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The South Bay JACL has been a partner organization for many years at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute. As this year's Day of Remembrance seeks to share the various collections in our community, we felt it fitting to share one amazing documentation done right here at home, The South Bay History Project. With 23 oral histories, video documentation, photos, etc, this collection of testimonies hopes to share the complex and diverse contributions Japanese Americans have given to the greater South Bay community. It is with the help of the South Bay JACL, and Ray Shibata, specifically, that we can share this rich collection of local history. We hope to continue to share these stories so we can remember, honor, and continue the legacy of passing on our histories to the next generation.

SOUTH BAY JACL ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION

In 2002 the South Bay JACL received a grant for The South Bay History Project, to preserve the history of Japanese American settlement in the greater South Bay community. These communities include but are not limited to Torrance, Gardena, Hawthorne, Wilmington, Palos Verdes, the Beach cities, Carson and San Pedro. In 2003 the Project conducted 23 oral history interviews so that people can learn to understand and appreciate the complexities of the contributions made by Japanese American pioneers -- people who farmed the land, worked in industry, and continue to thrive in the community today. Japanese Americans lived in the South Bay long before it grew into a center of industry, business, and suburban residential life. Yet there is little acknowledgement of the historical context in which these relationships developed. The South Bay History Project has attempted to create a long-term legacy of remembrance by gathering testimonials of Japanese Americans who immigrated to the area, were removed during World War II and returned to resettle, telling the stories of the unique contributions they made to the greater South Bay community. Working with the California State University, Long Beach, the South Bay History Project has made accessible on the internet at the CSULB's Virtual Oral/Aural History Archive 16 of 24 oral histories representing a cross section of the Japanese American community.

In 2018 The South Bay JACL contacted Densho. Densho is a nonprofit organization started in 1996, with the initial goal of documenting oral histories from Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II. This evolved into a mission to educate, preserve, collaborate and inspire action for equity. Densho uses digital technology to preserve and make accessible primary source materials on the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans. We present these materials and related resources for their historic value and as a means of exploring issues of democracy, intolerance, wartime hysteria, civil rights and the responsibilities of citizenship in our increasingly global society.

 Densho’s Vision is to Preserving Stories of the Past for Generations of Tomorrow, and their Mission is to preserve and share history of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans to promote equity and justice today.

Densho documents the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II before their memories are extinguished. We offer these irreplaceable firsthand accounts, coupled with historical images and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy, and promote equal justice for all.
Densho is a Japanese term meaning “to pass on to the next generation,” or to leave a legacy. The legacy we offer is an American story with ongoing relevance: during World War II, the United States government incarcerated innocent people solely because of their ancestry.

Today, Densho is the new home for our South Bay JACL Oral History Collection. You can find the collection by visiting the Densho website at www.densho.org and click on the Densho Digital Repository and search for the South Bay JACL Oral History Collection.
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The South Bay JACL Oral History Collection has oral history interviews of 24 Japanese American from the South Bay. They include the following:

FRANK ENDO
Interviewed by:
​Ike Hachimonji

Date of Interview:
​4/23/2004
Frank Endo was born in Wilmington, California on April 20,1923 and grew up on Terminal Island, California. He taught gymnastics at Santa Anita, California Race Track and at the concentration camp in Amache, Colorado where he was imprisoned. Endo worked in Chicago during WWII and served in the US Army's Military Intelligence Service. He participated in the war crimes tribunal investigations in Osaka, Japan. Endo married in Japan and brought his wife back to live in Gardena. Frank Endo was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

MIYOKO
​FUJIKAWA
Interviewed by:
​Dale Ann Sato

Date of Interview:
​10/29/2003
Miyoko Fujikawa was born on December 25,1919 in Reedley, California and grew up in Harbor City, California. Fujikawa was imprisoned at Santa Anita Racetrack and the concentration camp in Jerome, Arkansas. After leaving the camp, she worked as a beautician in Minneapolis, Minnesota during WWII and purchased her own beauty shop when she resettled in California. Fujikawa raised four sons in Gardena. Miyoko Fujikawa was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

NAMIYE
FUKUZAWA
Interviewed by:
​Diane Tanaka

Date of Interview:
​4/8/2004
Namiye Fukuzawa was born on June 30, 1925 in Los Angeles, California. Namiye was one of children to Ryuhei and Teruyo Nogami. Her father was a vegetable hauler and her mother was a housewife living in Gardena, California. After the war broke out Namiye and her family relocated to Logan, Utah. After the war they moved back to Gardena, California. Namiye Fukuzawa was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

TETSUO "TED"
HASEGAWA
Interviewed by:
​Diane Tanaka

Date of Interview:
7/26/2003
Ted Hasegawa was born on January 16,1921 in Sacramento, California and educated in Japan. When returned to Torrance, California where his parents farmed, he started kindergarten at the age of 11. After high school, he took automotive classes at a trade school in Los Angeles. Hasegawa witnessed the mass eviction of Japanese residents from Terminal Island and was later imprisoned with his family at Santa Anita Race Track and a concentration camp in California and Rohwer, Arkansas. He was drafted by the US Army and released because of poor health. He worked as a mechanic for Chevrolet in Chicago and at a vineyard near Lodi before returning to Torrance in 1948. In Torrance he opened an automotive repair business. He raised five daughters and a son and has five grandsons and one granddaughter. Ted Hasegawa was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

YOSHI
INOSE
Interviewed by:
​Jeanne Tsujimoto

Date of Interview:
3/22/2004
Yoshi Inose was born on September 24,1908 in Los Angeles, California. She was one of three children to Seijiro and Soko Shibuya. Her father was a lawyer and the 1st publisher for Rufu Shimpo and her mother was a koto instructor. After the war broke out, the family was sent to Rohwer, Ark. After the war ended, the family finally returned to Los Angeles, California and eventually settled in Gardena, California. Yoshi Inose was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

GEORGE ISHIBASHI
Interviewed by:
Richard Kawasaki

Date of Interview:
​1/23/2004
George Ishibashi was born on March 27,1914 in San Pedro, California. He grew up on a farm in Palos Verdes, California. His father immigrated to the US in the late 1890s and leased his first farm in 1906. The family successfully grew peas and other crops without irrigation or tractors. Following Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor, the family's lease was unceremoniously ended. Ishibashi and his family were imprisoned in a concentration camp in Poston, Arizona during WWII. Ishibashi left the camp to work sugar beet farms and was able to travel while on leave from the US Army. After the war, Ishibashi resettled in Palos Verdes leasing the same land his father farmed before the war. The land dwindled as residential development covered the peninsula. Ishibashi took jobs as a mechanic, was evicted from his farm a second time and eventually retired in Gardena, California. Georgw Ishibashi was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

FUJIKO "FUZZY"
​ISHIKAWA
Interviewed by:
Jeanne Tsujimoto

Date of Interview:
​1/23/2004
Fujiko Ishikawa was born on November 18,1912 in Oxnard, California. She grew up in Lomita, California and attended UCLA where she met her husband Henry who became a partner in a successful produce business. She was imprisoned at Santa Anita Race Track and a concentration camp in Amache, Colorado. She moved to Cincinnati, Ohio during the war and resettled in Inglewood, California after the war. She has raised two children, and has remained active in Japanese community events and recently embarked on a pilgrimage bus tour to former internment US concentration camps. Fujiko Ishikawa was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

KEN INOSE
Interviewed by:
Lauren Yoshiyama

Date of Interview:
7/24/2018
Ken Inose was born in 1933 in Los Angeles, California. Ken was the one of four children to Sejiro and Yoshiko Inose. Before the war, Ken lived in the Boyle Heights area in Los Angeles where is neighbors were Jewish, Hispanic and Germans. His father was a salesman and his mother was a housewife. When the war broke out Ken was 8 years old and he and his family was initially sent to Santa Anita Racetrack for processing and eventually relocated to Rohwar, Ark Concentration Camp. As an eight year old Ken had a good time, along with all of the other children. When the war ended, Ken and his family initially moved to New Orleans, LA and eventually resettled back to Los Angeles and to Gardena, California. In Gardena, his family started a nursery business. Ken Inose was interviewed by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

KIKUE
​ISOBE
Interviewed by:
Lily Nakatani

Date of Interview:
3/30/2004
Kikue Isobe was born on September 25, 1920 in Brawley, California. She was one of three children to Fukuichi and Sei Nishimoto. Her father was a foreman for a cantalope and honeydew grower in Brawley. Kikue grew up mainly in Brawley. When the war broke out she and her family were relocated to Poston Concentration Camp. After the war, her family stayed in Minnesota and eventually moved to Monterey, California. Kikue Isobe was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

FRANCES KAJI
Interviewed by:
Midori Kamei

Date of Interview:
9/22/2003
Frances Kaji was born on April 30, 1923 in Gardena, California. She grew up in Gardena as the daughter of pioneer physician Kikuwo Tashiro. She remembers Gardena as it changed form a rural to suburban community. Her family moved to Fresno to avoid incarceration but was eventually imprisoned at the concentration camp at Poston, Arizona. After leaving the camp, Kaji endured primitive conditions at a Colorado sugar beet farm and moved to Denver before WWII ended. After the war, her family resettled in Boyle Heights where she married Bruce Kaji and moved back to Gardena. She and her husband became involved in civic activities, including the sister city programs. They also helped found the Japanese American National Museum in the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. Frances Kaji was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

MIDORI KAMEI
Interviewed by:
Bryan Inoue

Date of Interview:
6/28/2003
Midori Kamei was born on July 21,1923 in Redondo Beach, California. She grew up in North Torrance where her parents farmed. Kamei was imprisoned briefly with her family at the Santa Anita Race Track in California and at the concentration camp at Heart Mountain, Wyoming. Kamei left Heart Mountain to attend college in Colorado. She later earned a master's degree from Columbia University in New York City. She now lives in Rancho Palos Verdes and remains active with Asian American community and Democratic party organizations. Midori Kamei was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

HAROLD
TAKASHI
​KOBATA
Interviewed by:
Lily Nakatani

Date of Interview:
3/22/2004
Harold Takashi Kobata was born on April 5, 1926 in Gardena, California. He grew up in Gardena where his uncle, mother and older brothers ran a nursery where they grew flowers. The family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah during WWII, where Kobata worked as a gardener while attending high school. After the war the family resettled in Gardena and resumed operation of the nursery. Kobata attended Compton Community College and USC where he was graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. Kobata worked for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power until he retired at the age of 69. Since retirement, Kobata has become involved with the Gardena Valley Baptist Church. Hardold Kobata was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

GEORGE
​KOBAYASHI
Interviewed by:
Ike Hachimonji

Date of Interview:
5/13/2004
George Kobayashi was born on February 20, 1924 in Torrance, Califonia. He was one of three children to Tamechi and Yuko Kobayashi. His father was a farmer in Gardena and his mother was a housewife. When the war broke out, he and his family relocated to Fort Lupton, Colorado. During the war he joined the army and assigned to MIS. After the war, his family moved back to Torrance, California where he eventually opened up his own Koby's T.V & Appliance Store. George Kobayashi was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

RYO
​KOMAE
Interviewed by:
Ron Ikejiri

Date of Interview:
5/13/2004
Ryo Komae was born on July 26, 1918 in Los Angeles, California. He was one of three children to Tojiro and Komaji Komae. His father was "watchman" (security guard) for the Los Angeles City Market and his mother was a housewife. When the war broke out he and his family was relocated to Heart Mountain Concentration Camp. During the war he enlisted into the army assigned to MIS. After the war, he went to New York and eventually moved to Gardena, California. Ryo Komae was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

TOSHIKO KUBOTA
Interviewed by:
Dale Sato

Date of Interview:
3/31/2004
Toshiko Kubota was born on September 2, 1927 in Wilmington, California. She but spent most of her life in Gardena, California where she was a single career woman. She describes a comfortable life in a close-knit family of three daughters. Kubota's father worked as a car salesman in Los Angeles while her mother worked as a seamstress. In 1942, the family volunteered for early incarceration at a concentration camp at Manzanar, California. While incarcerated, Kubota graduated from Manzanar High School. When Manzanar was closed, she moved to Seabrook Farms in New Jersey to join her parents and worked there. Her family returned to Los Angeles in March 1946. Kubota retired as a financial analyst after working 46 years for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Toshiko Kubota was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

MAY
​MINAMI
Interviewed by:
Diane Tanaka

Date of Interview:
11/23/2003
May Minami was born on January 26, 1914 in Oxnard, California. She has lived in Gardena, California most of her life; her father was the first person to sell insurance to other Japanese community members. During WWII, she endured the FBI arrests of her parents and lived in a US concentration camp in Rohwer, Arkansas. When she returned to Gardena after the war, her husband Sam opened a sporting goods store in Gardena where she worked for 25 years. May Minami was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

GEORGE SAKAYE NAKANO
Interviewed by:
Al Muratsuchi

Date of Interview:
5/16/2004
George Sakaye Nakano was born on November 24, 1935 in Boyle Heights, area of Los Angeles, California. George's parents were Kibei, born in Hawaii, then educated in Japan before returning to the US. Nakano grew up in Los Angeles until he was six years old. When WWII started, the Nakano family was incarcerated in the concentration camps at Jerome, Arkansas and Tule Lake, California. Following the end of the war, the Nakanos resettled in Norwalk and then East Los Angeles Nakano graduated from John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in 1954 and worked at Hughes Aircraft while attending evening classes at El Camino College in Torrance and California State University, Los Angeles where he earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics and his master's degree in education. Nakano was the first Japanese American elected to the Torrance City Council in 1984 and served four terms until he was elected to the California State Assembly in 1998. At the time of this interview, he was finishing his second four-year term. George Nakano was interviewed as part of the South Bay Historical Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

JACK TAKESHI OMATSU
Interviewed by:
Dale Sato

Date of Interview:
4/21/2004
Jack Takeshi Omatsu was born on March 8, 1929 in Torrance, California. He was raised in Torrance where his parents farmed and grew flowers. Omatsu worked on the farm and attended local schools until his family moved to Utah to avoid imprisonment during WWII. After the war the family restarted the flower growing operation. Omatsu joined the National Guard and served in Alaska during the Korean War. He returned to work at the farm and flower market and later at the family's liquor store. He retired around 2000 and now lives in Bullhead, Arizona. Jack Omatsu was interviewed as part of the South Bay Historical Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

ALICE ONO
Interviewed by:
Jeanne Tsujimoto

Date of Interview:
2/6/2004
​Alice Ono was born on January 1, 1912 in Los Angeles, California. She was on of five children to Yujiro and Yone Fukuyama. Her father was a Produce Broker and her mother was a housewife. When the war broke out she and her family was relocated to Amachi Concentration Camp. After the war she and her family moved to Gardena, California. Alice Ono was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

HIDEO "JIBO" SATOW
Interviewed by:
Jeanne Tsujimoto

Date of Interview:
11/18/2003
Hideo "Jibo" Satow wasborn on July 23, 1914 in Inglewood, California. He was the oldest of ten children. His father, Tomijiro Satow was a flower grower in Hawthorne, California. The Satow family was imprisoned at the Santa Anita Race Track and a concentration camp in Rohwer, Arkansas during WWII. After the war, Satow resettled in Hawthorne and continued operating the flower nursery until 1995 when he closed it due to foreign competition. Hideo Satow has been active in preserving the histories of the Japanese American flower growers in the South Bay and was interviewed as part of the South Bay Historical Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

SUMIKO SUMI SEKI
Interviewed by:
Dale Sato

Date of Interview:
3/26/2004
Sumiko Seki was born on November 11, 1924 in San Pedro, California. She was one of three children to Midori and Kazue Seo. Her father was a farmer in San Pedro and her mother was a housewife. When the war broke out she and her family was relocated to Jerome Concentration Camp. When the war ended, she and her family moved to Long Beach, California. Sumiko Seki was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

GEORGE JOJI TENPO
Interviewed by:
Ike Hachimonji

Date of Interview:
4/7/2004
George Tenpo was born on May 28, 1923 in Compton, California. He was only child to Hyoichi and Shizue Tenpo. His father was farmer in Harbor City and his mother was ahousewife. Whe the war broke out he and his family was Santa Ana Assembly Center and eventally sent to Jerome Concentration Camp. After the war, he repatriated to Japan. Eventually he moved back to Torrance, California where he worked as a gardener. George Tenpo was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

ALICE UYEDA
Interviewed by:
Raymond Shibata

Date of Interview:
2/24/2004
​Alice Uyeda was born on February 19, 1920 in Baldwin Park, California. Alice was the youngest of three children to Buhei and Sawaye Ito. Her father was a truck farmer in Baldwin Park. On December 7th, when the war broke out, Alice was working in Glendale, California. She and her family went to Utah and worked on a farm. After the war Alice and her family moved back to California and settled in Torrance. Alice Uyeda was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

MICHAEL
​SHIGERU YASUTAKE
Interviewed by:
Ron Ikejiri

Date of Interview:
5/13/2004
Michael Yasutake was born on August 4, 1915 in Long Beach, California. He was one of eight children to Kumataro and Itsu Yasutake. His father was a farmer in Gardena, California and his mother was a housewife. When the war broke out he was already in the army and was reassigned to the MIS. His family was relocated to Rohwer Concentration Camp. After the war Michael was stationed in Japan and Shanghai, China with the United States Civil Intelligence Service. He left the service in 1948 with the rank of Major. Eventually he moved back to California to start a business with George Aratani. Michael Yasutake was interviewed as part of the South Bay History Project created by the South Bay Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.
Special thanks to:
Densho
Japanese American Citizens League South Bay
​Ray Shibata