa 1936-1040
2	2	Unidentified Young Men and Women with Wildlife, Perhaps at Yellowstone National Park	circa 1937
2	3	Climbing, Hiking	circa 1936
2	4	Skiing, Sledding	circa 1935-1940
2	5	Outdoor Events: High Jump, Picnics	1938-1941
2	6	Fishing, Hunting	1937-1947
2	7	Swimming	circa 1940s
2	8	General Outdoors	circa 1936-1947
2	9	Photobooth Portraits	1938
2	10	Unidentified Young Woman on Farm with Animals	circa 1936-1940
2	11	Kiyoko Murakami Friends: Identified Young Women	circa 1935-1940
2	12	Kiyoko Murakami Friends: Identified Young Men	circa 1940
2	13	Kiyoko Murakami Friends: Unidentified Young Women	circa 1935-1940
2	14	Unidentified Young Men	circa 1935-1940
2	15	Unidentified Groups and Couples	circa 1935-1940
2	16	Unidentified Families and Children	circa 1938-1950
3	1	Group panoramas	circa 1940s

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