Katsuma Mukaeda was an Issei lawyer, community activist, and long-time president of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles, California. The collection consists of personal correspondence, photographs, community service medals, and biographical information spanning from 1941 to 1995.

Katsuma Mukaeda was born on November 19, 1890 in the Kumamoto prefecture of Japan. He immigrated to the United States in 1908 and began working on his uncle’s strawberry farm in Arcadia, California. Following the death of his uncle, Mukaeda, went on to attend the YMCA High School in Los Angeles and later attended college at the University of Southern California and the Southwestern University School of Law. His educational background and bilingual abilities allowed him to become a respected businessman and community leader in pre-War Los Angeles. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, he imported American films into Japan, held leadership positions in the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Central Japanese Association, and served as a court interpreter.

5 folders, 5 medals, 15 panorama photographs

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Collections Management and Access Unit at the Japanese American National Museum (collections@janm.org).

By appointment only. Please contact the Collections Management and Access Unit by email (collections@janm.org) or phone (213-830-5615).