Description
George Hoshida (1907-1985) was incarcerated in Hawaii following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He was separated from his family
for two years. This collection primarily consists of correspondence written by the Hoshida family while separated during World
War II. It also contains artwork created by Hoshida to document camp life, legal documents, government documents, and notes.
Background
George Hoshida (1907-1985) was born in Japan and immigrated to Hilo, Hawaii with his family in 1912. His formal education
ended when he graduated from junior high school, later earning his GED after the war. Hoshida began working for Hilo Electric
Company, married his wife Tamae, and started a family. He had four daughters: Taeko, June, Sandra, and Carole. Although he
professed little interest in international politics, Hoshida’s Buddhist faith coupled with his leadership in the temple and
interest in Judo led him to be classified as potentially dangerous by the government following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
He was arrested and incarcerated in Kilauea Military Camp. Over the next two years Hoshida would be transferred to the following
Department of Justice camps: Sand Island detention facility (Honolulu Harbor, Hawaii); Fort Sam Houston (San Antonio, Texas);
Lordsburg Internment Camp (Camp Lordsburg, New Mexico); Santa Fe Internment Camp (Santa Fe, New Mexico). Hoshida was separated
from his wife and family during the first two years of his incarceration.
Restrictions
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Collections
Management and Access Unit (collections@janm.org).
Availability
By appointment only.
Please contact the Collections Management and Access Unit by email (collections@janm.org) or telephone (213-830-5615).