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Oral history interview with George Iwasaki

 Collection
Identifier: SR958

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with George Iwasaki was conducted by Etsu Osaki at the Oregon Buddhist Church in Portland, Oregon, from August 19 to September 16, 1992. 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. The interview was conducted in two sessions.

In the first interview session, conducted on August 19, 1992, Iwasaki discusses his family background and early life on a farm in Hillsboro, Oregon. He talks about the Japanese-American community in Oregon and about his education. He then discusses working on the family farm during the Depression, his marriage to Tomiko Natsuhara, and the lead-up to the U.S. government's incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, including making arrangements for the family farmland. He talks about his family’s experiences while they were detained at the Portland Assembly Center and about accepting the option to work as fieldworkers in Nyssa, Oregon, including living conditions in the agricultural camp run by the Farm Security Administration. He then discusses returning to Hillsboro after the family’s release in 1945.

In the second and final interview session, conducted on September 16, 1992, Iwasaki continues discussing the family's return to Hillsboro after their release in 1945, and describes how the family recovered their farmland and restarted their business. He talks about the evolution of the family farming business, now known as Iwasaki Bros., to focus on bedding plants. He also speaks about his involvement in Japanese American community organizations, including the Oregon Buddhist Church. He closes the interview by talking about his children, their families, and their careers.

Dates

  • Creation: 1992 August 19-September 16

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright to photograph has not been determined, and permission for use may require authorization from copyright holders. Copyright for the interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society, and use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Biographical note

George Iwasaki was born in Sumner, Washington, in 1912. His parents had immigrated to the United States from Shiga Prefecture, Japan, and his family became farmers in the Hillsboro, Oregon, area. In 1942, he and Tomiko Natsuhara were married; they later had five children. Also in 1942, the Iwasaki family was among Japanese Americans ordered to the Portland Assembly Center by the U.S. government. The government gave them the option to work as farm labor, and they spent much of World War II working fields near Nyssa, Oregon. After the war, they were able to recover their farm in Hillsboro. In the 1960s, the farm rebranded as Iwasaki Bros. and became one of the leading bedding plant producers in Oregon. George Iwasaki died in 2009.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (2 audiocassettes (1 hr., 58 min., 10 sec.) + transcript (48 pages) + 1 photograph (color))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with George Iwasaki conducted by Etsu Osaki from August 19 to September 16, 1992, as part of the Japanese American Oral History Project. Iwasaki was a Japanese American farmer and was incarcerated with his family during World War II.

General

Forms part of the Japanese American Oral History Project.

Title
Guide to oral history interview with George Iwasaki
Status
Completed
Author
Sarah Stroman
Date
2020
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240