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Suzuki (Claire [Tsuyuko Fukumitsu] and Isao) Papers

2003.2

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Table of contents

Collection Contents

Series 1 Tsuyuko (Fukumitsu) Suzuki collection

Physical Description: 3 boxes, 2 folders

Biographical Note

Tsuyuko Fukumitsu, later Suzuki, adopted Claire as her English name after Mrs. Woodward, a teacher at the English school in Nevada, called her Clara after the actress Clara Bow When her family moved to Sacramento in 1935, she enrolled in Mrs. Toriumi’s sewing school for three years. In 1940, she attended a women’s finishing school in Japan where she learned embroidery and other sewing techniques. A year later, she returned to Sacramento and opened her own sewing school. In addition to instructing apprentices, she tailored and sewed clothing designs for clients. Shortly after she opened her school, the bombing at Pearl Harbor occurred, and the War Relocation Authority deported her family to Tule Lake in 1942.

At Tule Lake, Tsuyuko taught sewing classes and organized fashion shows. In 1943, the WRA issued her an Order of Merit for her teaching. In 1945, she became a registered student of the New York Fashion Academy, taking a course remotely from camp until she was released on November 28. After that, she continued her education onsite in New York. Upon graduation, she landed a job with a wedding dress designer in Los Angeles. Later she worked for Dorothy O'Hara during the 1950s, drafting and draping her dress designs.

Scope and Content

This series consists of various artifacts Tsuyuko either produced or owned. These include a 3 ring binder sewing sample scrapbook she made as a reference for her students, a roster list for a sewing class she taught at Tule Lake, an autograph book her Tule Lake students signed thanking her and congratulating her on her acceptance into fashion design school, two Dorothy O’Hara dresses she produced, a framed embroidery landscape image she made, a gold compact case she received from Mayor Hill of Newport Beach, and a Dritz tracing paper packet.

Series 2 Isao Suzuki papers 1940-1949

Physical Description: 30 folders

Scope and Content

This series consists of correspondence, documents, artifacts, and diaries relating to Isao’s incarceration and his post-war life.

File 1 Isao Suzuki correspondence 1942-1949

Scope and Content

Contains correspondence in the form of letters and postcards Isao sent to and received from friends in other concentration camps or cities during his time at Jerome and Tule Lake. Also contains correspondence addressed to the Suzuki family during the war and letters Isao received after the war. Correspondence is in English and Japanese.

File 2 Isao Suzuki diaries 1942-1946

Scope and Content

This file consists of three diaries Isao wrote about his experiences in the Santa Anita detention facility in 1942, the Jerome concentration camp in 1943, and Cleveland, Ohio in 1946. The diaries are written in Japanese, with the occasional English phrase.

File 3 Concentration Camp documents and artifact 1941-1944

Scope and Content

This file contains a directory of residents in Block 5, a WRA document announcing he was left off his block manager job, a black watercolor drawing Isao painted on the back of an exclusion order poster while at Santa Anita, and a plaque for an Ikebana instructor.

Series 3 Wayne M. Collins renunciation case documents and correspondence 1952-1959

Physical Description: 6 folders

Historical Note

Shortly after he arrived at Tule Lake, Isao filled out a form to renounce his U.S. citizenship, given the high amount of anxiety and peer pressure in his situation. He believed his application had been rejected since he wasn’t notified it went into effect until 1949, well after he had left the camp. With the help of civil rights attorney Wayne M. Collins, he successfully regained his U.S. citizenship in 1955.

Scope and Content

The file contains correspondence attorney Wayne M. Collins sent Isao regarding his case, the affidavit Isao filled out explaining his reasons for renouncing citizenship, an eight page brochure outlining events leading to renunciation, final judgement documents from the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, and a letter from the Tule Lake Defense Committee regarding their intent to send Collins a monetary gift for his services.

Series 4 Japanese American Evacuation Claims Act compensation documents 1952

Physical Description: 1 folder

Scope and Content

This series contains two documents notifying Isao and Tsuyuko that the federal government has compensated them with $530.000 and $480.000 respectively as required by the Japanese American Evacuation Claims Act of 1948.

Series 5 Fukumitsu and Suzuki photographs 1941-1945 1920-1965

Physical Description: 1 box, 6 folders

Scope and Content

Contains one family photograph album and loose photographs of Isao’s childhood, Tsuyuko’s high school, Tule Lake group photos, Tsuyuko’s Tule Lake sewing class, and the Claire & Ken, Inc. opening party. There is one 1927 photograph of Japanese friendship dolls.

2003.2.84 Family photograph album

Description

This scrapbook-style photo album, compiled by Yukie Kawase, consists mainly of photographs with some newspaper clippings, correspondence, and other mementos pertaining to the Fukumitsu family. Kawase wrote handwritten notes relaying the historical context of photographs in the album. A majority of the album consists of photographs from Yukie and Tsuyuko’s upbringing and their incarceration at Tule Lake. The latter third covers Tsuyuko’s post-war career, including her fashion design studies, job with Dorothy O’Hara, the Snowbirds Ice Cream store, and Claire & Ken, Inc. The most contemporary items are two photographs of Tsuyuko and Yukie visiting JANM in 1993 and two thank you letters addressed to Yukie from college students who received the Isao and Tsuyuko Suzuki Memorial Scholarship through the JACL.

Collection Contents

Tsuyuko (Fukumitsu) Suzuki collection

Isao Suzuki papers

Wayne M. Collins renunciation case documents and correspondence

Japanese American Evacuation Claims Act compensation documents

Fukumitsu and Suzuki photographs