Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography / Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Related Material
Descriptive Summary
Title: Norio Mitsuoka papers
Dates: 1936-1984
Bulk Dates: 1940-1945
Collection number: 97.308
Creator:
Mitsuoka, Norio, 1917-2010
Collection Size:
1.25 linear feet, 2 oversized newspapers, 16 artifacts
Repository:
Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Los Angeles, California 90012
Abstract:
Norio Mitsuoka (1917-2010) was discharged from the Air Corps following Pearl Harbor and was subsequently incarcerated in Minidoka,
where he worked at the fire station. This collection is largely comprised of letters sent to Norio from friends who were incarcerated
or serving in the 442nd Infantry Regiment. It also includes government documents, photographs, Norio’s postcard collection,
and materials related to his work at the canneries before the World War II.
Physical location: Japanese American National Museum
100 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Access
By appointment only.
Please Contact the Collections Management and Access Unit by email (collections@janm.org) or telephone (213-830-5615).
Publication Rights
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).
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Norio Mitsuoka papers. 97.308, Japanese American National Museum. Los Angeles, CA.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Norio Mitsuoka, 1997.
Biography / Administrative History
Norio Mitsuoka was born in the Seattle, Washington area in 1917. He graduated from Garfield High School in the Seattle Public
Schools district. Mitsuoka worked at a cannery as an oysterman along the coast of Alaska after high school.
Mitsuoka enlisted in the Air Corps on September 17, 1941. In December 1942 Mitsuoka was attending the Weather Observer’s course
at Chanute Field in Illinois. Upon graduation Mitsuoka was assigned to Merced Basic Flying Field in January 1942, bringing
him to the Western Defense Council with General John L. Dewitt. Dewitt was best known as a key-figure leading up to the incarceration
of Japanese Americans and his vocal support on the matter.
On February 17, 1942 Mitsuoka was transferred to the Enlisted Reserve Corp and taken off active duty under a provision called
“For the Convenience of the Government”. Once he was processed out Mitsuoka hitch-hiked from Merced to Los Angeles. After
spending around a week in the Little Tokyo area he bought a bus ticket to San Francisco and then Sacramento. His original
plan was to visit the Army Headquarters in San Francisco to see what could be done about his transfer to the Reserves but
during the bus ride decided to continue on to Sacramento without stopping. Mitsuoka continued to hitch-hike from Sacramento
to Portland, Oregon where he met up with his friend Richard Murakami. Together, they drove to Seattle, Washington, where Mitsuoka
stayed until evacuation began.
After arriving in Seattle, Mitsuoka stayed with the Yorozu family and assisted with their gardening business while waiting
for news from the government. Eventually, Mitsuoka helped families store their belongings in parts of their homes or the Buddhist
Church before leaving for the incarceration camps. On May 9, 1942 Mitsuoka and other families gathered at Collins playground
and boarded buses that took them to Puyallup Fairgrounds. Mitsuoka was eventually incarcerated at Minidoka, Idaho and served
as the chief of the Fire Department during his time at camp.
After World War II, Mitsuoka attended the University of Michigan and eventually worked at Northrup Grumman in Los Angeles
for over 30 years. Mitsuoka married in Los Angeles and had five children with his wife. Mitsuoka moved back to Seattle after
his first wife passed away and remarried in 1991. On January 3, 2010 Mitsuoka passed away in Renton, Washington. He wrote
an autobiographical book titled Nisei Odyssey: The Camp Years.
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection helps paint a narrative of young men in their early twenties before, during, and after World War II. Perhaps
the most illuminating items in the collection are the letters sent to Norio between 1936 and 1984. Pre-war letters often discuss
Norio’s work with Kadiak Fisheries in Alaska, regularly thanking him for sending oysters. Letters dated between 1941 and 1945
offer insights into camp life, the draft, and the war. The letters represent an interesting variety of World War II experiences
as Norio himself worked as a firefighter in Minidoka and some letters are written from female friends at other concentration
camps or his male friends serving in the 442nd Infantry Regiment. Even after Norio left Minidoka he continued to receive letters
from those who stayed behind until the camp closed. Letters after 1945 tell more of relocation and adjustment to life outside
of the camps or European tours with the 442nd following the war’s end. These letters are particularly important because they
reflect not only the male and female Nisei perspective but also the camp and soldier experiences as well.
Although the collection is largely comprised of letters and holiday cards sent to Norio, there is also much value in the official
documents that help tell the story of Norio’s service in the army and work with the canneries. There is also a small collection
of photographs that seem to have been mailed to Norio from his scattered group of friends during the war years. Coupled with
the various artifacts from Norio’s service in the armed forces, it is possible to piece together the very different experiences
of a young group of friends during the war.
Arrangement
Items have been arranged chronologically when applicable with undated materials at the end of each series.
Series 1 : Letters to Norio Mitsuoka
Series 2: Holiday Cards to Norio Mitsuoka
Series 3: Postcard Collection
Series 4: Official Documents
Subseries 1: Government
Subseries 2: Cannery Workers and Farm Labor Union
Series 5: Photographs
Series 6: Miscellaneous
Series 7: Artifacts
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Mitsuoka, Norio, 1917-2010
Japanese Americans
United State. Army
Minidoka Relocation Center
World War II
Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945.
Cannery Workers and Farm Laborers Union
United States. Army. Air Corps
United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 442nd
Minidoka (Idaho)
Hunt (Idaho)
East Lansing (Mich.)
Related Material
2005.19.2. Nisei Odyssey: The Camp Years by Norio Mitsuoka.