Inventory of the Akamine and Fuchita Family Papers SPC.2018.045
Katherine Brunet
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
2019-09-30
University Library South -5039 (Fifth Floor)
1000 E. Victoria St.
Carson, CA 90747
archives@csudh.edu
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
.
Conditions Governing Access
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
The Fuchita Family
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.
Preferred Citation
Related Materials
Scope and Contents
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.
Conditions Governing Use
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
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Japanese Americans
Japanese American families
Manzanar War Relocation Center
Rohwer Relocation Center (Ark.)
Japanese American soldiers
Theological students
Buddhism
box 1, folder 1
"The Campanile 1937" published annually by the senior classes of Belmont High School Los Angeles, California
1937
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 1
"The Campanile" published in 1938 by the Senior Classes of Belmont High School, Los Angeles, California
1938
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 3
"The Campanile 1939" published in 1939 by the Senior Classes of Belmont High School, Los Angeles, California
1939
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 4
Class Day Program of W'40 Belmont High School
January 30, 1940
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 5
"The Campanile" published in 1940 by the Senior Classes of Belmont High School, Los Angeles, California
1940
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 6
Certificates and diplomas awarded to Joseph Fuchita from Van Nuys Elementary, Central Junior High School, and Belmont High
School
Fall 1932-June 28, 1940
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 7
"The 1944 Cardinal" published by The Student Association of Emmanuel Missionary College, Berrien Springs, Michigan
1944
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 8
"The Nineteen Forty-Six" published by the Student Association of Emmanuel Missionary College Berrien Springs, Michigan
1946
Language of Material: English.
General
Includes Cardinal Supplement: Student Directory and handwritten paper with S.F. Fuchita's name and Emmanuel Missionary College.
item Public Use Drive, folder Akamine and Fuchita Family Papers, item akfu_08_01_07
"The Cardinal 1947" published by the Student Association of Emmanuel Missionary College, Berrien Springs, Michigan
1947
Physical Description: 65.2 Megabytes
7 pdfs
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 9
"Seventh Day Adventist Newsletter"
[February 1949]
Language of Material: Japanese.
Contains:
No. 14
item Public Use Drive, folder Akamine and Fuchita Family Papers, folder akfu_08_02
Seventh-day Adventists Theological Seminary Master of Arts in Religion degree award to Sakae Fuchita and four photographs
circa August 25, 1949
Physical Description: 94.7 Megabytes
1 pdf, 4 tif files
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 10
Japan Junior College booklet and paper written in Japanese
[1950; March 25, 1951]
Language of Material: Japanese
box 1, folder 11
"Resume" published by the Classes of 1944 Rohwer Center High School McGehee, Arkansas
1944
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 12
Rowher Center High School Relocation, Arkansas High School diploma for Marjorie Tamiko Morioka
May 19, 1944
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 13
"Resume" published by the Classes of 1944 Rohwer Center High School McGehee, Arkansas [High School Reunion book, 1971]
1971
Language of Material: English.
box 1, folder 14
"Rowher Outpost published intermittently by the First Rohwer Reunion Committee"
October-November 1989
Language of Material: English.
Contains:
Edition No. 3 and 4.
box 2, folder 1
Letter from Shigeno Kuriyama to Kuni Fuchita
December 16, 1948
Language of Material: Japanese
box 2, folder 2
Letter from Sakaye and Yasuko Fuchita to Kumataro and Kuni Fuchita
January 31, 1954
Language of Material: Japanese.
box 2, folder 3
Letter from Sakaye Fuchita to Kumataro and Kuni Fuchita
circa 1953-1955
Language of Material: Japanese
General
Letter dated February 10.
box 2, folder 4
Letter from Sakaye Fuchita to Kumataro and Kuni Fuchita
circa 1953-1959
Language of Material: Japanese
box 2, folder 5
Letter from Sakaye Fuchita to Kumataro and Kuni Fuchita
circa 1953-1960
Language of Material: Japanese
box 2, folder 6
Letter from Kumataro and Kuni Fuchita to Seji and Kaneko Yasumura
circa 1940-1967
Language of Material: Japanese
box 2, folder 7
Letter from Chiyoko Fuchita to Kuni Fuchita
circa 1940-1967
Language of Material: Japanese
box 2, folder 8
Letter from Masayoshi Fuchita to Kumataro Fuchita
circa 1940-1969
Language of Material: Japanese
box 2, folder 9
Service record for Kumataro Fuchita at the Koyasan Buddhist Temple
June 3, 1969
Language of Material: Japanese
box 2, folder 10
Tickets, envelopes, 75th memorial material, and memorial service notifications related to Buddhism and the Koyasan Buddhist
Temple
March 20, 1963-June 6, 1991; undated
Language of Material: Japanese, English.
box 2, folder 11
Documents, envelopes, and other material related to Buddhism and the Koyasan Buddhist Temple
undated
Language of Material: English.
box 5, item 9
Certificate to Masao Yamaji and other commemoration documents from the 75th Commemoration of the Koyasan Buddhist Temple
October 17, 1987
box 2, folder 12
Shigin certificates and program
1945-1948; undated
Language of Material: English.
box 2, folder 13
Copy of a Life History Interview Biographical Data Sheet from the Japanese American National museum from Joseph Isamu Fuchita
undated
Language of Material: English.
box 2, folder 14
Fuchita family tree
September 1, 1991
Language of Material: Japanese.
box 2, folder 15
Notarized Ushi Akamine Family Register
July 18, 1963
Language of Material: Japanese.
General
Facsimile and possibly one page of the original.
box 2, folder 16
Busuke Saito and Lawson Fusao Inada biographical information
undated
Language of Material: English.
box 2, folder 17
Envelopes and notes to the Fuchita family
1953; undated
Language of Material: English.
box 2, folder 18
Tachibana Benkei shigin textbook
undated
Language of Material: Japanese.
box 2, folder 19
Rafu Shimpo newspaper
December 21, 2016
Language of Material: English, Japanese.
Contains:
Number: 32,918
box 2, folder 20
Envelopes, pressed flowers, and other material
undated
Language of Material: English.
box 3
Family photographs and portraits
circa 1880-1980
Language of Material: English.
Scope and Contents
This box includes mounted and individual photographs and portraits of individuals, groups, and families. It also includes
World War II, wedding, vacation, and other photographs related to the families.
box 4
Family photographs and portraits
circa 1920-1980
Scope and Contents
This box includes mounted photographs of groups, portraits, and families. Pictures include family photographs and portraits
of the Fuchita Family, a portrait of Sazuko [Kino], a group photo commemorating Umebayashi, a group photograph of Southern
California Seich-no-Ie, photographs and portraits possibly from Japan of the Yasumura family, and other photos.
box 5, folder 1-4
Joseph Fuchita's photo album
1945-1948
Language of Material: English.
Scope and Contents
Photo album includes photographs of Germany and Los Angeles from July 1945-September 1948, most likely when Joseph Fuchita
served in the military.
Processing Information
Photo album was disassembled for preservation purposes.
item Public Use Drive, folder Akamine and Fuchita Family Papers, folder akfu_09_041
My story life in fotos the years 1941-1948
1942-1948; 1996
Physical Description: 8.89 Gigabytes
152 items, 17 pdfs, 135 tif files
box 5, folder 5
Marjorie Morioka and Joseph Fuchita bridal book
circa 1952
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 6-7
Wedding photographs taken by the Ninomiya Photo Studio
circa 1949-1960
Language of Material: English.
box 5, folder 8
Wedding photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hosaka addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Fuchita and family
undated
Language of Material: English.
box 5, item 10
RTC 208 A Camp Blanding, Florida photograph taken by the Whites Photo Studio
circa 1945-1948
box 6, item 1
Oral history interview with Joseph Isamu Fuchita
November 8, 1996
Material Specific Details: 5 DVDs.
box 6, item 2-3
Oral history interview Eric and Shizuko Akamine
December 20, 1996
Material Specific Details: 2 VHS tapes.
General
Includes 2 VHS tapes. The notes on the first state that it contains half of Eric Akamine's interview. The second VHS tape
states that it is Eric Akamine's oral history interview continued.
box 6, item 4-9
Eric and Skizuko Akamine cassette tapes
December 20, 1996
Material Specific Details: 2 8 mm video cassette tapes, 4 cassette tapes.
General
Possible copies or originals of Eric and Shizuko Akamine's oral history interviews.
