Collection Guide
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Akamine and Fuchita Family Papers
SPC.2018.045
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: Akamine and Fuchita Family Papers
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2018.045
Physical Description:
6 boxes
Physical Description:
2.51 Linear Feet
Physical Description:
209 Megabytes
, 24 PDF files, 157 jpeg files
Date (inclusive): circa 1880-December 20, 1996
Abstract: This collection includes letters, certificates, photographs, scrapbooks, high school yearbooks, oral history interviews, and
other material related to the Akamine, Fuchita, and Yasumura families. Subjects in the collection include the Manzanar and
Rowher incarceration camps, Koyasan Buddhist Temple, Buddhism, World War II, and other topics. Most of this collection is
digitized and available online.
Language of Material:
Japanese
, English
.
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
Kumantaro and Kuni Mary (Yasumura) Fuchita (1891-1967) moved from Japan to the United States around 1916. Kumantaro and Kuni
had three children together, Chiyoko Jean (1917), Sakae Frank (1918-2008), and Joseph Isamu (1920-2002). In 1942 the family
moved to the Manzanar incarceration camp. Sakae Fuchita left the camp in 1943 to attend the Emmanuel Missionary College (now
Andrews University) in Berrien Springs, Michigan. He graduated in 1943 and went on to receive his Master of Arts in Religion
from the Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary in 1949. Joseph Fuchita registered for the draft in 1942. He lived in
Chicago in 1943 and was sent to basic training at Camp Balding in September 1944. Joseph did several tours for the Army until
1948 when he returned home for family matters.
Joseph and Marjorie Fuchita
Joseph and Marjorie Tamiko (Morioka) Fuchita (1923-1980) were married on June 19, 1952, in Alhambra, California. They had
two children, Lynn (Fuchita) Akamine (1957-) and Gary Fuchita (1963-).
Sakae and Yasuko Fuchita
After completing two years at seminary school and graduating in 1949, Sakae moved to Japan and began his career as a theology
teacher and pastor. He taught theology and history at the Japan Missionary College. In Japan, Sakae and his wife, Yasuko,
had two children, Esther Junko and Joseph Naoru. In 1962 the Fuchita family moved back to the United States. Sakae continued
his education at the University of Southern California and received his teaching credential for junior high and high school.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection contains two separate accessions and digital reproductions from the loaned material. The first accession was
donated in 2017 by Lynn Akamine. After the first accession, Akamine loaned material to the Archives and Special Collections
to be digitized for the CSUJAD project, and digital reproductions were created from the loaned material.
A second accession was also added in 2018, by a different family member, Esther Junko Fuchita. Fuchita donated and loaned
material to the Archives. Loaned material was digitized for the CSUJAD project and the digital reproductions were donated
to the Archives and Special Collections.
Loaned material has been returned to one of the donors.
Existence and Location of Originals
This collection contains digital reproductions created from loaned material. The donors retained the original items.
For information about citing archival material, see the
Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.
This collection is part of the California State University Japanese American Digitization Project. For more information:
CSU Japanese American Digitization Project.
The Akamine and Fuchita Family Papers (circa 1880-December 20, 1996) contains 2.51 linear feet and 209 mb of letters, certificates,
oral histories, yearbooks, scrapbooks, photographs, and other ephemera related to the Akamine, Fuchita, and Yasumura families.
The collection mostly focuses on the Fuchita family, who moved from Japan to the United States around 1916. The collection
documents their time in Japan, California, the Manzanar incarceration camp, and their lives after camp.
The first box in the collection relates to school and includes school yearbooks, digitized school yearbooks and diplomas,
and certificates. The school yearbooks are from Belmont High School, Emmanuel Missionary College (now Andrews University),
and the Rowher incarceration camp. The second box contains letters, family tree information, and material related to the Koyasan
Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles. The rest of the collection includes photographs and oral history interviews. The photos, photo
albums, and digitized photo albums include images from Japan, the Manzanar incarceration camp, and World War II era military
photographs. It also contains graduation, wedding, and family photographs. The oral history interviews were recorded on DVDS,
cassette tapes, and VHS tapes. The interviewees include Joseph Ismau Fuchita, Eric Akamine, and Shizuko Akamine.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of 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.
Processing Information for Digitized Material
The Gerth Archives and Special Collections created digital reproductions from the original material for long-term preservation
and access. These preservation files (44.1 Gb, 792 tif files) were scanned to and stored on the Gerth Archives and Special
Collections Deparment Drive. For more information on the best practices and standards for the digitization process, please
see:
CSUJAD Techincal Reference Guide
Processing Information for Physical Material
This collection was processed in 2018 by an Katherine Brunet. It was reprocessed by Jennifer Hill in 2019.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
The access files are PDF and JPG files stored on the Public Use Drive. Access to the files is available on-site in the Gerth
Archives and Special Collections reading room. Please request copies at the reference desk.
Existence and Location of Copies
Some of the collection has been digitized and is available at the CSU Japanese American Digitization Project site:
Akamine and Fuchita Family Papers.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Japanese Americans
Japanese American families
Manzanar War Relocation Center
Rohwer Relocation Center (Ark.)
Japanese American soldiers
Theological students
Buddhism
- Collection Overview
-
Collection Details
- Conditions Governing Access
- The Fuchita Family
- Immediate Source of Acquisition
- Existence and Location of Originals
- Preferred Citation
- Related Materials
- Scope and Contents
- Conditions Governing Use
- Processing Information for Digitized Material
- Processing Information for Physical Material
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
- Existence and Location of Copies