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Title: George Fujii papers
Dates: 1942-1945
Bulk Dates: 1942
Collection number: 96.15
Creator:
Fujii, George
Collection Size:
11 folders
Repository:
Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Los Angeles, California 90012
Abstract: This collection consists of letters between George and Mary Fujii, note cards created by George in his spare time while separated
from his family, and one family portrait taken once the family was reunited in Crystal City, Texas.
Physical location: Japanese American National Museum 100 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90012
By appointment only.
Please Contact the Collections Management and Access Unit by email (collections@janm.org) or telephone (213-830-5615).
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Hirasaki
National Resource Center at the Japanese American National Museum (collections@janm.org).
[Identification of item], George Fujii papers. 96.15, Japanese American National Museum. Los Angeles, CA.
Gift of Arline, John, and Rayko Fujii, 1996.
Biography / Administrative History
George Fujii was born in 1901 in Japan. He worked as a salesman and had involvement with Pioneer Oyster Company as well as
Eagle Rock Oyster Company. George and his wife, Mary, lived in Seattle, Washington and had three children (Arline, John, and
Raiko). Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, George was incarcerated in Department of Justice camps in Bismarck, North Dakota
and Lordsburg, New Mexico. Mary stayed in Washington until being incarcerated with her children in Tule Lake. Eventually,
the family was reunited in Crystal City, Texas.
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection illustrates daily life during World War II through George Fujii’s daily schedules and strategy cards as well
as letters between George and his wife, Mary. Although little is known about the family outside of the context of World War
II, the note cards and letters prove valuable in portraying everyday life.
Letters have been arranged chronologically. The collection has been broken down into the following series:
Series 1: Photographs
One black and white photograph of George and Mary with their children, Arline, John,
and Raiko. The family portrait was taken in Crystal City and dated 1945.
Series 2: Correspondence
36 sheets of personal correspondence between Mary and George Fujii from February 28, 1942 through November 5, 1942. Covers
the time during in which George Fujii was incarcerated in Bismarck, North Dakota and Lordsburg, New Mexico and wife Mary was
living in Seattle, Washington; Long Beach, Washington; and Tule Lake, California. There is one letter addressed to Pioneer
Oyster Company from George Fujii at the Bismarck camp concerning oyster business dated February 28, 1942. Another letter
is addressed to Reginald H. Parsons from George Fujii concerning a petition for a re-hearing of his incarceration. The letters
written by George Fujii to Mary Fujii are all typewritten in great detail concerning matters of business left behind in Seattle,
WA; preparations to evacuate; concerns for health, well being of wife and 2 children; day to day activities as an internee
in camp. Mary Fujii's letters are handwritten. Lined and unlined paper and onion skin paper used.
Series 3: Note Cards
57 note cards made by George Fujii while at Bismarck, North Dakota during his spare time. One card is a "Daily Schedule" card
detailing minute by minute schedule of Fujii's activities. It is written in English. The back is written in Japanese. The
rest of the cards are in Japanese only, with hand drawn strategy charts for the Japanese chess game called "Go."
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
World War, 1939-1945
United States. War Relocation Authority
Bismarck (N.D.)
Tule Lake Relocation Center
Crystal City (Tex.)
Long Beach (Wash.)
Seattle (Wash.)
Tulelake (Calif.)
Lordsburg (N.M.)
Justice Department Camps, Lordsburg
Justice Department Camps
Concentration Camps