Vol. 83, No. 26, December 24, 1976. 104 pages. View this issue
Where Japanese Americans were headed was the theme of this 104-page holiday issue. Mine Okubo wrote that the trend was toward assimilation, while Gordon Hirabayashi argued that Nikkei should not simply ape the majority. Mike M. Masaoka named five political and social issues facing the Nisei, Dale Minami and Frank Tohachi expected the Sansei to express themselves through the arts, and Bill Hosokawa imagined satirical Pacific Citizen headlines from 1986.
Other pieces looked back. Mark H. Rawitsch described the threat to the Harada House in Riverside, Seiichi Otow reported on the 1976 Tule Lake pilgrimage and the rededication of the steel cross, and Don Estes profiled the fisherman Masaharu Kondo. Short stories by Ferris Takahashi and Sachi Seko appeared as well. About 74 of the issue’s pages carry holiday greetings, including ones from West Los Angeles, Salt Lake, San Francisco and San Jose.
What’s in this issue
Commentary
- Let’s Not Ape the Majority, by Gordon Hirabayashi, page 2. Hirabayashi argues that Japanese Canadians and Americans should not disown their Japanese heritage in favor of assimilation, noting that Shakespeare and Beethoven are themselves cultural imports. He urges Nikkei to own their full identity and enrich the nation culturally while accepting the responsibilities of citizenship.
- With the Holiday Issue Theme: The Trend Is Toward Assimilation, by Mine Okubo, page 4. Artist Mine Okubo traces how postwar American awareness of Japanese culture grew, from occupation contacts to cultural imports, and how wartime incarceration and the 442nd shaped Nisei integration. She concludes that Japanese Americans, like earlier immigrant groups, are trending toward assimilation through intermarriage and changing generations.
- Five Critical Political-Social Issues for Nisei and Their Future, by Mike M. Masaoka, page 5. Masaoka assesses population trends, political gains, intermarriage, discrimination in employment and housing, and U.S.-Japan relations affecting Japanese Americans’ future. He predicts continued political success for Nisei officeholders while noting persistent discrimination and the growing importance of economic and diplomatic ties.
- Exploring the Past, by Dale Minami, page 27. Minami reflects on eight years of Asian American consciousness and history recovery in the Bay Area during the 1960s and after. He predicts that Sansei will express their identity through the arts and that the redress of Evacuation history will grow.
- Sightings for the 3rd Century: Maximizing Benefits and Services for Asian Americans, by Tom Owan, page 36. Owan argues that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders face worsening poverty and exclusion from federal services and calls for bilingual service delivery models, legal defense funds, clinical pharmacy programs for the elderly, and a national forum center. He frames these as necessary to avoid permanent underclass status.
- More Self-Expression Anticipated, by Frank Tohachi, page 47. The author predicts Sansei will break through in arts, writing, and performance, expressing feelings long repressed by Nisei. He also notes growing acknowledgment of the camps as concentration camps and praises recent scholarship on the Evacuation.
- A Neglected Past, a Celebration in 1977 and a Challenge, by Roy I. Sano, page 52. Sano previews the 1977 centennial of Japanese American Christian churches, highlighting their historic role in supporting immigrants and during the Evacuation. He argues churches must embrace bicultural identity and resist exploitative Pacific Basin economic and military ties.
- Mixed Ethnic Identity: Cleveland’s Japanese Americans Search for Identity, by Judith Haynes, page 85. Haynes examines Cleveland’s Japanese American community, covering wartime resettlement, memories of concentration camps, and the gradual loss of Japanese language and culture. Community members discuss identity, assimilation, and the lasting effects of incarceration.
- East Wind: JACL Should Consider Renaming Its Name, by Bill Marutani, page 102. Marutani argues JACL should expand into an Asian American organization and even rename itself to better represent all Asian Americans. He criticizes timid leadership and insists that broader coalition-building is the natural next direction for the group.
- Post Card Poll: What’s Your Name?, by P.C. Staff, page 103. A reader poll asks JACL leaders about their Japanese names and how they acquired American names, with answers matching names to individuals. The responses reveal how many Nisei received or chose English names during childhood or schooling.
In-Depth
- About Forming a Hawaii JACL, by Allan Beekman, page 2. Beekman questions whether forming a JACL chapter in Hawaii would advance the organization’s purpose, arguing that the ‘Japanese American Citizens League’ title implies alloyed Americanism and invites the derisive acronym ‘jackal’. He suggests a change of name to the Nikkei Citizens League before expanding into Hawaii.
- Masaharu Kondo: The Best of All Fishermen, by Don Estes, page 17. Estes traces the career of Kondo Masaharu, a Japanese fisheries pioneer who built abalone and tuna operations at Turtle Bay, Baja California, and introduced bamboo-pole tuna fishing to the American industry. The article also details the Japanese fishermen’s contributions and the later anti-alien fishing laws that ended their role.
Community
- PC Headlines in 1986, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa imagines a decade-ahead Pacific Citizen with satirical headlines on JACL membership ethnicity, a third Senate term for S.I. Hayakawa, Japanese purchase of Los Angeles land, a Hawaii challenge to Japanese American Democrats, Sansei conservatism, reparations success, and hiring a national director. He closes by calling them predictions on par with Santa Claus.
- Nikkei Family Patterns in Hawaii Looking Firm, by Dennis M. Ogawa, page 11. Ogawa argues that contrary to predictions of family breakdown, Hawaii’s Japanese Americans maintain elaborate extended family networks despite urbanization. Survey data show Sansei and Yonsei identifying more with extended kin, with grandparents serving as cultural transmitters.
- Harvest Festival of Arroyo Grande in Bicentennial Year Recognizes Contributions of Issei-Nisei to Local Farming, by Kay T. Fukuhara, page 32. Fukuhara chronicles Japanese farming history in the Arroyo Grande and Oceano valleys from 1902 onward, including pea and strawberry growers and the Pismo Oceano Vegetable Exchange. The town honored Issei and Nisei farmers during its 1976 Harvest Festival.
- Fowler JACL Loses Raisin Crop, by Thomas Toyama, page 69. Toyama reports that September rainstorms destroyed much of Fowler’s raisin crop, causing major losses. He also summarizes 1976 chapter highlights including a picnic, the first Fowler JACLer on the national board, and a Christmas party for children.
- Yamato Cemetery Restored by Salinas Valley JACL, by Harry Kubota, page 100. The Yamato Cemetery in Salinas, established in 1908 by the Japanese Association, was maintained through the Evacuation and later transferred to the Salinas Valley JACL chapter in 1959. Recent restoration and improvements have been made to preserve this Issei-founded burial ground.
Military & Veterans
- Walk Like a Wolf, by Clifford Uyeda, page 3. Uyeda describes applying relaxation training from Dr. George Araki to develop an effortless walking gait inspired by tundra wolves. He walked over six miles through San Francisco without fatigue and concludes that Indians once mastered such efficient movement.
- Hawaii Group Leads the Way: Japanese American Ancestry in Japan Football, by Mas Manbo, page 69. Manbo reports on the growth of American football in Japan during 1976, including the Japan Bowl, an NFL preseason game in Tokyo, and a Grambling-Morgan State exhibition. He notes the popularity of the sport among Japanese youth but argues Japanese college teams lack the size to compete with top U.S. programs.
Incarceration & Redress
- Redevelopment Threatens Historic Issei Home, by Mark H. Rawitsch, page 31. Rawitsch describes the Harada House in Riverside, Calif., site of the 1918 test of the alien land law in which Jukichi Harada’s American-born children were upheld as owners. He urges preservation efforts as the house faces redevelopment pressure.
- Tule Lake’s Steel Cross Rededicated by 1976 Pilgrims, by Seiichi Otow, page 101. Otow reports on the 1976 pilgrimage to the Tule Lake WRA campsite, where the steel cross atop Castle Rock was rededicated. The cross replaced the wooden one erected by evacuees in 1943.
Arts & Entertainment
- Time of Decay, by Ferris Takahashi, page 46. A short story following H., an elderly Issei woman, from Hiroshima to Hawaii and through wartime incarceration, then to a later life of family neglect and nursing home confinement. Her memories and decline are told through shifting images of home and loss.
- The Patriarch, by Sachi Seko, page 81. Seko’s personal profile of her maternal grandfather, an authoritarian Issei veteran of Japan’s military, portrays his discipline, pride, and separation from the community’s politics. The story ends with his resignation as patriarch after Pearl Harbor and his repatriation.
Obituaries
- Chronology December 1975–December 1976 and Obituaries, by P.C. Staff, page 101. A year-end chronology lists major community events, legal developments, and notable deaths of Nikkei leaders and figures in 1976. Items include the rescission of Executive Order 9066, the Iva Toguri pardon campaign, and the national JACL convention.
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