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Interview with Miyozo Yumibe and Masayo Yumibe, 1986 February 20-April 3

 Item
Identifier: SR 991

Scope and Contents

Audio recording of interview with spouses Miyozo Yumibe (1901-1990) and Masayo Yumibe (1904-1992), with abridged English transcript (35 pages). Miyozo Yumibe (born Miyozo Tanaka) immigrated to the United States in 1917, and Masayo Yumibe immigrated in 1921; they married in 1925 and had five children. Miyozo Yumibe discusses his early life on a rice and wheat farm in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan; his adoption by Masayo Yumibe’s family in 1913; and immigrating to the United States by ship in 1917. He talks about adjusting to life in the Hood River Valley of Oregon, about working in a sawmill, and about his marriage to Masayo Yumibe. Then, Masayo Yumibe discusses her early life on a rice farm in Fukuoka Prefecture, and speaks extensively about attending a girls boarding school. She talks about immigrating to the United States to join her parents in 1921, about adjusting to life in the U.S., and about her marriage to Miyozo Yumibe. She also discusses raising a family. The Yumibes then describe their experiences after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and talk about their incarceration by the U.S. government during World War II. They describe living conditions at the Pinedale Assembly Center in Fresno, California, and at the Tule Lake camp in California, and discuss the loyalty questionnaire that Japanese Americans were required to complete. They also briefly talk about their experiences at the Jerome incarceration camp in Arkansas and the Heart Mountain Camp in Wyoming. They discuss returning to the Hood River Valley after the end of the war, and close the interview by discussing their activities at the time of the interview.

Dates

  • Creation: 1986 February 20-April 3

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Extent

10 audiocassettes (8 hr., 3 min., 30 sec.)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: Japanese

From the Collection: English

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

The audio for Tape 1, Side 1, is missing, and the audio on Tape 4, Side 1 is damaged. These portions of the interview are preserved in the transcript, as translated into English.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

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