The collection primarily consists of reel-to-reel and cassette tape recordings of oral history interviews that were conducted almost entirely in Japanese, and English-translated transcriptions of interviews. Not all audio recordings have a transcription, and not all transcriptions have an associated recording. Some interviews include more than one person or groups of people, which is noted in each catalog record. Interviews are numbered and all tapes, reels, and transcriptions include the interview number and the interviewee's name.

The Issei Oral History Project was conducted under the authority of the Board of Governors of the Issei Oral History Project Inc. and the Rev. Heihachiro Takarabe between 1969 and 1980. The project recorded 207 personal interviews of Issei (first generation) Japanese immigrants who lived in Sacramento and other areas of Northern California. In their oral histories, interviewees discuss their lives in Japan, coming to the United States, where they worked and lived in California, their experiences during and after the incarceration of Japanese in the U.S. during World War II, and social and religious activities.

12.33 Linear Feet (12 boxes)

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.

Collection is open for research use.