Oral history interview with John Y. Murakami

Collection

Identifier: SR 952

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with John Y. Murakami was conducted by George Katagiri from July 13-20, 1992, at Murakami’s home in Portland, Oregon. The interview was recorded as part of the Japanese American Oral History Project, which was conducted by the Oregon Historical Society to preserve the stories of Japanese Americans in Oregon. This interview was conducted in three sessions.

In the first interview session, conducted on July 13, 1992, Murakami discusses his family background and early life on a farm in Sherwood, Oregon, and in Portland, Oregon. He talks about the grocery store that his father, Shuichi Sam Murakami, owned; his experience during the Depression; and his education. He discusses jobs he worked after dropping out of high school and talks about playing in the Nisei Baseball League.

In the second interview session, conducted on July 14, 1992, Murakami continues discussing his experiences in the Nisei Baseball League, as well as his interest in other sports. He also talks about his social life as a teenager. He speaks about a few instances of prejudice that he experienced. He discusses his experience in the U.S. Army, serving in the European Theater during World War II. He also talks about the U.S. government’s incarceration of his family at the Minidoka War Relocation Center, and about his marriage to Sumi Matsushita. He then discusses his life in Portland after his discharge from the Army in 1945, including working in construction and teaching building construction at Benson Polytechnic High School.

In the third and final interview session, conducted on July 20, 1992, Murakami talks about his children, their education, their families, and their careers. He then talks about his retirement activities, particularly his involvement in Japanese American community organizations. He also revisits the topic of his Army experience during World War II. He shares his opinion about the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which granted redress to Japanese Americans whom the government incarcerated during the war. He closes the interview by reflecting upon his life and accomplishments.

Dates

1992 July 13-20

Creator

Murakami, John Y. (John Yoneo), 1919-2005 (Interviewee, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Biographical note

John Yoneo Murakami was born in Sherwood, Oregon, in 1919. His parents, Shuichi Sam Murakami and Yaeno Goto, immigrated to the United States from Japan around 1917. When Murakami was 7 years old, his family moved from their farm in Sherwood to Portland, where his father owned a grocery store, called Johnson Street Grocery. Murakami dropped out of high school in his sophomore year and later earned his GED. In 1942, he and Sumi Matsushita were married. That same year, Murakami's family was among the Japanese Americans incarcerated by the U.S. government at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho. Murakami enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the European Theater during World War II. He was injured in France and was discharged in 1945. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. After his discharge, he returned to Portland and worked in construction. He then taught building construction at Benson Polytechnic High School. After ten years of marriage, John Murakami and and Sumi Murakami adopted two children. After John Murakami’s retirement in 1984, he was active in numerous community organizations, including the Japanese Ancestral Society, the Nisei Veterans Committee, and Portland Taiko. He died in 2005. In 2011, he was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (4 audiocassettes (3 hr., 33 min., 29 sec.) + transcript (67 pages))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with John Y. Murakami conducted by George Katagiri from July 13-20, 1992, as part of the Japanese American Oral History Project. Murakami, the son of Japanese immigrants, was born in Sherwood, Oregon. During World War II, Murakami served in the U.S. Army while his family was incarcerated at the Minidoka War Relocation Center. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. After the war, he worked in construction and taught at Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland.