Finding Aid for the Jiro Kozai Papers, 1919-1940

Yoko Shimojo

Japanese American National Museum

100 North Central Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: (213) 830-5615

Email: collections@janm.org

URL: http://www.janm.org/

Finding Aid for the Jiro Kozai Papers

Collection number: 92.9

Japanese American National Museum

Los Angeles, California

Processed by:: Yoko Shimojo
Date Completed:: 2007

Descriptive Summary

Title: Jiro Kozai papers

Dates: 1919-1940

Languages: English Japanese

Collection number: 92.9.1

Creator: Kozai, Jiro, 1893-?

Collection Size: 10 folders

Repository: Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Los Angeles, California 90012

Abstract: Jiro Kozai, an Issei from Tottori Prefecture who immigrated to the United States in 1911, was one of the early Japanese pioneers of New York City. He was the president of the Japanese Association of New York and was the publisher and owner of Japanese-American, a Japanese American newspaper in New York. The collection contains account books, correspondence, financial records, leaflets, photographs, and scrapbooks spanning from 1919 to 1940.

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], Jiro Kozai papers. 92.9, Japanese American National Museum. Los Angeles, CA.

Project Information

This finding aid was created as part of a project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project started in 2007. Project Director was Cris Paschild. Project Archivists were Yoko Shimojo and Marlon Romero.

Biography / Administrative History

Jiro Kozai, an Issei from Tottori Prefecture who immigrated to the United States in 1911, was one of the early Japanese pioneers of New York City. He was the president of the Japanese Association of New York. He was also the publisher and owner of the third oldest Japanese journal in the United States, Japanese-American, formally Japanese American Commercial Weekly from 1924. His wife Fumiyo Kozai was an Issei from Matsue who immigrated to the United States in 1915.

The collection also contains financial records of Tatsuo Kozai, whose relationship to Jiro Kozai is unclear. According to the 1930 census, Tatsuo Kozai was born in 1878 and immigrated to the United States in 1904. Photographs of Tatsuo Kozai and his wife Ko Kozai were donated by the same donor, Misato Kozai Heard, of the Jiro Kozai Papers, and can be found under the Japanese American National Museum ID number 97.37.

Scope and Content of Collection

The Jiro Kozai Papers contain account books, correspondence, financial records, leaflets, photographs, and scrapbooks spanning from 1919 to 1940. The collections' strengths include Japanese written correspondences between Jiro Kozai and officers from the Consulate General of Japan and Japanese army colonels and majors.

The collection is organized into six series divided by type of materials and arranged alphabetically and chronologically within the folders.

Series 1: Account books, 1925-1928

This series contains 2 account books, one with a title "125th St Store Journal 1927" and the other with a torn cover.

Series 2: Correspondence, 1925-1939 (5 folders)

This series contains correspondence such as letters and telegrams. It is divided by type of materials: letters and telegrams. The letters are grouped into English and Japanese. Letters written in English are mostly addressed to Jiro Kozai in conjunction with The Japanese Association Inc. Some touch upon the topic on the 1939 World's Fair in New York. The Japanese letters include correspondence between Jiro Kozai and officers from Consulate General of Japan, Japanese army colonels and majors.

Series 3: Financial records, 1924-1926

This series contains financial documents of Tatsuo Kozai such as tax return forms, financial statements and checks.

Series 4: Leaflets, 1928-1938

This series contains flyers such as Ikebana lectures, xylophone and dance recitals.

Series 5: Scrapbooks, ca. 1919-1920

This series contains newspaper clippings both in Japanese and English. It includes items from Japanese American Commercial Weekly and Shin Sekai.

Series 6: Miscellaneous, ca. 1921-1923

This series contains a family photograph of Jiro, Fumiyo and Misato Kozai, and a name card for Kichi Harada.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Kozai, Jiro

Japanese

Japanese Americans

Japanese American newspapers

New York

20th century

Japanese Association of New York

Japanese American Commercial Weekly

Japanese-American (New York, N.Y.)

Issei

Box 1

Series 1 Account books 1925-1928

Physical Description: 1 folder

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains 2 account books, one with a title "125th St Store Journal 1927" and the other with a torn cover.

Box 1

Series 2 Correspondence 1925-1939

Physical Description: 5 folders

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains correspondence such as letters and telegrams. It is divided by type of materials: letters and telegrams. The letters are grouped into English and Japanese. Letters written in English are mostly addressed to Jiro Kozai in conjunction with The Japanese Association Inc. Some touch upon the topic on the 1939 World's Fair in New York. The Japanese letters include correspondence between Jiro Kozai and officers from Consulate General of Japan, Japanese army colonels and majors.

Letters, English 1925-1939

Letters, Japanese 1931-1937

Letters, Japanese 1938

Letters, Japanese ca. 1939

Telegrams 1933-1935

Box 1

Series 3 Financial records 1924-1926

Physical Description: 1 folder

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains financial documents of Tatsuo Kozai such as tax return forms, financial statements and checks.

Box 1

Series 4 Leaflets 1928-1938

Physical Description: 1 folder

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains flyers such as Ikebana lectures, xylophone and dance recitals.

Box 1

Series 5 Scrapbooks ca. 1919-1920

Physical Description: 1 folder

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains newspaper clippings both in Japanese and English. It includes items from Japanese American Commercial Weekly and Shin Sekai.

Box 1

Series 6 Miscellaneous ca. 1921-1923

Physical Description: 1 folder

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains a family photograph of Jiro, Fumiyo and Misato Kozai, and a name card for Kichi Harada.