Conrad Smith calling

                                                                © 2015 Teresa Tamura
I spoke with Conrad Smith, now a journalism professor at 
University of Wyoming, and students in his feature-writing course. 
The discussion compared perceptions about the Japanese American 
community in World War II to Muslims in America today.

Conrad Smith was a journalism professor at Idaho State University from 1977 to 1981. I was a student in his class, Introduction to Mass Communications. I mention Conrad in the preface of Minidoka. He "urged me to look into the camp."

Conrad emailed an invitation to meet with his class via Skype. The message began: "I've been meaning to contact you since receiving a copy of your Minidoka book two years ago with those kind comments about that class at ISU. Donald Trump's comments about Muslims, as reported in today's [Dec. 8, 2015] New York Times, pushed me to act..."

He included this excerpt from the story headlined: "Donald Trump Deflects Withering Fire on Muslim Plan." "Repudiated across much of the political spectrum but defended on conservative talk radio, Donald J. Trump on Tuesday stood by his call to block all Muslims from entering the United States. He cast it as a temporary move in response to terrorism and involved President Franklin D. Roosevelt's authorization of the detention of Japanese, German and Italian immigrants during World War II as precedent.

The fear of "all Muslims" reverberates back to World War II and the mass incarceration of Japanese and Japanese Americans. While violent acts have occurred, our fear should not dictate rash decisions.

                                                                                      © 2015 Conrad Smith
Conrad Smith, far right, used a 20mm lens to take this
classroom scene at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Dyke and June Itami

Photo © 2004 Teresa Tamura
Even ankle surgery couldn't keep Dyke Itami, pictured here
at age 89, from his love of fishing.

Dyke Itami's obituary begins with his passing on August 10th "at home due to natural causes at the age of 100 while happily preparing for a fishing trip." I'll remember Dyke as a person who remained engaged and active with sports his entire life. I'll also think of how I had grown up in Nampa, Idaho knowing the Itami family but not knowing of their connection to Minidoka until after I began work on the book decades later. 

His wife, June Itami, passed away on Jan. 14, 2012. Dyke cared for June at home after she had a stroke. Her obituary mentions that when June's family were forced to relocate in 1942, instead of a second suitcase, she choose to bring her violin. She was noted on the Suzuki Association website as being "especially instrumental" in bringing the Suzuki Method of violin education to the western United States.

Photo © 2004 Teresa Tamura
June Itami died in 2012 before the
Minidoka book was published.

Dyke Itami's memorial took place on Aug. 15th in Nampa. I was unable to attend but wanted the family to know I was thinking of them. As a way to honor Dyke and June, may these unpublished pictures remind us of their contributions and hard work.

Dorothy Hirai

Photo © 2012 Teresa Tamura
Dorothy Hirai in 2012 at age 96.

Last Saturday, June 6, Dorothy Misao Hirai was remembered by friends and family gathered at the Reynold’s Funeral Chapel in Twin Falls, Idaho. Dorothy died peacefully in Jerome on May 26, 2015. A few months earlier, her three daughters – who gave her extraordinary care – organized a 99^th birthday party at the Turf Club for more than 100 guests who came from across the country.

Dorothy was born in Mineral, Washington, on March 17, 1916. She married Tom Hirai on April 26, 1942 in Seattle. The newlyweds volunteered to help prepare the Minidoka War Relocation Center for occupancy. When I was working on the book, Dorothy took me to the railroad spur where she and Tom first arrived in Idaho.

You can read more about Dorothy's life in the obituary. I will miss her generous hospitality, enthusiasm, and kindness.

A Tribute to Robert Sims

Photos by Teresa Tamura

Yesterday, Sun. May 31, 2015, was the memorial celebration to honor the life of Dr. Robert (Bob) Sims, professor of history emeritus and former dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs at Boise State University.

Several hundred people gathered in Boise's Barber Park Event Center along with Betty Sims, her three children and nine grandchildren. We listened to jazz music performed by Chuck Smith, Sandon Mayhew, Scott Reusser, and Kyle Baas and sat at round tables covered in white linens, adorned with fresh flowers. All the overflow seats were taken and people were standing around the perimeter as Mayor David Bleter, Micki Kawakami, David Skinner, and Todd Sims took turns sharing remembrances about Bob as a scholar, a historian of the Japanese American community, an educator, and a family man. Afterwards, friends and family ate and drank together as stories about Bob were shared in smaller groups as a photo slide show was continuously projected. Paul Tomita, a Japanese American who had been incarcerated in Minidoka as a child, drove from Seattle to pay his respects and unite with others who shared a connection to this special man.

Bob died at home on May 9, 2015, surrounded by loved ones. The week before, my husband and I were fortunate to have had the chance to visit with him. The Idaho Statesman published a story on May 13, "Friends mourn historian, ex-BSU dean, Robert Sims, who shared tales of WWII internment."

No day is good day to post this blog. It is the hardest one to write because without Bob's encouragement from the very beginning in 2001, I would not have been able to start the Minidoka book much less finish it. His lecture, Art in the Camps, introduced me to the work of Roger Shimomura, the first person I photographed, coincidentally in Boise. All throughout the decade-plus process as I worked on the book, Bob offered ideas, contacts, feedback, and most importantly, his friendship. He was a member of the Cherokee Nation and originally from Oklahoma.

I miss Bob and will always be indebted to him. His work with the Japanese American community started in a different era when certain topics were not openly discussed. I have his writings as a rich resource to this history and memories of many great conversations. Contributions can be made to the Idaho Humanities Council, 217 W. State St. Boise, ID 83702 or to Friends of Minidoka Symposium Fund, PO Box 1085, Twin Falls, ID 83303.

Betty Sims, Bob's wife of more than 50 years, asked if I could crop a portrait I took of the two of them to use for his obituary. I was honored she wanted to use a picture I had taken to be the one he would be remembered by.

Photo by Teresa Tamura

Robert (Bob) Sims 1936 - 2015

 

 

 

November 2014

The month of November began with sad news. Fumi Hayashida died Sunday, Nov. 2 at the age of 103. She was the oldest living survivor of the group forced to leave Bainbridge Island in 1942.

Karen Thompson, my sister-in-law in Pasadena, California, sent me a copy of an obituary about Fumiko by Elaine Woo, a reporter at the Los Angeles Times. The obituary was published on Nov. 16 on page AA7 and includes the now famous archival photo, far left, with her daughter, K. Natalie Ong, along with an Associated Press photo taken in 2007 by Ted S. Warren, top right. In Warren's image, Fumi holds a B&W photograph I made of her and Natalie in 2003 for the Minidoka book. Natalie suggests any memorial donations be made to DENSHO and/or the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community memorial.

Later that week, Scott Gipson, publisher of Caxton Press, emailed me with news the Minidoka book received second place in two categories of the 2014 North American Book Awards: Editor's Choice Nonfiction and General Nonfiction. Minidoka also received third place in the 2014 Idaho Author and Book Awards for the Editor's Choice Nonfiction category. I appreciate Scott's submission to these competitions and the judge's recognition of the book.

More than 50 Minidoka B&W silver gelatin prints are on display at Whitman College's Sheehan Gallery until December 12, 2014. Daniel Forbes, director of Sheehan Gallery, organized the work in three intimate alcove spaces. Geoffrey Leach, a reporter for The Pioneer, wrote a story about the exhibit paired with process drawings by Makoto Fujimura. On Saturday, Nov. 15, I spoke at Olin Hall after an insightful student workshop moderated by Charly Bloomquist, a photography professor at Whitman. Thank you, to all who partipated in these events.

Dr. Frank Kitamoto – A Celebration of Life

Frank Kitamoto, or "Dr. Frank," as I liked to call him, was among the first group of more than 100 people I photographed for the Minidoka book. My friend, Mary Cronin, came with me that day, Aug. 8, 2002. Mary grew up on Bainbridge Island and Dr. Kitamoto was her dentist. I had never met him before and she hadn't seen him in years after moving to Seattle. He warmly welcomed both of us into his home.

Frank Kitamoto was also among the first group of Japanese and Japanese Americans to be forcibly removed from their Bainbridge Island homes. His father, an Issei or first generation immigrant from Japan, had been arrested earlier and transported to Fort Missoula in Montana. Frank's mother cared for him and his three young sisters. On March 30, 1942 they marched down the Eaglesdale Ferry Dock under military guard and were sent to Manzanar War Relocation Center in California. The family later transferred to the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho.

Sadly, many of the people I photographed for the Minidoka book have passed away. But I wanted to single out Frank because he started a conversation early on and kept it going - that it is important to remember what happened. He was instrumental in memorializing the ferry dock landing which is now part of the National Park Service's Minidoka National Historic Site among many other accomplishments.

A short clip of Frank's oral history by DENSHO can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P2RyeUtoaI

A "Celebration of Life" was held today, Sun. April 6, at Woodward Middle School on Bainbridge Island. The announcement noted: "Guests can dress casually, and because Frank was an avid University of Washington Huskies football fan and loved his trips to Hawaii, people are invited to wear purple and gold or Hawaiian attire."

Mahalo, Frank.

Dr. Frank Kitamoto – May 28, 1939 to March 15, 2014

Three Views

The great Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) made woodblock prints. Among his work was a series called "One Hundred Views of Mt. Fuji." To see a selection of images, check out the British Museum's online tour.

When I stayed with Bob and Betty Sims in Boise last November, I photographed a piece of wood that came from the historic Minidoka War Relocation Center. Bob received it as a gift from a woman whose family obtained a barrack after the site was closed. This wood piece was left inside and now resides in his home office.

This picture was made with 120 B&W film on my medium
format camera. The wood piece In situ, or 'in position'
is located on the top of a bookcase. After the film was
processed, I made a print, then scanned
the print on a flatbed scanner.

My Canon 5D, a 35mm digital camera, was used
to photograph the wood piece on a black piece
of fabric. The light source was overhead and
creates flat and even lighting.

The same camera and black fabric
background was used in this picture. This
time the camera was placed on a tripod and I
used a long exposure and a small
flashlight to paint with light.

It would be a challenge to come up with 100 views, so here's just three views.

Asian American Comparative Collection Newsletter

Last week I received a copy of the December 2013 Asian American Comparative Collection newsletter from Amanda Halverson at Caxton Press. The newsletter is edited by Priscilla Wegars, Ph.D., an author and volunteer curator for AACC housed at the University of Idaho in Moscow.

I was moved by the last paragraph of the publication announcement included on page 2: "Powerful and uplifting, Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp, serves as a splendid example of the triumph of the human spirit over absolute injustice. It will be an asset to any personal or institutional library." I had hoped readers would get a sense of the spirit of the people.

My path has yet to cross with Priscilla Wegars even though we live only a few hours apart. I admire her scholarship. She wrote Imprisoned in Paradise: Japanese Internee Road Workers at the World War II Kooskia Internment Camp  (2010), among others. I drove that stretch of U.S. Highway 12 when I lived in Missoula, Montana, and my husband worked in Walla Walla, Washington. The area is serene and pristine but I did not stop to try and locate the former internment site.

Last July, HuffingtonPost.com, an online news source, posted a story by Nicholas K. Geranios headlined: "Kooskia Internment Camp Discovered in Mountains of Idaho." Wegars was interviewed and included in the article.

Book News Inc.

Scott Gipson, publisher of Caxton Press, forwarded me an email today from Eithne O'Leyne, the editor of Book News, Inc. in Portland, Oregon. Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp was included in the final issue of Reference & Research Book News (Dec 2013).

I was unfamiliar with Book News so looked up the company's website. The home page provides this description: "Book News prepares concise, descriptive reviews of new books in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities for librarians and other buyers of scholarly books. We cover titles from hundreds of English-language publishers worldwide, and we license our material to a wide range of booksellers, aggregators and database publishers."

Connections

One of my new year's resolutions is to make blog posts more regularly.

When the book was first released and Lucius Horiuchi (pp. 31-33) received his copy in the mail, he phoned to say he knew Frances (Yonemura) Yamamoto (pp. 204-205). He saw her photograph in the Minidoka book and learned she married and remained in Idaho. He said she was known as "Frannie" back when they were high school students. Lucius said he was hospitalized when he was in Minidoka and had to miss school. He recalled that she came to visit him.

When I saw Fran in Boise last November, she mentioned Lucius called her and they had a nice, long talk. It reminds me of the many connections that were made during the incarceration, then as the book was being made and now, as new connections continue to form.

Happy new year!

Herald and News

Lee Juillerate, the Herald and News [Klamath Falls, OR] regional editor, mentions the Minidoka book in a story posted Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013, "Books for the holidays."

‘Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp’

"The Klamath Basin continues to deal with the legacy generated by the Tule Lake Detention-Segregation Camp near present-day Newell during World War II. Tule Lake was the most notorious camp because it was the nation’s only detention center. Among the nine other camps was Minidoka in Idaho. In “Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp,” photo-journalist Teresa Tamura’s words are wonderfully supplemented by historic and current photographs of camp life and its people, including some camp workers.

"Because families were moved between camps, Tule Lake plays a role in the Minidoka story, a story that includes families like the Yamaguchis, Itos and Oyamas. Some stories are heart-breaking, but more are inspirational, of people who overcame adversity to create post-war careers. The book should prove of interest for people interested in Camp Tule Lake, and possibly serve as a blueprint for a future book about those incarcerated at Tule Lake.

"'Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp,' $27.95, Caxton Press, caxtonpress.com."

The infamous day of Dec. 7, 1941

Oil, 2-9 quarts each day, still seeps from the USS Arizona Memorial, an eerie and solemn reminder of the rusting, sunken battleship where 1,177 sailors and marines were instantly killed on the "day that will live in infamy" – President Roosevelt's description of the surprise attack by a Japanese Strike Force in airplanes and midget submarines on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, that began at 7:55 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941.

More than 60 years later as I interviewed Japanese Americans for the book, Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp, it seemed that every person who lived through that day could still remember exactly where they were and what they were doing. Mitsuye Yamada, a young adult then, wrote a compelling first person essay for the book and shared some her memories of Dec. 7, 1941, what happened to her father, and the time her family spent in Idaho's Minidoka War Relocation Center. 

If you or someone you know would like to share a story, please post it here.

Book trailer by Art Wright