Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
History
Scope and Content
Organization and Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Related Material
Descriptive Summary
Title: Sumitomo Bank of California photographs
Date (inclusive): 1976
Collection number: 2010
Creator:
Sumitomo Bank of California
Extent:
2 oversize boxes (Box 765 and 873)
Abstract: The Sumitomo Bank of California Photographs are enlarged and mounted black and white reproductions of photographs depicting
the accomplishments and daily life of Japanese Americans from 1887 to 1976. The majority of the photographs document Japanese
living on the west coast, particularly in California. These photograph reproductions were originally part of "The Japanese
American Contribution" exhibit hosted by the Sumitomo Bank of California in 1976.
Language: Finding aid is written in
English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Administrative Information
Restrictions on Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
The Japanese American Research Project (JARP) was established in 1962 jointly by the Japanese American Citizens League and
the University of California, Los Angeles. Materials in the collection were donated after JARP was established.
Processing Note
Processed by Tiffany-Kay Sangwand in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Kelley Wolfe
Bachli, Winter 2008.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Sumitomo Bank of California photographs (Collection 2010). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles
E. Young Research Library.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
History
In 1953, the Sumitomo Bank of California was founded in Los Angeles and provided financial assistance to emerging Japanese
businessmen. In 1955, it opened another branch in Sacramento. By 1976, it operated twenty-three branches in California and
was headquartered in San Francisco. In 1976, it hosted a photograph exhibit entitled "The Japanese American Contribution"
which celebrated the bicentennial of Japanese immigration to the U.S.
Scope and Content
The photographs from the Sumitomo Bank of California exhibit, "The Japanese American Contribution," document the accomplishments
and daily life of the Japanese in the U.S., from early immigrants to contemporary figures. The photographs are in black and
white and the originals from which they were produced range in date from 1887 to 1976. The original photographs were lent
for reproduction by various contributors in California. The reproductions were enlarged and mounted on boards. The scope
and content note for each photograph was taken directly from the exhibit's photo captions.
All of the photographs depict Japanese American life on the west coast; all the photographs were taken in California, with
the exception of two photographs from Washington state and Hawaii. Photographs of accomplishments include the first Japanese-owned
nursery in California, Issei (first generation Japanese) who served in World War I, Ken Nakazawa, the first Japanese professor
at USC, Chiura Obata, the first Japanese art professor at UC Berkeley, actor / movie star Sessue Hayakawa, the founders of
the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), architect Minoru Yamasaki, Olympic coach Yoshihiro Uchida, Olympic athlete Makoto
Sakamoto, Olympic medalist Tommy Kono, President Gerald Ford signing the termination of Executive Order 9066. Photographs
of daily life include Gizaemon Akahoshi, a Japanese laundryman, Japanese railroad workers, fishermen, farmers, and students,
Los Angeles Little Tokyo in the early 1900s, Nihonmachi (Little Tokyo) in San Francisco during the 1930s, an early group of
newly naturalized Isseis, the Sumitomo Bank of California branches in Los Angeles and Sacramento, Nisei Week festival in Los
Angeles, Cherry Blossom festival in San Francisco, and the Manzanar internment camp.
Organization and Arrangement
The photographs are separated by size and arranged by chronological order within each box.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Sumitomo Bank of California --Archives.
Japanese American Research Project (University of California, Los Angeles).
Genres and Forms of Material
Photographs.
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