THIS PRICELESS VOLUME is very heavy in weight featuring family pictures taken a year or two before publication. Except for three lines of English identifying families and place of residence, the text is entirely in Japanese.
The absence of Japanese families in Los Angeles and Southern California is conspicuous, so designed since this area was outside the newspaper's area of coverage. The Table of Contents shows 15 regions as follows:
1 - 75: San Francisco-Now historic photos of the 1930s of such groups as the New World Sun office, staff (Saburo Kido) and production area, 1618 Geary; Junior Floriculture Society of No. Calif. (63 faces), 171 Fifth St.; Japanese Art Goods Merchants Assn.; Japanese YWCA Fujinkai; S.F. Nihonjinkai Council; Japanese Salvation Army Headquarters, cor. Laguna and Geary
76 - 102: East Bay and Flower Growers-Z. Shibata, Mt. Eden; Y. Oshima, Richmond; J. Ninomiya, RFD Richmond; K. Honda, El Cerrito; S. Neishi, Oakland; M. Shinoda, San Leandro; K. Inouye and S. Inouye, Redwood City; K. Okamura, Redwood City; Tom Yamane, Redwood City
103 - 133: Peninsula, San Jose, Gilroy-A. Takahashi, Menlo Park; T. Kumagai, Palo Alto; S. Hori, Mt. View; J. Ogata, Mt. View; Mitarai Brothers, Sunnyvale; K. Hatakeyama, Saratoga; K. Yamaichi, San Jose; K. Hirasaki, Gilroy; S. Kato, Gilroy
134 - 156: Monterey Peninsula, Salinas-G. Kajioka, Santa Cruz; T. Miyanaga, Salinas; H. Menda, Monterey; B. Torigoe, Watsonville
157 - 169: San Benito Valley-F. Sumida, Hollister; T. Kuramoto, San Juan Bautista
170 - 238: Sacramento-Iishima Beauty Shoppe on M Street; K. Matsutani, Rt. 5; S. Matsui; J. Okada, J. Sugiyama; Walter Tsukamoto (caption all in English), T. Yagi, Walnut Grove
239 - 266: San Joaquin Area-S. Ishimaru, Stockton; Niisaburo Aibara, Turlock; H. Hamaguchi, Livingston; U. Nishihara, Cressey
267 - 294: Northern California Region-The Kawaoka Brothers, Petaluma; S. Hinoki Colusa; (Mrs.) Majiu Uyesugi, Colusa
295 - 308: Central California Region-G. Fukushima, Dinuba; T. Hoshiko, Fresno; Y. Kanagawa, Sanger; K. Kimura (Rose Bottling Works), Fresno; H. Mochizuki, Madera; T. Taira, Fresno; 309 - 318: Nevada-S. Toyota, Mc Gill; T. Nakajima, Ely; Roy Muranaka of Nevada Consolidated Copper Co. (an open pit enterprise founded in 1906), Ruth
319 - 352: Utah-Boy Scout Troop 84; U. Terazawa, Salt Lake City; Floyd Mori's family - S. Mori, Murray; T. Tsukamoto, Ogden; G. Miyagishima, Roy; B. Tanaka, Tremonton; T. Amano, Helper
353 - 400: Idaho-H. Kurose, Twin Falls; R. Kawamura, Rt. 1, Pocatello; H. Hasegawa, Rt. 5, Idaho Falls; T. Morishita, Rt. 7, Idaho Falls; K. Nukaya, Rt. 3, Idaho Falls; S. Hanami, Rt. 1, Rexburg; K. Odow, Rexburg
401 - 419: Nebraska-J. Hayano, Henry; B. Ikeya, Rt. 2, Minatare; T. Sakurada, Rt. 1, Scottsbluff
420 - 496: Colorado-F. Takamine, Denver; Y. Hishinuma, Rt. 1, Denver; R. Mayeda, Longmont; J. Onodera, Rt. 2, Brighton; S. Hatasaka, Rt. 1, Brighton; M. Mitamura, Rt. 1, Fort Lupton; G. Urano, Rt. 2, Platteville; M. Watada, Rt. 1, Platteville
497 - 543: Arizona-S. Ishikawa, Rt. 2, Glendale; T. Tadano, R T. Tanita, Phoenix; Rt. 2, Glendale
The sad part is that the pages are not numbered. On the final page of photographs appears three men of the Shin Sekai Tokyo Office. Standing is Tamotsu Murayama who served as P.C.'s Japan correspondent during the 50s and 60s.
How did I come to review this historic collection?
Thanks to Ko Hoshizaki, who kept it as a family heirloom, showed it to me. And flipping through, it was fascinating. My first thoughts were that they, in the judgment of the Shin Sekai-Asahi editors, were the Issei pioneers in their community. It was like being introduced to their family-all in Nihongo. Names of children are in Romaji.
The value of this book became more pronounced after Chuck Kubokawa revealed he and his brother had burned their "Memorial Book" in the fireplace and other memorabilia with a Japanese overtone because of Pearl Harbor. "I'm sure other Nikkei did the same." And having that picture taken was "almost like a command from the Nipponjin-kai," he added. That negates my idea that newspaper editors began the project.
It was fun trying to spot guys and gals in their 70s and 80s today. The Sansei and Yonsei will drool over these pictures.
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