Shirakawa ShirakawaShirakawa

- Part 3 -- Part 3 -

STORIES FROM A PACIFIC NORTHWESTJAPANESE AMERICAN

COMMUNITY

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6. WAR!6. WAR!

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On December 7, 1941, Japanese military forces sprang

a massive air attack

on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

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America was suddenly and totally involved in World War II.

Shirakawa Dozens of Issei community leaders on the West

Coast, like Mat Iseri and E.K. Saito, were arrested by the FBI.

They had done nothing wrong. But some government officials thought Japanese leaders might turn against

America and help their one-time homeland.

Courtesy of Hatsume Murakami SaoCourtesy of Mae Iseri Yamada

Shirakawa Both Mr. Iseri and Mr. Saito

had come to the US as very young men.

Both had spend about two-thirds of their lives living and working and raising families here.

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Tom Iseri, still the Northwest District Chairman of the JACL, wrote to newspapers, asking for calm and understanding

about Japanese American loyalty to the US.

Courtesy WRVM Newspaper Collection

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His brother, Mike, and many other Nisei hurried to sign up for the US Army.

At first, the military didn’t knowwhat to do with them.

Courtesy of Mae Iseri Yamada

Shirakawa The country was worried about Japanese Americans. Frightened people expressed many strong feelings.

Shirakawa But the country still worried about Japanese Americans.

Frightened people expressed many strong feelings.

Those who had opposed the Nikkei for so long spoke out more loudly than anyone else, spreading the word

that anyone with Japanese blood must surely be an enemy.Both courtesy of NARA

Shirakawa Even the famous Dr. Seuss stood against everyone

Japanese—the enemy nation and American Nikkei alike.

Courtesy WRVM Newspaper Collection

Shirakawa Even the famous Dr. Seuss stood against everyone

Japanese—the enemy nation and American Nikkei alike.

His cartoons portrayed them all as sneering,look-alike terrorists.

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Never allowed to become American citizens, Issei like

Mat and Kisa knew they would be watched like enemies.

Courtesy of Mae Iseri Yamada

Shirakawa Never allowed to become American citizens, Issei like

Mat and Kisa knew they would be watched like enemies.

But what about their American children? Would Tom, Mike, Mae and the rest still be able to live like other

Americans?

Courtesy of Mae Iseri Yamada

Shirakawa The final answer astonished them.

On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt gave national security leaders emergency powers to

decide who might be dangerous. He also directed them to move those they considered dangerous

away from possible war zones.

Courtesy LOC

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The US Army General in charge of defending the Western States decided that the Issei and all of their descendants had to move away from the West

Coast.

A lot of government leaders disagreed with him, but they had given him the power to order what he

wanted.

Courtesy US Army

Shirakawa During World War II, only Japanese American citizens

received this kind of full-group treatment in the USA.

The official racial discrimination of their country was shocking for young Nisei who grew up saying the

Pledge of Allegiance and studying the Constitution in school.

Courtesy NARA #210-G-A78

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Soon these gloomy signs were posted all around the valley.

Courtesy WRVM Natsuhara Family Collection

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Soon these gloomy signs were posted all around the valley.

The orders were aimed at “all persons of Japanese ancestry, both alien and non-alien” – a tricky way to

include “American citizens” without saying so.Courtesy WRVM Natsuhara Family Collection

Shirakawa Every West Coast Nikkei had to register with the

government, and then was assigned a family number . . .

and issued identity tags.

Courtesy NARA #210-G-A573

Courtesy WRVM Matsuda Family Collection

Shirakawa The Iseri family, Hirabayashis, Natsuharas, Hikidas, and all their Nikkei neighbors sold or stored their things.

They locked their businesses, and packed their bags

for travel to inland detention camps.

Courtesy Densho

Courtesy LOC #8c24383u

Shirakawa It was a sad time for everyone.

For Japanese American kids, it was totally confusing.

When the time chosen for them to leave came, all Nikkei felt upset by what was happening to them.

Courtesy LOC #8a31174u

Courtesy LOC #8a31197u

Shirakawa But the only Nisei in Washington State to protest

openly against it was Gordon Hirabayashi, from Thomas.

When the war started, he was a student living in Seattle.

Courtesy of Maxie Shimojima Sugai

Shirakawa The authorities told him he had to obey their curfew

and relocation orders like everyone else.

Gordon said doing so just because of his

Japanese ancestry would disregard the US Constitution,

which would be doing wrong.

They would have to arrest him and try him in a court.

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Shirakawa His famous case was taken all the way to the US

Supreme Court. But he lost! The judges said the Constitution didn’t allow him to ignore the orders during

a wartime crisis.

It took more than 40 years before Gordon’s case was reviewed and his conviction of crimes was erased.

Courtesy Densho #pd-i119-00045 Minidoka Irrigator Collection

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As for the rest of the White River Valley Nikkei,they boarded trains in Auburn or Renton

and were taken away, guarded by armed soldiers . . .

Courtesy Tacoma Public Library

Shirakawa . . . to “assembly center” camps like this one in

California.

Courtesy LOC #3c37821v

Shirakawa After a few months, they packed again and were

taken to official detention camps they called “relocation centers”. . .

. . . like this one – Tule Lake in California.

Courtesy Bureau of Reclamation

Shirakawa Life for White River Valley Nikkei and their entire

community was changed forever.

Courtesy NARA #210-G-D207

Shirakawa They made the best of their new lives, and did what

they could to get along and help each other out.

Some people were angry or depressed.Others kept looking for new opportunities,

new things to learn, new ways to pass the time.Courtesy NARA #210-G-A631 (l) & Densho #pd-p13-00041 Mamiya Family Collection (r)

Shirakawa But kept behind a fence, it was impossible for the

Nisei to best serve their country when it most needed their help.

Courtesy NARA #210-G-H444

Shirakawa When the chance opened up, many more Nisei joined

the armed forces, proving their loyalty to America.

The bravery of their units became famous. Courtesy Densho #pd-i114-00089 Seattle Nisei Veterans Collection

Shirakawa Some soldiers, like Mike Iseri and Bill Taketa,

sacrificed everything. The Kent newspaper listed their names among those who died in

combat.

Courtesy WRVM Newspaper Collection and Seattle Nisei Veterans Committee (photos)

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7. Return7. Return

Shirakawa A lot of White River Valley folks back home did not want their former JapaneseAmerican neighbors to return after the war. Their sacrifices did not matter to you if your heart was bitter.

In 1943, the Mayor of Kent had signs printed to show his point of view. Courtesy of Mae Iseri Yamada

Shirakawa Stores in Kent and Auburn were asked to post the signs.

This Kent barber was glad

to do it.

The story appeared in newspapers and

inTime magazine.Courtesy Densho #pd-i73-00001 Bettmann Archive / Corbis Collection #BEO71994

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The story appeared in newspapers and

inTime magazine.

Over 300 Nikkei families had been taken from the valley, but only about 25 families returned after the

war.

Courtesy Densho #pd-i36-00007 MOHAI Collection (Seattle P-I Collection #PI-28084)

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Mat and Kisa Iseri’s family found a welcome in the Eastern Oregon town of Ontario. Most of their large family settled there.

But their daughter, Mae, returned to the White River Valley.

She had married Maki Yamada early in the war.Both Courtesy of Mae Iseri Yamada

Shirakawa Maki was overseas in the US Army, so Mae and her

kids moved back to the old Iseri family home.

Neighbors who already knew Mae welcomed them back. The rest soon realized that all Americans have basic rights, no matter where their ancestors came

from.Courtesy of Doug Yamada

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Armed with decency and

the work standards their parents taught, White River Valley Nikkei rebuilt their lives. Once again they won the full respect of their

neighbors.

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Mat Iseri passed away in Ontario, Oregon in1961.

Kisa lived on. When she turned 100, the city awarded her and the whole Iseri family its “Outstanding Citizen

Award.”Courtesy of Mae Iseri Yamada

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In 1988, America finally admitted that it had done wrong toward Japanese Americans during World War II.

The US decided to make redress payments to every relocation camp survivor.

Many Issei, like Mat Iseri, had already died.

Courtesy Densho #pd-p179-00248 Nakamura Family Collection

Shirakawa However, Kisa went to Washington, DC to take part in

the very first redress payment ceremony. It was October 9, 1990, and she was 102 years old.

Kisa also received this apology signed by the President.

Both courtesy of Mae Iseri Yamada

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About a year later, Kisa passed away.She had survived her husband and 7 of her 12 children.

Page from The Boise Statesman, March 21, 1988

Shirakawa Mae Iseri Yamada raised her family in Kent and Auburn.

She had many good friends and was always full of energy.

Mae kept books of pictures and a mind full of memories,sharing them with anyone who would listen.

Stan Flewelling

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Mae Iseri Yamada raised her family in Kent and Auburn.She had many good friends and was always full of energy.

She joined the White River Valley Historical Society and was an honorary board member there until her last days.Barbara Campbell

Shirakawa

Mae Iseri Yamada raised her family in Kent and Auburn.

She had many good friends and was always full of energy.

She talked with school kids whenever she could . . .

Stan Flewelling

Shirakawa

Mae Iseri Yamada raised her family in Kent and Auburn.She had many good friends and was always full of

energy.

. . . and helped organize reunions of her childhood friends from Thomas Grade School.

Stan Flewelling

Shirakawa Mae Iseri Yamada raised her family in Kent and Auburn.

She had many good friends and was always full of energy.

She visited museums and libraries in Montana, where her dad, Mat, had first been locked up . . .

Stan Flewelling

Shirakawa Mae Iseri Yamada raised her family in Kent and Auburn.

She had many good friends and was always full of energy.

. . . and the National Archives in Washington, DC, where she looked up records about her family during the War .

. .

Stan Flewelling

Shirakawa Mae Iseri Yamada raised her family in Kent and Auburn.

She had many good friends and was always full of energy.

. . . and her brother Mike’s Army service in Europe. . . and his death in France.

Courtesy Densho #pd-p105-00020 Tsubota Family Collection (Purple Heart) & Mae Iseri Yamada

Shirakawa Mae Iseri Yamada raised her family in Kent and Auburn.

She had many good friends and was always full of energy.

She even visited France and talked to people who remembered the bravery of Japanese American soldiers.

Courtesy of Lu Yamada Wiley

Shirakawa Mae Iseri Yamada raised her family in Kent and Auburn.

She had many good friends and was always full of energy.

She visited Mike’s grave in Seattle every Memorial Day.

Both by Stan Flewelling

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Mae Iseri Yamada raised her family in Kent and Auburn.

She had many good friends and was always full of energy.

In 2006, Mae was elected the “Pioneer Queen” of Auburnand was crowned by the Mayor.

Stan Flewelling

Shirakawa She passed away in November 2010 at age 92.

Her story will stay alive as long as she is remembered.

Courtesy Auburn Senior Center

Shirakawa She passed away in November 2010 at age 92.

Her story will stay alive as long as she is remembered.

This presentation is dedicated to the memory of Mae Iseri Yamada and her whole family.

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Credits:

Thanks to Pat Filer and Historylink.org for giving the Shirakawa story a new chance at life.

Thanks also to the many people and organizations who have shared generously from their photo and document collections. Here are some of the abbreviations for historical archives used in this presentation:

• WRVM: White River Valley Museum (Auburn, WA)

• DENSHO: Densho, The Japanese American Legacy Project (Seattle, WA)

• MOHAI: Museum of History and Industry (Seattle, WA)

• LOC: Library of Congress (Washington, DC)

• NARA: National Archives and Records Administration (Washington,

DC and College Park, MD)

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THE END