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Naohara (George and Mitzi) Papers
SPC.2017.011
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: George and Mitzi Naohara Papers
Creator:
Naohara, George, 1919-2014
Creator:
Naohara, Mitzi, 1923-2021
Creator:
Yoshimura, Eileen
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2017.011
Physical Description:
13 boxes
(6 flat binder boxes, 3 document boxes, 2 short top boxes, 1 flat box, and 1 carton, including DVDs)
Physical Description:
9.03 Linear Feet
(13 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1902-2010; undated
Date (bulk): 1942-1945
Date (bulk): 1950-1959
Abstract: This collection contains photo albums and scrapbooks compiled by George Naohara and Mitzi (Masukawa) Naohara, other materials
depicting their experiences during World War II and the Korean War, the postwar camp reunion and pilgrimage, and the Gardena
Buddhist Church activities in which George Naohara engaged after the war. Most of the items in this collection have been digitized
and available online.
Material Specific Details: English translations, synopses, and brief descriptions for Japanese language materials are available at the CSU Japanese American
Digitization Project site.
Language of Material:
English
, Japanese
.
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
In 2015, Mitzi Naohara donated to the Gerth Archives and Special Collections, "Butsudan," a Buddhist altar made by hand by
her brother-in-law in the Jerome camp in Arkansas during the war; two photo albums and scrapbooks in 2018; books, DVDs, film
wheels, and a happi coat and belt in 2019.
In 2019, Eileen Yoshimura, a daughter of George and Mitzi Naohara, agreed to donate to the Gerth Archives and Special Collections,
the documents which consist of her family papers and term papers along with audio cassette tapes prepared for a history class
in 1974 when she was a student at CSU Dominguez Hills. She conducted interviews with her parents, uncle, and aunt and collected
and analyzed their incarceration experiences during the war.
Additional items were donated to the Gerth Archives and Special Collections by Eileen Yoshimura in 2021 after Mitzi Naohara's
passing. Included are materials regarding George and Mitzi Naohara's claims for the losses of their real and personal property
filed under the Act of July 2, 1948, Gardena Buddhist Church activities, and postwar camp pilgrimage and reunion.
Availability of Digital Reproductions
Most of the items in this collection has been digitized and the digital reproductions are available at the CSU Japanese American
Digitization Project site:
George and Mitzi Naohara Papers Digital Collection .
Arranged in four series:
- Immigration, World War II incarceration, and Korean War experiences
- Postwar camp reunion and pilgrimage
- Postwar Gardena Buddhist Church and Shinto activities
- Gardena Buddhist Church, Buddhist Church of America, and other publications
George Nobuo Naohara (1919 August 17–2014 June 30) was Kibei Nisei, who was born in the United States, educated in Japan,
and returned to Los Angeles, California prior to World War II. He left Japan, following in his uncle's footsteps but struck
out on his own. He met the Masukawa family in Los Angeles and learned that Mrs. Koyuta Masukawa was a relative of his acquaintance
and originally immigrated from Hiroshima, Japan, from which he also had come. He became a close friend to the family and married
Mitzi Masukawa (1923 March 16-2021 January 11), one of the family's daughters, later.
He was one of the earlier group of incarcerees who were sent to the Manzanar incarceration camp in California during the war,
and met other Kibei Nisei men in the camp. He and his Kibei Nisei friends were granted the permit to leave for work and worked
in labor farms in Idaho and Utah. During his labor contract, he met one of the Masukawa family members who had been incarcerated
in the Jerome incarceration camp in Arkansas, and decided to "reinduction" to the Jerome camp, instead returning to the Manzanar
camp. He requested for reinduction, claiming that he became unable to work due to disability. He was incarcerated in the Jerome
camp as he wished but applied for repatriation/expatriation to Japan, and was transferred to the Tule Lake Segregation Center
in California. After the war ended, he did not return to Japan but settled in Chicago, Illinois. During the Allied Occupation
of Japan, he learned that no one but military personnel were allowed to contact his/her family members in Japan. Since his
mother was ill and had remained in Japan, he decided to join the U.S. Army, hoping to see her, and attended the language training
school in California. He was stationed in Japan after the training, served for the Korean War as a MIS interpreter, and was
discharged due to his illness at the end. Later, he operated a barbershop with his wife in Gardena, California, and also was
devoted to Buddhist Church activities for his whole life.
Tomosuke Masukawa was an Issei immigrant and arrived at Tacoma, Washington in 1898. He was a railroad worker for the Santa
Fe Railroad, a coalminer in Montana, and a farm labor in Fresno, California. Later, he moved to Los Angeles and farmed in
Southern California. Koyuta Masukawa was a picture bride and sent to him in 1909, and their eight children were born in California.
The Masukawa family resided in Long Beach, California prior to the war and left for Reedley, California, fleeing from the
exclusion. However, the family received the order and was imprisoned in the Poston camp in Arizona, later. During her incarceration,
Mitzi (Masukawa) Naohara was a preschool teacher and joined activities of a young Nisei women's club, "Sigma Debs," which
mainly consisted of female basketball players at Reedley High School.
For information about citing archival material, see the
Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.
Some of the film reels were digitized by the donor and the transferred digitized moving images were normalized to the MXF
format for preservation. The access derivatives were produced in the MP4 format.
The collection was processed and English translations, synopses and brief descriptions for Japanese language materials were
prepared by Yoko Okunishi.
The Gerth Archives and Special Collections created digital reproductions from original items for long-term preservation and
electronic access, adhering to best practice and standards to ensure the authenticity, integrity, and security of material.
Some access files have been redacted to protect personal identifiable information and others have been compressed for greater
efficiency online. For more information on digitization process, please see
CSU Japanese American Digitization Project technical reference guide .
Some of the items in this collection have been digitized. The set of digital reproduction preservation files along with normalized
moving image files is stored on the Gerth Archives and Special Collections' department drive for both preservation purposes
and duplication requests. The entire pages of the four albums were digitized to preserve the structures and compilation prior
to being dismantled. The digital reproduction files are saved on the department' drive for preservation purposes only.
The set of digital reproduction access files (access derivatives) created for the digital management system is stored on the
Gerth Archives and Special Collections' department external drive for staff use.
One of the audio materials in the collection has been digitized by the California Audiovisual Preservation Project (CAVPP)
and available at
Internet Archive .
CSU Japanese American Digitization Project
This collection is part of the California State University Japanese American Digitization Project. Other collections about
the history of Japanese Americans are found in the digital repository:
CSU Japanese American Digitization Project .
Atsushi Art Ishida is Kibei Nisei and a close friend of George Naohara. They both were incarcerated in the same camps during
the war and participated in Korean War. The two collections are intermingled because of their shared experiences. For the
further information, please see
the Atsushi Art Ishida Collection finding aid .
The George and Mitzi Naohara Papers consists of photo albums and scrapbooks compiled by George and Mitzi Naohara, and other
materials pertaining to the Naohara and Masukawa family. Included are photographs, correspondence, and documents depicting
their experiences during World War II, photographs taken during the U.S. Army language school training and the Korean War,
and books, moving images (film reels and DVDs), and artifacts representing George Naohara's participation in the Gardena Buddhist
Church activities after the war.
George Naohara is Kibei Nisei, and his wartime experiences include his farm labor in Idaho and Utah; and incarceration in
the Manzanar, Jerome, and Tule Lake camps. Mitzi Naohara was a preschool teacher at the Poston camp in Arizona, and also joined
activates of a young Nisei women's club, "Sigma Debs." Her memorabilia depicts her life as a teacher and social events in
the Poston camp during the war.
The collection includes the following books which were separately cataloged. The cataloging records are available through
the CSUDH Library catalog and WorldCat:
- Goldstein, Donald M., and Harry J. Maihafer. 2000. The Korean War: the story and photographs. Washington, D.C.: Brassey's. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/43095745
- United States. 1987. Colorado River Relocation Center, Poston, Arizona: 1942-1945. [Place of publication not identified]: TecCom Productions. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/20283387
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Gerth
Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Gerth Archives and Special Collections
as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must
also be obtained.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Japanese Americans -- Evacuation and relocation, 1944-1945 -- Archives
Japanese Americans -- History -- 20th century
Korean War, 1950-1953
Buddhism
Japanese Americans -- California -- Los Angeles -- Religious life and customs
Naohara, George, 1919-2014 -- Archives
Naohara, Mitzi, 1923-2021 -- Archives
Military Intelligence Service Language School (U.S.)
Manzanar Incarceration Camp
Tule Lake Segregation Center
Jerome Incarceration Camp
Poston Incarceration Camp
- Collection Overview
-
Collection Details
- Conditions Governing Access
- Immediate Source of Acquisition
- Availability of Digital Reproductions
- Arrangement
- Biographical / Historical
- Preferred Citation
- Processing Information
- Digital Reproductions
- CSU Japanese American Digitization Project
- Atsushi Art Ishida Collection
- Scope and Contents
- Separated Materials
- Conditions Governing Use