JACL-CCDC
Japanese
American
Oral
History
Collection MSS.1011
Collection
Japanese
Americans Citizens League (JACL), the
oral
histories
were initiated by the late Izumi Taniguchi, a retired professor of Economics at California State University, Fresno.
oral
history project with
Japanese
Americans
in the San Joaquin Valley. This grant was funded by the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and allowed the group to
purchase a video camera and get some training in how to conduct
oral
histories. The San Joaquin Valley
Japanese
American
History Project, as it was named by Taniguchi, was later sponsored by the Asian American Studies Program in the School of
Social Sciences at California State University, Fresno. The purpose of the project was to document "the history and contributions
of Japanese Americans and their organizations in the San Joaquin Valley, [the] state, and the country" (Box 1, Release agreement,
undated). Volunteer interviewers from the Fresno Chapter and the Central California District Council of the JACL videotaped
interviews with Japanese Americans, primarily the Nisei (second generation) from Merced County to Kern County to make them
available for research and other scholarly purposes. Izumi Taniguchi and Grace Kimoto of the Livingston-Merced Chapter of
the JACL took a lead role in the keeping the project going although the goal was always to have people in every JACL chapter
in the Central Valley take an active role in conducting interviews.
Japanese
American
Oral
History
collection measures 5 linear inches and dates from 1999 to 2005. The collection primarily contains videotaped interviews
and transcripts. Supporting documents within the collection include a copy of the release agreement required of each interviewee,
list of interviews, and Polaroid photographs. The photographs were taken of seven interview subjects, Martha Kajiwara, Tadashi
Kanemoto, Sherman Kishi, Lloyd Kurihara, Sam Maeda, Robert Ohki and Robert Yano. Each photograph is labeled.
Background histories on CCDC and JACL chapters, [1999]
Biographical notes, [2003]
Interview listing, undated
Interview questions, undated
JACL grant application, 1998
Outline for Izumi Taniguchi talk, undated
Photographs, undated
Release agreement, undated
Transcripts (DVDs included)
Abe, George and Jean (1 hr. 45 min.), 1999
Andow, Eric (1 hr. 59 min.), 1999
Hamaguchi, Gene (1 hr 30 min.), 1999
Hashimoto, Fred (1 hr. 9 min.), 1999
Hiraoka, Shim (2 DVDs; 3 hrs. 12 min.), 1999
Hirasuna, Fred and Setsu (58 min.), 1999
Hirose, Toshie (1 hr. 2 min.), 2005
Ihara, Ruth Okuye (1 hr. 31 min.), 1999
Kaji, Hugo (20 min.), 1999
Kajiwara, Martha (see Photographs) (1 hr. 14 min.), 1999
Kanemoto, Tadashi (ca. 1 hr.), 2003
Kirihara, James "Jake" (2 DVDs; 1 hr. 28 min.), undated
Kishi, Sherman (see Photographs) (38 min.), undated
Kiyomoto, George Yoji (2 DVDs; 3 hrs 52 min.), 2005
Kurihara, Lloyd (see Photographs) (1 hr. 33 min.), 2004
Kusakai, Hiroshi (1 hr.), 1999
Kuwamoto, Satoshi (1 hr. 26 min.), 1999
Maeda, Sam (see Photographs) (1 hr. 17 min.), 1999
Masada, Marion (1 hr. 44 min.), 2005
Masada, Saburo (1 hr. 43 min.), 2005
Masuda, Mamoru (1 hr. 12 min.), 1999
Masuda, Nori (53 min.), undated
Moore, Anne (1 hr. 50 min.), 2005
Nagatani, James K. (1 hr. 6 min.), 1999
Nishio, Frank (1 hr. 18 min.), 1999
Niizawa, Johnny and Yo (54 min.), 2004
Ohki, Robert (see Photographs) (1 hr. 26 min.), 1999
Okada, George (ca. 1 hr.), 2003
Suzuki, Frank (1 hr. 32 min.), 2002
Tange, Kiichi (1 hr. 5 min.), 1999
Taniguchi, Izumi (2 DVDs; 4 hrs. 18 min.), 2000
Tanioka, Fude (54 min.), 2000
Tanji, Gilbert (47 min.), 1999
Tashima, Frances (1 hr. 9 min.), 1999
Tsutsui, Takashi (1 hr. 59 min.), 2005
Yano, Robert (see Photographs) (1 hr. 26 min.), 2004
Yonaki, Sadawo (35 min.), 1999