Guide to the California Superior Court (Sacramento County) Alien Land Law case files

Sean Heyliger

Center for Sacramento History

551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd.

Sacramento, California 95811-0229

Phone: (916) 808-7072

Fax: (916) 264-7582

Email: csh@cityofsacramento.org

URL: http://www.centerforsacramentohistory.org/

Guide to the California Superior Court (Sacramento County) Alien Land Law case files

Collection number: CNTY0015

Center for Sacramento History

Sacramento, CA

Processed by:: Sean Heyliger
Date Completed:: 10/03/2019
Encoded by:: Sean Heyliger

Descriptive Summary

Title: California Superior Court (Sacramento County) Alien Land Law case files

Dates: 1920-1947

Collection number: CNTY0015

Creator: California. Superior Court (Sacramento County)

Collection Size: .75 linear feet (1 box)

Repository: Center for Sacramento History

Sacramento, California 95811-0229

Abstract: The California Superior Court (Sacramento County) Alien Land Law case files include annual reports submitted to the California Superior Court of Sacramento County by Japanese Americans certifying that they were the legal guardians of children in whose name real estate and other property was transferred following passage of the California Alien Land Law of 1920. Each report includes descriptions of real estate, expenditures, income, stocks, and other assets owned by Japanese American minors in the name of their parental guardians. There are a few cases of family assets held by attorneys or others acting as trustees of property such as the case of Leonard Monduran (L.M.) Landsborough who held property in trust for several Japanese American families.

Physical location: 17L5

Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Access

Collection is open for research use.

Publication Rights

All requests to publish or quote from private collections held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted in writing to csh@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of CSH as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the patron. No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item and/or item number], [box and folder number], California Superior Court (Sacramento County) Alien Land Law case files, CNTY0015, Center for Sacramento History.

Processing Information

Finding aid created by Sean Heyliger October 2019.

Biography / Administrative History

The California Alien Land Law of 1920 was a ballot initiative passed by California voters on November 2, 1920. The primary purpose of the law was to close legal loopholes of the Webb–Haney Act (Alien Land Law Act of 1913) which severely restricted the ability of residents of the United States who were ineligible at the time to become U.S. citizens (people of Asian ancestry) from owning or leasing farm land in California. The law targeted Japanese American farmers who increasingly owned farm land and were subject to the law.

The 1920 Alien Land Law closed loopholes in the 1913 law by banning all leasing or renting of agricultural land by ineligible residents and banning the purchase or holding or stock in agricultural corporations. Japanese American farmers could still transfer real estate and stock to their children, who were able to own land as legal citizens. The law required Japanese American farmers to submit annual reports to the Superior Court identifying the minor in whose name the land was transferred. The 1920 Alien Land Law was supported by many of the fraternal and labor organizations across California including the Native Sons of the Golden West, American Legion of California, Exclusion League, and California Grange. The argument in favor the law that appeared on the ballot measure was written by Valentine Stuart (V.S.) McClatchy, who at the time was co-owner of the Sacramento Bee newspaper with his brother C.K. McClatchy, while John Irish, publisher of the Oakland Times and outspoken opponent to anti-Japanese and anti-Chinese racism, wrote the argument in opposition to the initiative. The Alien Land Law was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1923 in the case of Porterfield vs. Webb and was not overturned until 1952 with the case of Sei Fuji v. California which determined that the law was in violation of the 14th amendment of equal protection under the law.

Scope and Content of Collection

The California Superior Court (Sacramento County) Alien Land Law case files include annual reports submitted to the California Superior Court of Sacramento County by Japanese Americans certifying that they were the legal guardians of children in whose name real estate and other property was transferred following passage of the California Alien Land Law of 1920. Each report includes descriptions of real estate, expenditures, income, stocks, and other assets owned by Japanese American minors in the name of their parental guardians. There are a few cases of family assets held by attorneys or others acting as trustees of property such as the case of Leonard Monduran (L.M.) Landsborough who held property in trust for several Japanese American families. The case files are organized alphabetically by last name of parental guardian and includes the names of minors or trustees in whose name property and assets were transferred.

Arrangement

Series 1. Alien Land Law case files Series 2. Amendments to constitution and proposed statutes with arguments respecting the same [Alien Land Law initiative on the 1920 California ballot]

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

California. Superior Court (Sacramento County)

Discrimination--California

Japanese American families--California

Japanese American farmers--California

Japanese Americans--California--Sacramento--History

Series 1. Alien Land Law case files

Physical Description: 20 folders

Series Scope and Content Summary

Case files include annual reports submitted to the California Superior Court of Sacramento County by Japanese Americans certifying that they were the legal guardians of children in whose name real estate and other property was transferred following passage of the California Alien Land Law of 1920. Each report includes descriptions of real estate, expenditures, income, stocks, and other assets owned by Japanese American minors in the name of their parental guardians who were barred from legally owning property following the passage of the 1920 California Alien Land law. There are a few cases of family assets held by attorneys or others acting as trustees of property such as the case of Leonard Monduran (L.M.) Landsborough who held property in trust for several Japanese American families.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by last name

Box 1:1

Akahoshi, Zenkichi (guardian) / Itsu and Daniel Heishiro Akahoshi (minors) 1935-01-29

Box 1:1

Aoyama, Daizo (guardian) / Kikie Aoyama (minor) 1936-1942

Box 1:1

Aragaki, Tokukyo (guardian) / Fred and Hatsuyo Aragaki (minors) 1936-1940

Box 1:1

Bowen, Mary (trustee) / Okusu, Toshiko (minor) Sierra View Farm, Inc. stock 1921-1924

Box 1:2

Doi, Shoichi (guardian) / Masayuki and Mildred Doi (minors) 1941-1943

Box 1:3

French, H. Nelson (trustee) / David and Bobby Jan (deceased) 1929-1935

Box 1:3

French, H. Nelson (trustee) / Y.T. Kwan (guardian) and Philip Kwan (minor) 1926

Box 1:3

Fujita, Sasayo (guardian) / Fusako Fujita (minor) 1941

Box 1:3

Fukuda, Shoichi (guardian) / Joseph Teruaki Fukuda (minor) 1932-1944

Box 1:4

Fukushima, T. (guardian) and J. J. Garvey (guardian) / Fukushima, Tsutomu and Minoru (minors) 1924-1929

Box 1:4

Gotan, Ginichi (guardian) / Yoneko, Teruko, and Masao Gotan (minors) 1935

Box 1:5

Hamai, Isaburo (guardian) / Utako and Thomas Itsuo Hamai (minors) 1942

Box 1:5

Hamai, Tome (guardian) / Grace Utako Hamai and Thomas Itsuo Hamai (minors) 1935-1936

Box 1:5

Hayashida, Chugoro (guardian) / Kikuye Hayashida (minor) 1935-1944

Box 1:5

Hiraga, H. and Tomitaro (guardians) / Chikeko, Takeo, and Kikuye Hiraga (minors) 1924-1936

Box 1:6

Hirata, Toyoso (guardian) / Yoshiro and Akira Hirata (minors) 1935-1936

Box 1:6

Hiroshima, H. (guardian) / Kiyoko, Shigazi, and Masami Hiroshima (minors) 1923-1935

Box 1:6

Horita, Yaichi (guardian) / Kazuko Horita (minor) 1941-1944

Box 1:7

Inai, G.Y. (guardian) / Naomi and Susanna Inai (minors) 1933-1942

Box 1:7

Inamoto, John Haruhisa (guardian) / Masako and Takahisa Inamoto (minors) 1924-1926

Box 1:7

Ishikawa, Saijiro (guardian) / Sachiko Ishikawa (minor) 1923-1931

Box 1:7

Iwatsuru, Kazuo (guardian) / Ichihei Iwatsuru (minor) 1941

Box 1:8

Kadokawa, M. (guardian) / Hideo Kadokawa (minor) 1927-1931

Box 1:8

Kambara, Motomu (guardian) / Mary Michiko and George Kiyoshi Kambara (minors) 1921-1936

Box 1:9

Kataoka, Kanichi (guardian) / Kimichika Kataoka (minor) 1940-1942

Box 1:9

Katsumata, Shosuke (guardian) / Hiroshi Katsumata (minor) 1932-1941

Box 1:9

Kawaguchi, Sukeshiro (guardian) / Yoshiyuki Kawaguchi (minor) 1941-1942

Box 1:9

Kawaji, Shunjiro (guardian) / Miyuki and Toshiaki Kawaji (minor) 1936

Box 1:9

Kihara, Yoroku (guardian) / Susumu Taketa (minor) 1943

Box 1:9

Kishaba, Kame (guardian) / Masahiro Kishiba and Tomihiro Kishaba (minors) 1941-1942

Box 1:9

Kobayashi, Aijiro (guardian) / Osame and Hatsune Kobayashi (minors) 1924-1936

Box 1:3

Koki Fujiwara (guardian) / Fujiwara, Tateko and Masai (minors) 1925-1929

Box 1:9

Koyama, Unosuke (guardian) / Toshio and Isamu Koyama ( minors) 1936-1943

Box 1:10

Kurima, Koichi (guardian) / Morio and Matsuto Kurima (minors) 1924-1933

Box 1:10

Kuwamoto, Mutsuko (guardian) / Shigeo, Seiichi, Takashi, and Ayako Kuwamoto (minors) 1921-1923

Box 1:10

Kwan, Y.T. (guardian) / Phillip Kwan (minor) 1922-1930

Box 1:11

Landsborough, Leonard Monduran (L.M.) (guardian) / Masako, Fusaye, Yuiye, and Misao Seno (minors), children of T. Seno 1921-1925

Box 1:11

Landsborough, Leonard Monduran (L.M.) (guardian) / Osame and Hatsune Kobayashi (minors) 1921-1923

Box 1:11

Landsborough, Leonard Monduran (L.M.) (guardian) / Persimmon Orchard Company 1925

Box 1:11

Landsborough, Leonard Monduran (L.M.) and Henrietta (guardian) / Kakifu Chiasawa (minor) 1921-1931

Box 1:11

Landsborough, Leonard Monduran (L.M.) and Henrietta (guardian) / Kakifu Chiasawa (minor) 1921-1931

Box 1:11

Landsborough, Leonard Monduran (L.M.) and Henrietta (guardian) / Toshio and Tsutomu Umeda (minors) 1924-1936

Box 1:12

Masaki, Kuichi (guardian) / Tomiye and Akito Masaki (minors) 1941-1942

Box 1:12

Matsui, Yazaemon (guardian) / Umeno and Sadamasa (minors) 1935-1936

Box 1:12

Mayeda, Hisa (guardian) / Michi and Tokiye Mayeda (minors) 1941-1944

Box 1:12

Minamide, Fujitaro and Koharu (guardians) / Kazuko and Nobuko Minamide (minors) 1936-1941

Box 1:12

Mitsuyoshi, Hikosaburo (guardian) / Harry Yoshio Mitsyoshi (minor) 1947

Box 1:12

Miyakawa, T. (trustee) / P. Key Miyakawa and Agnes Yoshiko Miyakawa (minors) 1921-1927

Box 1:12

Miyaoka, Kuichi (guardian) / Toshiaki and Ben Miyaoka (minors) 1940-1942

Box 1:12

Miyoshi, S. (guardian) / Annie and Nobu Miyoshi (minors) 1930-1934

Box 1:13

Nagahashi, D. (guardian) / Yoshiro and Shunji Nagahashi (minors) 1923-1926

Box 1:13

Nagai, Yonezo (guardian) / Michiko, Hisashi, and Yoshiko Nagai (minors) 1941

Box 1:13

Nagao, Katsutaro (guardian) / Ichiro and Michiko Nagao (minors) 1935-1942

Box 1:13

Nakamura, Saichi (guardian) / Kimiyo and Chiyoko Nakamura (minors) 1941-1942

Box 1:13

Nakano, Jirokichi (guardian) / Masato, Shigeo, and Shunzo Nakano (minors) 1941

Box 1:13

Nakashima, Tarosuke (guardian) / Yoshio and Haruko Nakashima (minors) 1936-1942

Box 1:13

Nakashima, Tarosuke (guardian) / Yuriko Nakashima (minor) 1936-1941

Box 1:13

Nenashi, Sadaji (guardian) / Sadako Nenashi (minor) 1942

Box 1:13

Nishijima, Shuzo (guardian) / Yutaka and Kanji Nishijima (minors) 1936-1942

Box 1:13

Nishimura, Masajiro (guardian) / Masayuki Nishimura (minor) 1936

Box 1:13

Nishimura, Nitaro (guardian) / Toshiko and Yoshiko Nishimura (minors) 1932

Box 1:14

Oganeko, Tokuryo (guardian) / Yoko and Tokushige Oganeku (minors) 1941-1942

Box 1:14

Oki, Magoichi (guardian) / Richard Kazumasa and Georg Shoichi Oki (minors) 1940-1941

Box 1:14

One, S. (guardian) / Seiichi One (minor) 1921-1940

Box 1:15

Sasai, Masuzo (guardian) / Masumi and Tadashi Masai (minors) 1940-1942

Box 1:15

Sato, Tomejiro (guardian) / Mitsuho Alwin and Kiyoshi Arthur Sato (minors) 1941-1943

Box 1:15

Sawamura, Senkichi (guardian) / Nobuo and Yuji Sawamura (minors) 1936-1943

Box 1:15

Senda, Ginzo (guardian) / Tadashi Senda (minor) 1936-1941

Box 1:15

Senda, Iwakichi (guardian) / Shizuye Senda (minor) 1936

Box 1:15

Seno, Takamatsu (guardian) / Masako, Fusaye, and Yakiye Seno (minors) 1924-1932

Box 1:16

Shiba, Taro (guardian) / Motoyuki Shiba (minor) 1921

Box 1:16

Shibata, K. (guardian) / Keigi Nishi, Ellis Nishi, and Osamu Okomoto (shares of Tokay Vineyard Company) 1922-1923

Box 1:16

Shiizaki, Masukichi (guardian) / Kazuko Shiizaki (minor) 1936-1942

Box 1:16

Sugimoto, Chuichi (guardian) / Chiyoko and Mary Sugimoto (minors) 1940-1941

Box 1:16

Sumida, Heishiro (guardian) / Roy Kazuo Sumida (minor) 1935-1942

Box 1:17

Tagaki, Tomokichi (guardian) / Toshiye, Takao, and Tamiko Tagaki (minors) 1935-1942

Box 1:17

Takai, Mutsuko (nee Kuwamoto) (guardian) / Shigeo, Seichi, Takashi, and Ayako Kuwamoto (minors) 1924-1933

Box 1:17

Takemoto, Yoshitaro (guardian) / Sadako and Kenichi Takemoto (minors) 1921-1931

Box 1:17

Takeoka, K. (guardian) / Mikeo, Tadashi, and Kaneo Takeoka (minors) 1932

Box 1:18

Tamura, Shokichi (guardian) / Haku and Kazunao Tamura (minors) 1924-1932

Box 1:18

Tanabe, Kichizo (guardian) / Yoshinori Tanabe (minors) 1936-1940

Box 1:18

Taniguchi, Nobutaka (guardian) / Edith Taniguchi (minor) 1942

Box 1:18

Terasaki, Seitaro (guardian) / Namiye Terasaki (minor) 1936-1942

Box 1:18

Toki, Masao (guardian) / Minoru Toki (minor) 1943-1944

Box 1:18

Toye, M. (guardian) / Hideo Kadokawa (minor) 1932

Box 1:10

Trebilcox, M.F. (guardian) / Phillip Kwan (minor) 1927-1930

Box 1:19

Tsuji, Fumi (guardian) / Isamu and Shigeko Tsuji (minor) 1924-1935

Box 1:19

Tsukamoto, Kuzo (guardian) / Hatsuko, Tsukamoto, and Iwao Tsukamoto (minors) 1929

Box 1:20

Urokogata, Kamekichi (guardian) / Kimiye and Akira Urokogata (minors) 1936-1942

Box 1:20

Watagi, B. and Naoto (guardians) / Yoroku Kihara (minor) 1932-1934

Box 1:20

Yamada, M. (guardian) / Akira Yamada (minor) 1921

Box 1:20

Yamada, Toraki (guardian) / Torao Yamada (minor) 1936-1941

Box 1:20

Yasui, Sadachi (guardian) / (Yoshinori Tanabe (minor) 1930-1932

Box 1:21

Series 2. Amendments to constitution and proposed statutes with arguments respecting the same [Alien Land Law initiative on the 1920 California ballot] 1920

Physical Description: 1 folder