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Description
A letter from Kumaji Meguro in the Pomona Assembly Center to his son-in-law and daughter, Fumio Fred and Yoneko Takano in the Santa Anita Assembly Center. The letter describes the lives and living conditions in the assembly center, including the allowance and wages, entertainments, etc. Kumaji details his daily routine and expresses his appreciation for the simple and easy life that he had never had before. He also writes about their belongings which were left to the U.S. Army when they were sent to the assembly centers. He heard from the U.S. Army that their belongings were kept at 707 1st Street, Los Angeles. English translation is found in item: csudh_tak_0057. Typescript is found in item: csudh_tak_0058. The Takano Family Papers contains materials from members of the Takano and Meguro family who reside in Los Angeles, California, including Issei immigrants Itsuhei and Tomoye Takano, Kumaji and Tsuruno Meguro, and their Nisei children, Fumio Fred and Yoneko (Meguro) Takano, Ruth Yoshiko Meguro, and Leo Ryoichi Meguro. The papers covers from prewar through post-war, including the period of forced evacuation and incarceration during World War II, the Korean war, and the redress movement in the 1980s. The papers consists of correspondence, photographs, camp newspapers, yearbooks, and other documents. Noted are photographs depicting the Japanese American community in Colorado in the 1930s, including photos of Japanese Young People’s Christian members; and schoolchildren and staff of a Japanese school and public schools. There are also documents regarding a real estate property in Los Angeles, California, which Fumio Fred Takano purchased in 1938, and his legal documents and letters present his efforts to protect the property during the war with the support of his non-Japanese American friend. Also included are letters depicting his struggles to be granted the indefinite leave permit from the Gila River incarceration camp in Arizona, as a consequence of his answers to “loyalty questionnaire” questions 27 and 28. In addition, the Issei parents’ letters detail their experiences during the war from an Issei point of view, describing the trip from the Pomona Assembly Center to the Heart Mountain camp in Wyoming, incarceration life, and their return from the camp to California.
Type
text
Format
Correspondence 4 pages, 5 x 8 inches, handwritten application/pdf
Identity and values--Issei World War II--Temporary Assembly Centers--Living conditions World War II--Temporary Assembly Centers--Work and jobs World War II--Mass removal ('Evacuation')--Preparation
Place
Pomona, California Temporary Assembly Centers--Pomona
Source
CSU Dominguez Hills Department of Archives and Special Collections;
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