Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities
Volume 5
Issue 1 Stories Untold: Subverted History, Selected
Narratives and the Politics of Memory
Article 4
2016
Filling Out Internment: The Need for Honouliuli's
Inclusion in Internment Studies
Trey M. Muraoka
Macalester College, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/tapestries
Recommended Citation
Muraoka, Trey M. (2016) "Filling Out Internment: The Need for Honouliuli's Inclusion in Internment Studies," Tapestries: Interwoven
voices of local and global identities: Vol. 5: Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/tapestries/vol5/iss1/4
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FillingOutInternment:
TheNeedforHonouliuli’sInclusioninInternmentStudies
By:TreyMuraoka
Introduction
swathoflandontheislandofOahu?Howcan
thishappenespeciallywhenthe“majority”ofthe
In1998,anunnamedtelevisionreporter
fromatelevisionstationinHawaiiwasinterested
populationclaimsJapanesedescent?Whilethe
indoingapieceontheHonouliuliinternment
fieldofinternmentstudiescontinuestogrow
camp,inconjunctionwiththestationshowing
today,whatstoriesareweforgettingabout?In
Schindler’sList.HecontactedtheJapanese
thecaseofHonouliuli,ittooksixtyyearsandthe
CulturalCenterofHawaii(JCCH)hopingthey
inabilitytoaccuratelylocatethecampthat
couldhelphim.Buthisinquirywasmetwith
ignitedthesparktogoandfindit.Formyfamily
confusionandnothingclear.Theycouldnotgive
history,ittookmearesearchfellowshiptofind
himmuchinformationandnotevenalocation.1
outthatIhadmultiplefamilymembersand
Fromthisinquiry,aquestforthehidden
friendsimprisoned.Thislastpartwasbafflingto
Japaneseinternmentcampbegan.Anditwasnot
meandillustratedhowimportantthisworkIam
untiltheearly2000sthatthecampwasfound,
doingreallyis.Theinternmentcampsarestilla
sixtyyearssincethelastprisonercalled
verytouchysubjectthatnoteveryonewantsto
Honouliulihome.
discuss,ortalkabout.IteventooktheUnited
Statesgovernmentthirty-plusyearstoapologize
Howdoyouhidethelocationofa
JapaneseInternmentcampthatcoveredalarge
foritsactions.
1
JaneKuraharaetal.“FindingHonouliuli:TheJapanese
CulturalCenterofHawaiiandPreservingtheHawaii
InternmentStory,”inBreakingtheSilence:Lessonsof
DemocracyandSocialJusticefromtheWorldWarII
HonouliuliInternmentandPOWCampinHawaii,eds.
SuzanneFalgoutandLindaNishigaya,16-42,(Honolulu:
UniversityofHawaiiPress,2014),17.
earlier,howwasthiscamphidden?Thereare
severalways,notallofwhichIwillgetinto.One
GettingbacktothequestionsIposed
oftheeasiestwaysistoallownaturetodoits
participatedintheinternmentcampprocess,
workonthesite,coveringthesitewithdense
whetheritwastemporarilydetainingJapanese
vegetationandgrowth,especiallywhenthesiteis
Americansorholdingthempermanently.2
inavalleyinaremotepartoftheisland.Another
IncludingHawaiiintothestudyofthesecamps
wayissilence.Silencefromtheinternees.
givesafullyparticipatingnationthatevenhada
Silencefromthegovernment.Silencefromthe
territory—notastate—participate.More
peoplewhowitnessedthecamp.Silencefrom
importantly,includingHonouliuliinternment
everyone.Thesetwowaysarethebiggestreasons
campwouldgiveusadifferentperspectiveon
theHonouliuliInternmentcampwasforgotten
whatitmeanttobeimprisonedinacamp.
andnearlyerasedfromHawaii’shistory.Ifnot
foracuriousnewsreporterresearchingastory,
hashistoricallybeenverypolarizing.Immediate
couldHonouliulibeforgottentoday?Thereisno
reactionscalleditatravestyandacrime,while
wayofknowing,butbecauseofthatonereporter,
somelatersourceshavetreateditverykindly.
asurgestarted.
Therehavebeenmoreandmorememoirsand
essaysfromformerinterneesrecallingcamplife.
Now,youmaybeaskingatthispoint,
ThestudyofJapaneseinternmentcamps
whatdoesitmatterifonecampisn’tstudied?
Thesesourcesareextremelyhelpfulinthestudy
ThereareabunchofothersthatIcanreadabout
ofmainlandinternmentcampsandthat
andlearnaboutthose.Whichistrue.There
experience.Butwhatoftheexperienceof
havebeenmanybooksandessaysproducedon
Honouliuliinternees?WhyistheirWorldWarII
themanymainlandcamps,especiallyManzanar.
experienceoftenexcludedfromthegeneral
Itistimetoexpandandwidenthescopeof
corpusofinternmentstudies?Whataboutthe
internmentstudies.Thereachoftheinternment
tailor,orthefarmerinHawaiiwhohadno
campswerefar-reachingandcoveredthewhole
continent.Thereweretwenty-onestateswho
Tapestries|Spring2016
2
TetsudenKashima,JudgementwithoutTrial:Japanese
AmericanImprisonmentDuringWorldWarII,(Seattle:
UniversityofWashingtonPress,2003),12-12.
2
allegiancetoJapanbutwasstillimprisoned
orignoresaltogether.Thereissomeoverlap
becauseofhisrace?Whatwastheirexperience,
betweenthedifferentsourcesandtheoverlap
andhowdidtheyfeelaboutbeingplacedin
onlycreatesastrongersenseofwhatactually
prisonforcrimestheywereunjustlychargedfor?
happened.
ThispaperwilllookatthediaryofSam
Afterreadingthroughtheinterviewsand
Nishimuraandinterviewsofotherformer
thediary,Ihavebeguntoquestionthepolarizing
internees,ShigeoMuroda,ShomeiKaneshiro,
viewsofthecamps.Canweviewthecampsas
andTosoHaseyama.Theirinclusioninthis
purelyevilorasenrichingexperiencesforthe
paperisessentialnotonlybecausetheygivean
Nisei,orthesecondgenerationJapanese
insighttothedailylife,emotionsandmemories
Americans?FromRogerDanielsearly
ofthecamp,sincetherearefewmemoirsout
scholarshipinthe1970stoAliceYangMurray’s
thereabouttheexperience.Themostfamous
workinthelate2000s,HawaiiandHonouliuliis
accountoflifeinaninternmentcampisJeanne
oftenforgottenorignored.Buttheinclusionof
WakatsukiHouston’smemoir,Farewellto
Honouliuliisimportantforunderstandinghow
Manzanar.Whatthesesourcesdoisgivevoiceto
JapaneseAmericansviewtheinternmentcamps.
thepeoplewhospenttimeintheinternment
Honouliuliaccountsaresimilaranddifferfrom
camps,notthescholarswhowrotefromoutside
themainlandaccountsandinsertingHonouliuli
thebarbedwire.Nishimura’sdiaryisthemost
intothenarrativecreatesadeeperunderstanding
intactmemorypiece,ashisdiarywasvery
ofinternment.
detailedaboutthedailyminutiaeofthecamp
andtherepetitivenature.Theinterviewsactas
somethingthatwasatthebackofmymindinthe
supplementarypiecestothediary,astheyoffera
writingofthispaper.Idonotaddressitdirectly,
differentpointofviewandanalysisofdifferent
butitissomethingthatIrealizeisvery
aspectsthatNishimuraeitherbrieflytoucheson
important.Hawaii’suniquelocationand
Tapestries|Spring2016
ThepeculiarlocationofHawaiiis
3
relationshipwiththeUnitedStatesmadeitan
interestingplacetoliveduringthebuildupto
Americaninternmentcanbesummarizedinhow
WorldWarII.WhileIdonotattempttodiscuss
younamethesesitesofoppression.Roger
itinthispaper,Iintendtodofurther
Danielsconfrontsthisinthetitleofhisbook,
investigationinfutureworks.
ConcentrationCampsUSA.Theuseoftheterm
concentrationcampstodescribetheJapanese
AfterIgivesomeofthesemanticdebates
ThepolarizingnarrativesoftheJapanese
thatarecurrentlygoingoninacademiaabout
Americancampshasbeencontestedbecauseit
thesesites,Iwillgiveageneralbackgroundon
oftenmakesonethinkoftheNazideathcampsin
thehistoryoftheinternmentprocess,aswellas
thesametimeperiod.Theterminternment
someofHawaii’shistoryduringthisperiod.
campisonethatiswroughtoutofthe
ThenIwilldiscussthepositiveandnegative
euphemisticwordstheUnitedStatescameup
narrativesofthecampsastheyaremadeevident
withtodescribethesecamps.Alongwith,
indifferentfeatures.In“WhenCrimeCreates
“relocationcenter”and“detentioncenter,”
Sanctuary,”Ianalyzetheambiguousspacethe
internmentcampwasawayforthegovernment
campsoccupied.Howcouldthesecampsbea
tohidethecrimeitwascommitting.Backin
siteofoppressionbutalsobeasiteofsanctuary?
1972,Danielswasoneofthefirstscholarstogo
Inthesection“WithPainandPleasure,”Ianalyze
aboutandusethetermtonamethecampsfor
thewaysinwhichthecampsweresitesofgreat
whattheyreallywere.Whileothersmore
pain,butalsoimmensepleasure.Inthesection
recentlydeemtheuseoftheterm“internment
“WhereHellMeetsParadise,”Ilookcloselyatthe
camp”tobeeuphemistic.MitchellMaki,Harry
locationandphysicalenvironmentofHonouliuli.
KitanoandS.MeganBertholdevengoasfarasto
Andfinally,Iinspecttherolefoodplayedonthe
saythattheuseofthattermisthe“most
prisoners.
What’sinaName?
Tapestries|Spring2016
4
commonsemanticerror.”3Intheirbook,
essaybook,theyusetheterm“internmentcamp.”
AchievingtheImpossibleDream,theynamethe
JohnArmorandPeterWrightdosobecause,
campsasconcentrationcampsfromtheveryfirst
“therewerenogaschambersormedical
sentence.4
‘experiments…Therewerenoattemptstowork
prisonerstodeath.”6
Asevidencedabove,thefeelingisthatthe
useoftheterm“internmentcamp”pushesa
muchsofternarrative.Whiletextsthatusethe
thispapernotbecauseIbelieveinthesofter
termaretryingtobringawarenessofthecamps
narrativeIdiscussabove,butbecausethereisa
toabroaderaudience,theyarenotmakingas
distinctionbetweentheJewishcampsandthe
criticalasastance.BreakingtheSilence:Lessons
JapaneseAmericancamps.Atabaselevel,Ido
ofDemocracyandSocialJusticeaimsto“focuson
realizethatthecampsaresimilar.Atthesame
theHonouliuliCampandtheveryimportantrole
time,Icannothelpbutacknowledgethatthere
Hawaiiplayedinthewartimeactivitiesof
aremanydifferencesbetweenthetwo.The
internmentandimprisonment.”5Whiletheir
JapaneseAmericaninternmentcampswerenot
goalisverysimilartothatofRogerDaniels’book,
madeexcusablebecausetheydidnotfunctionin
theeditorsofthejournaldonotmakethesame
thesamewaystheJewishconcentrationcamps
semanticstanceasDaniels.Thegoalisnotlost,
did.Isidewiththescholarswhouse
noristheeffectiveness,buttheaddedlevelof
concentrationcamp,butforthepurposeofthis
thoughtismissing.EveninManzanar,aphoto-
paper,withthenameofthesitehaving
internmentincluded,Iwilluseinternment
3
MitchellT.Maki,et.al.,AchievingtheImpossibleDream:
HowJapaneseAmericansObtainedRedress(Chicago:
UniversityofIllinoisPress,1999),4.
4
Ibid,1.
5
SuzanneFalgoutetal.,“BackgroundandIntroduction,”in
BreakingtheSilence:LessonsofDemocracyandSocial
JusticefromtheWorldWarIIHonouliuliInternmentand
POWCampinHawaii,eds.SuzanneFalgoutandLinda
Nishigaya,xi-xxiv,(Honolulu:UniversityofHawaiiPress,
2014),xi.
Tapestries|Spring2016
Iwilluseinternmentcampthroughout
camps.
6
JohnArmoretal.,Manazar=[Ringoen],(NewYork:
TimesBooks,1988),72.
5
TheBuildupandExecutionofthe
theJapanesewere“…persistent.They’rehard
InternmentCampProcess
workingguys.Andtheotherguysarelazy,so
theydon’twork…Japanesewouldadvanceupand
OnDecember7,1941,PearlHarborwas
bombedbyJapan.Thiseventwasnotthe
up…nothingtheycandobecauseJapaneseissuch
beginningofJapaneseparanoia,butformany
anationalitythatthey’reindustrious.”10No
JapaneseAmericanslivingonthecontinental
matterthecase,theheightenedattentionledthe
UnitedStates,“itwaslikeanightmarecome
mediatopromote“theancientvigilante
true.”7Thewartheyfearedhadcomeandthe
tradition”andtohuntJapanesebythemselves.11
paranoiarosetoanotherlevel.Onenewspaper
editorialwrotethattheJapanesepeopleshould
eventuallytotheissuanceofExecutiveOrder
notbecalledyellow,becausetheydidnotbelong
9066.IssuedonFebruary19,1942,theorder
tobe“inassociationwiththehonorablepeoples
becamethe“foundationuponwhichmorethan
oftheyellowrace.”8Thereweresignsofgrowing
110,000JapaneseintheUnitedStates—both
apprehensiontowardsJapaneseAmericansbefore
citizensandlegalresidentsresidingalongthe
PearlHarbor,butthesurpriseattackallowedfor
PacificCoast—andselectedindividualsandtheir
alltheemotionsanddoubtsrunfree.9Inthe
familiesfromHawaiiwereforcedintointernment
bombingofPearlHarbor,Americansnowhada
camps.”12Themilitarywasallowed“todesignate
tangiblereasontohateJapaneseAmericans.Sam
‘militaryareas’fromwhich‘anyorallpersons
Nishimura,however,quiteplainlyfeltthatthe
maybeexcluded’…”13PresidentFranklinDelano
hatredtowardsJapaneseAmericanswasbecause
Rooseveltissuedtheorder,butoneofthemain
7
RogerDaniels,ConcentrationCampsUSA(NewYork:
Holt,Rinehart,andWinston,1971),26.
8
“EditorialsintheWakeofPearlHarbor,”inOnlyWhatwe
CouldCarry,ed.LawsonFusaoInada(Berkeley:Heyday
Books,2000),16.
9
SandraC.Taylor,JeweloftheDesert:JapaneseAmerican
InternmentatTopaz(Berkeley:UniversityofCalifornia
Press,1993),46.
Tapestries|Spring2016
ThebombingofPearlHarborled
10
UniversityofHawaiiatManoa.EthnicStudiesOral
HistoryProject,Waialua&Hale'iwa:ThePeopleTellTheir
Story:SamNishimura.(Honolulu:UniversityofHawaiiManoa,1977),353.
11
Daniels,ConcentrationCampsUSA,32.
12
Taylor,JeweloftheDesert,30.
13
Daniels,ConcentrationCampsUSA,70.
6
playersinthisordealwasGeneralJohnDeWitt,
duties,hearguedagainstthemassincarceration
whowasabigproponentofamass
ofJapaneseAmericans,refusingtoseethemas
imprisonment.14Nevertheless,itwasRoosevelt
theenemiesthatthegovernmentwasmaking
whosignedoffonExecutiveOrder9066and
themouttobe.19Heevenwentasfarasto
madeitofficial.ThisisdespiteRoosevelthaving
disobeyorderstodetainpeople,choosingto
intelligenceavailablehimthatsaid“‘mass
slowlyworkthroughthelisthewasgiven.20
evacuationunnecessary.’”15
law.21ManyoftheJapanesewhoweredetained
Meanwhile,onDecember7,1941,the
Nevertheless,Hawaiiwasundermartial
TerritoryofHawaiiwasalsoinanuproar,butdue
weresenttotheUnitedStatesImmigration
mostlytothepanicofthepeopleindanger.
stationonSandIsland,whereifdeemed
WhenPearlHarborwasbombed,37.3%of
dangerousenough,theywouldbesenttothe
Hawaii’spopulationwasJapanese.16Yetitwasthe
mainland.22Andmanyofthemstayedthereuntil
popularopinionofsomeofRoosevelt’sstaffthat
Marchof1943,whenHonouliuliwasfinally
alloftheJapaneseinHawaiishouldbeinterned.17
built.23Builtastheonlypermanentstructurefor
Andtheywerewellontheirwaytodoingso.By
JapaneseinHawaii,itwas“constructedforthe
December9th,morethantwomonthsbeforethe
expresspurposeofconfininginterneesand
issuanceofExecutiveOrder9066,atotalof367
prisonersofwarduringWorldWarII.”24
Japanesewhoweredeemedsuspiciousformany
years,hadbeendetained.18Andluckilyforthe
onthenarratives.Followingtheopeningof
Territory,LieutenantGeneralDelosEmmons
savedtheday.Handlingmuchofthemilitary
14
Ibid,50
Ibid,71.
16
Kashima,JudgementwithoutTrial,67.
17
Daniels,ConcentrationCampsUSA,52.
18
Kashima,JudgementwithoutTrial,72.
Tapestries|Spring2016
15
AnditisatthispointwhereIlooktotake
19
Ibid,75-76.
Ibid,77.
21
Ibid,69.
22
UnitedStatesNationalParkServicePacificWest
RegionalOffice.HonouliuliGulchandAssociatedSites:
DraftSpecialResourceStudyandEnvironmental
Assessment,2014.(SanFrancisco:PacificRegionalOffice,
ParkPlanningandEnvironmentalCompliance,2014),8.
23
Ibid,8.
24
Ibid,9.
7
20
Honouliuli,wehaveSamNishimura,whospent
accordingtothegovernment,wasthathewas
extendedtimeatbothHonouliuliandSand
JapaneseandAmericanatthesametime.I
Island.25Thepriorparanoiaandhysteriahas
cannotfathomhowIwouldfeelifIwastoldthat
alreadytakenplaceandtheinterneeshadbeen
IwasgoingtoprisonbecauseofwhoIwas.Yet
receivingthoseglaresandquestioninglooksfor
forNishimuraandtheotherinternees,thisis
years.
whathappened.Thefactwasthatthe
WhenaCrimeCreatesSanctuary
governmentchosenottodistinguishJapanese
Americansfromtheenemy,thegovernmentfelt
Manyinterneeswereinternedforalitany
ofcrimes,butallofthereasonsforimprisonment
theneedtoimprisontheminstead.
canbetracedbacktoonecommondenominator:
theywereJapanese.DetainedinApril1942,Sam
dual-citizenshipwassoreviledtothe
Nishimuradidnotgetaformalhearinguntil
government.Atailorwithdualcitizenshipwas
December7,1943.Hespentthreehoursinthe
deemedsodangeroustothegovernmentthat
hearingtofindoutthat“EvidentlyIhavebeen
theyplacedhiminaninternmentcampwith
interredforbeingadualcitizen.”26Theprocess
other“criminals.”ThoughFDRgreatlydesiredto
includedgettingmultipleCaucasianfriendstobe
interneveryJapanesepersoninHawaii,itwould
characterwitnessesvouchingforhim.
haverepresentedabreakdownindailylife,
Unfortunately,Nishimurahadnofaithinthe
becausesomanypeopleinHawaiiwereJapanese.
processandwrote,“…sleepwellforIknewthatI
Whereasinterning100,000+JapaneseAmericans
wouldbegoinghometocamptomorrow.”27The
inthecontinentalUnitedStatestookawaya
painfulthingabouthisrealizationisthat
smallpercentageoftheoverallpopulation,
Nishimuraknewthathisgreatestcrime,
interning30%ofyourpopulationisasignificant
Thiscriteriabegsthequestionofwhy
25
Nishimura,SamuelMasao.DiaryofSamNishimura,19431945,(Honolulu:Nishimura,2004),3/4/1943.
26
NishimuraDiary,12/8/1943.
27
Ibid,12/10/1943.
Tapestries|Spring2016
8
loss.28Thus,thescopeofHawaiiinternmentwas
Hawaii.30Inthosetemples,therewere149
muchsmallerandmorefocused.Ahigh
priests.Andofthose149,122wereinterned.31
percentageoftheHonouliuliinterneeswere
Thisamountstoabout82%ofthepriesthoodin
Buddhistpriestsandpeoplewithdual
Hawaii.Atitspeak,Honouliuliheld320
citizenship,orpeoplethathadcurrenttiesto
internees.32Justunder40%ofthepopulation
Japan.
wasmadeupofpriests.Thinkaboutthat.
Almost40%ofthepeopledangerousenoughto
ThedecisiontotargetandinternBuddhist
andShintopriestsmayseemstrange,butthe
beinternedatHonouliuliwerepriests.Themen
decisionmakessensewhenlookingattheway
wholedthereligiousservicesformanyofthe
theAmericangovernmentviewedtheJapanese.
JapaneseinHawaiiweredeemedsecurityrisks.
BuddhismrepresentedacornerstoneofJapanese
culture.Itwasregardedasanindicatorofbeing
nothelpedbythedualroletheyplayedasa
Japanese.Thus,thefearwasthatBuddhismwas
Japaneselanguageschool.ForinHawaii,“a
preventingcitizensfromtrulybecomingan
priorityofmosttempleswastoprovideJapanese
American.29WasBuddhismtrulyaproblem?It
languageinstruction…”33Butevennationally,
istoughtodiscernwhetherthereligionwas
Buddhismwasviewedasoneofthe“primary
actuallyaproblemfortheAmericangovernment
sourcesofanti-Americanismatleasttwodecades
buttheydeemeditenoughofaproblemtotarget
beforeAmerica’swarwithJapan.”34Thisisdueto
theclergyinHawaii.In1941,therewere182
amisconceptionthatBuddhismwasassociated
differenttemplesorshrinesintheTerritoryof
withShinto,thenationalreligionofJapan.35This
28
LindaNishigayaetal.,“RevivingtheLotus:Japanese
BuddhismandWorldWarIIInternment,”inBreakingthe
Silence:LessonsofDemocracyandSocialJusticefromthe
WorldWarIIHonouliuliInternmentandPOWCampin
Hawaii,eds.SuzanneFalgoutandLindaNishigaya,173-198.
(Honolulu:UniversityofHawaiiPress,2014),178.
29
Ibid,188.
Tapestries|Spring2016
TheperceptionofBuddhisttempleswas
misconceptionwrongfullyinternedmany
30
Ibid,176,Table1.
Ibid,177,182,Table2&3
32
UnitedStatesNationalParkService,9.
33
Ibid,176.
34
Ibid,178.
35
Ibid,177.
31
9
JapaneseAmericansinHawaiiandonthe
Japan.HisstatusasaKibeikepthimlowerthana
continent.BuddhismandShintoarenotrelated
Niseiandkepthimoutofservinginthearmy.36
andtheyaretwoverydifferentreligionsentirely.
Yetitiseasytoseewhytheywereassociatedwith
biggestcrimesonecouldcommitduringWorld
eachother.Bothwereconsideredtraditionally
WarIIwasbeingJapanese.Additionally,
Japanesereligionsandpracticingeitherwasan
anythingremotelypertainingtoJapanwas
easywaytoidentifysomeoneasJapanese.What
enoughtobeacriminal.Japaneseschoolingor
thisshowsisthatevenone’sreligionwasenough
religiousbeliefsweredeemedtooJapaneseand
toplaceyouinaninternmentcamp,eventhough
createdquestionsofloyalty.Theseaspectsof
youmayhavenotdoneanythingwrong.
culturewerethereasonsforinterningaperson.
TheAmericangovernmenttargetedacultureand
Thisdoesnotvaryfromthefearonthe
Thesefactorsillustratethatoneofthe
continentalUnitedStatesofKibeibeingdisloyal.
apeople.Thisisobviouslywherealotofolder
KibeiwereAmericanbornJapanesewhoreceived
sourcescreateanegativenarrativeofthe
schoolinginJapan.Thethoughtandfearwas
internmentcamps.TheinternmentofJapanese
thatthetimespentinJapanwasdamagingto
Americanswasasignalthatyoucouldbe
thoseJapaneseAmericans.WhileallJapanese
internedforsomethingyouhadnocontrolover,
Americansweredangerous,theKibeiwere
inthiscase,youridentity.
especiallydangerousbecausetheydidnothave
anAmericaneducation,butaJapanese
withinthecamps,asprisonershadsomethingto
education.ThoughtheywerestillAmerican
bondover.Nishimuraspokeabouthistimein
citizens,theideologywassuddenlydifferent
Honouliuliafterhisreleaseandremarkedthat
becausethelocationoftheireducationwasnot
the“barrackswaslikefamily;ifyouare
American.MikisoHane,aKibeifromCalifornia,
returnedtoAmericaafterspendingnineyearsin
Tapestries|Spring2016
Thisidentityalsocreatedasenseofunity
36
MikisoHane,“WartimeInternment,”TheJournalof
AmericanHistory,77no.2(Sept.1990),573.
10
occupied…youwillbeabletowithstandthe
agony.”37Theisolationalsoforcedtheinternees
thereleaseofinternees.Whiletherewassome
to“…beabletomakefriends,talktopeople.
envytowardsthosewhogotreleased,each
Thenyouwon’tloseyourmind.”38ForShigeo
releaserepresentedachance.Whenoneof
Muroda,theinternmentcampwasafascinating
Nishimura’sroommateswasreleased,heviewed
placebecauseyouraccomplishmentsmeant
thereleaseas“agoodsign.”41Thereweresome
nothinginthecamps.Theonlythingthatwas
illegiblewordsinthediary,butthetoneofthe
judgment-worthywas“youandhowgooda
entrymakesitseemasifthereleasegavehim
personyouwere.”39Thisgaveeveryoneachance
hopeforhisowneventualrelease.Atthevery
tostartoverandbecomesomethingtheywere
leastitgavehimsomethingtothinkabout.Toso
notbefore.Butmostimportantly,theinclusion
Haseyamawasreleasedandacknowledgedthat
inthecampmeanttheyweretherecipientsofa
theotherroommateshehadprobablywerenot
greatinjusticeandtheyweresufferingtogether.
toohappyaboutit.42Butthatreactionishuman,
InsideHonouliuli,theinterneeswerenotviewed
isitnot?Tofeelangeroverwhatwasanexcusal
as“enemy-aliens,”butjustasregularpeople.40I
ofacrimewhenitseemedthateveryonewas
cannotimaginethesolacethatnotionafforded
internedforthesamecrime?Theangerand
theinternees.Therewerenojudgmentalstares
resentmentwasnotdirectedtowardstheother
frompeople,orsuspicionfromtheirneighbors,
internees,buttowardsthegovernment.What
becausetheywereallinthesameplacetogether.
Nishimura’sdiaryprovedtomeisthattherewas
37
EthnicStudiesProject,378
Ibid,383.
39
Fujitani,Yoshiaki,andShigeoMuroda.“OralHistory
Interviews,Muroda,Shigeo[manuscript].”Japanese
CulturalCenterofHawaii,March1,1994.
https://jcch.follettdestiny.com/cataloging/servlet/presentti
tledetailform.do?siteTypeID=2&bibID=1288&walkerID=1445
260196519,12.
40
Tasaka,ConfidentialStories,6.
Tapestries|Spring2016
38
Thisbond,insomerespects,extendedto
apossibilitythatwasarangeofemotions
prisonersfeltuponeachreleaseandhappiness
wasoneofthoseemotions.
41
NishimuraDiary,10/29/1943.
UniversityofHawaiiatManoa.EthnicStudiesOral
HistoryProject.OralHistoryInterviews,Haseyama,Toso.
(Honolulu:UniversityofHawaii-Manoa,1994),1742.
11
42
Thisuniquebondbetweeninterneeswas
visitsfromfamilywheretheywereabletomeet
somethingthatcanbeinterpretedasagood
withthemforanextendedamountoftime.
narrative.Fortheinternees,internmentcreated
However,forNishimurathesevisitswerenot
auniquebondingexperience.Subjectedtothe
nearlyenoughandhelamentedattheseparation
sameinjustice,theyallrealizedhowthesituation
betweenhimselfandhisfamily.Heonceworried
wasunfairforallinterned.Inmysources,many
atthelackofcommunicationwithhisfamily,at
oftheprisonershintedatthesolidaritybetween
onepointmentioningthathehadnotreceiveda
themselvesatHonouliuli.Asapartofasmall
letterfromtheminovertwoweeks.44The
targetedgroup,someinterneesmayhavefelta
impactofanabsentfatherforJapaneseAmerican
senseofcomfortintheirfellowprisoners.While
familieswasverysignificant.Sansei,orthird
itmaynothavebeenauniformfeeling,thereis
generationJapaneseAmericans,thathadtheir
evidencethattheprisonersdidbuilda
fatherinternedscoredthelowestona“positive
communitythroughtheirsharedcaptivity.
impact”scaleaccordingtoanationalsurvey.In
WithPainandPleasure
thatdatawecanseehowimportantafatherwas
totheJapaneseAmericanfamily.Nishimura
Oneofthejarringresultsofthe
internmentcampswasthebreakdownoffamily
madehispainknowninhisdiaryandthe
structureforJapaneseAmericans.Nishimura
separationseemedtobetoomuchforhimat
mademanyremarksabouthisfamilythroughout
times.
hisdiary,butmostnoticeableweretheamountof
timeshementionedthathisfamilywasvisiting
visitsofhisfamilybutalsomakingnoteofspecial
thatday.Infact,thosedaysweresoimportant
daysandholidaysthathemissed.Hementions
thathewouldprepareforthemwellinadvance.43
thebirthdayshemissesandthespecialmoments
InterneesatHonouliuliweregivenbi-weekly
hecannotbethereandbeafather.Wecanonly
43
NishimuraDiary,4/26/1943.
Tapestries|Spring2016
44
Nishimurawasnotonlyremarkingatthe
Ibid,4/19/1943.
12
imaginethepainhefeltknowingthebesthe
sometimescreatedadifferenttwistthere.Some
coulddoforhischildren’sbirthdaywastosend
familieswereforcedtoleavetheislandsand
themanote.Oronhiswife’sbirthdaywhen
movetothemainland,evenjoiningafamily
Nishimurawrites,“Todayiswife’sbirthday.
memberwhowasinternedbecauseofthe
Hopeshehadagoodnicebirthdaypartyat
financialstrain.48ButjustastheManzanar
home.”45Nishimuranevergivesmorethana
interneesexperienced,childrenwithmore
couplewordstomentionthedaysthathemissed,
freedomandlackinganauthorityfigurewerefree
butmaybeitisinthisbrevitythatwecantruly
todowhattheywanted,sometimeswithout
seehispain.Wedohaveoneinstancewhenhe
penalty.49
mentionsthatitpainshimtohavetowatchhis
childrengrowupfromafar.46
internmentrepresentedabreakdowninthe
traditionalfamilystructureandcreated
Nishimura’spainandfamilialconcernsare
ForJapaneseAmericaninternees,
echoedbyotherfamiliesaswell.Theimpactof
problems.Ifafatherormotherwastakenaway
anabsentfatherhasbeenmentionedearlier,but
fromthefamily,avoidwascreatedinthe
itisalsoworthmentioningthatbothparents
household.Whetheritwasthelackofaparental
oftentimeslostcontrolovertheirchildreninthe
figureforthechildrenorthelackofcontactfor
camps.ForinterneesatManzanar,the
theinternedparent,theabsencewasvery
internmentcampinCalifornia,mothersand
noticeable.Inthisinstance,wecanseewherethe
fatherslosttheirimportanceandpowerover
negativenarrativesoftheinternmentcampcan
theirchildrenbecausetheirtraditionalroleswere
beunderstood.AsNishimurashows,therewasa
usurped.47ThiswasnodifferentinHawaii,butit
45
Ibid,8/21/1943.Allemphasisandcross-outsarehowthey
appearedinthediary.
46
Ibid,6/27/1943.
47
SusanMatobaAdler,“TheEffectofInternmenton
ChildrenandFamilies:HonouliuliandManzanar.”
Tapestries|Spring2016
BreakingtheSilence:LessonsofDemocracyandSocial
JusticefromtheWorldWarIIHonouliuliInternmentand
POWCampinHawaii,eds.SuzanneFalgoutandLinda
Nishigaya,217-236.(Honolulu:UniversityofHawaiiPress,
2014),230
48
Ibid,230-231.
49
Ibid,231.
13
greatamountofdamagedoneemotionallytothe
favoriteactivitieswasbaseball.Nishimurabegan
internee,butalsototheotherfamilymembers.
toplaybaseballregularly“foreveningexercise.”52
OnthemainlandandalsoinHawaii,familial
Oneofthefewtimeshemissedhischanceto
separationwasapainfulconsequenceofthe
play,theinterneesplayedthesoldiers.53Baseball
internmentcamps.Thefamilialseparationwas
andathleticsareoftenusedasthemostcommon
merelypartoftheinjusticetheinternmentcamps
examplesoftheleisureinterneeshad.
represented.ForthecrimesNishimuraandother
prisoners“committed,”tobeinternedbrought
wereonastrictschedule,buttherewasalotof
intoquestionagreaterhurt.
recreationaltime.Asseenabove,Nishimurahad
Removedfromtherealworldandtheir
timeeverynighttoplaybaseball.Heremarked
responsibilities,interneeswereaffordedgreat
aboutthemonotonyofhisroutinemanytimes
amountsofidletimeforthemselves.Oneofthe
andoncewrotethatthedaywas“thesameold
moststrikingthingsabouttheinternmentcamp
thing.”54Theroutinewentthisway:breakfast,
experienceishowmanyinterneesrememberthe
workuntillunch,lunch,workmoreuntilfour,
lighteractivitiesthattheydidwhileinterned.
leisuretime,dinner,showerandthensleep.It
Thephysicalremovalfromtheoutsideworldwas
doesseemmundane,buttherearedefinitely
anadvantagetotheinternees,assomesawthe
pocketsoftimefortheinterneestohavetheir
campasa“paradise,whereastheoutsideworld
fun.Ifsomeonewasnotworkinginthecamp,
washell.”50Itwasaphysicalparadise,asthe
thentheyhadevenmoretime.
Theinterneeswhoheldjobsinthecamps
interneescouldeatwithoutworkingandbeidle.51
ButforNishimura,itwasthegamesandactivities
thatwerethebiggestdrawforhim.Oneofhis
52
NishimuraDiary,8/5/1943.
Ibid,8/19/1943.
54
Ibid,8/17/1943.
50
Tasaka,ConfidentialStories,5.
51
Ibid,5.
Tapestries|Spring2016
53
14
ButNishimuraworkedasthecamptailor
Nishimuramakesmentionthatthewholecamp
andopenedhisshopinMarchof1943.55The
watchedamovieonenight.60Healsowritesin
scheduleseemstohavegivenhimasenseof
hisearlytimeatthecampthatthecampers
orderandnormalcy.Regulatedbythemeal
listenedtotheradio“asusual.”61Thesevarious
timesandcurfews,thisschedulewasnotof
formsofentertainmentsimplymeanthatthe
Nishimura’screation.Heevenremarkedthathe
campaffordedtheinterneessomeleisuretime.It
was“gettingusedwiththislife.”56Andnights
isherethatwemustrecognizethespecialnature
oftenwereachanceforhimtoreflectonhisday
ofHonouliulicomparedtothemainlandcamps.
andwritedownwhatwenton.57Haditnotbeen
Onthemainlandcampstherewereobviously
forthefreetimeintheschedule,thereprobably
cardgames,butthereisnoevidencethatthey
wouldbenodiaryforustoreadfrom.
showedmoviestotheinternees.62The
Honouliuliinterneesweregrantedsomeluxuries
Cardgamesandthelikewerealsovery
popularactivities.Go,Mahjongg,Shogiand
thatthemainlandinterneesnevergot.Isthis
Hanafudaweresomeofthemostcommoncard
linkedtoplace?ThatisnotaquestionIhavean
gamesthatinterneesplayed.58TosoHaseyama
answertorightnow,butitdoescomplicatethe
listedShogiasthefirstleisureactivitywhen
imageoftheinternmentcamps.
prompted.59However,asidefromthecardgames
andbaseball,therewereformsofmedia
placeapositivelightontheJapaneseinternment
entertainment.Radio,moviesandmagazines
camps.Notonlyweretheinterneesremoved
weremadeavailabletotheinternees.Infact,
Thesedifferentwaystospendfreetime
60
55
Ibid,3/18/1943.Incidentally,TosoHaseyamawasalsoa
tailorandremarksinhisinterviewthattherewasalreadya
tailoratHonouliulisohewasforcedtoworkotherjobs.
56
Ibid,7/14/1943.
57
Ibid,10/25/1943.
58
Tasaka,ConfidentialStories,28.
59
UniversityofHawaii,OralHistoryInterviews,1740.
Tapestries|Spring2016
NishimuraDiary,10/27/1943.
Ibid,8/9/1943.
62
RichardS.Nishimoto,etal.,InsideanAmerican
ConcentrationCamp:JapaneseAmericanResistanceat
Poston,Arizona(Tucson:UniversityofArizonaPress,1995),
94-95.Thissectionofthebookactuallytalksextensively
aboutthemassgamblingthatwastakingplaceatPoston.
Apparentlythegamblingwasrampantandapointof
controversytocertaingroupsinthecamp.
15
61
fromthesuspiciousgazeoftheoutsideworld,
inWestOahu.63Thesiteislocatedsevenmiles
theywereplacedina“paradise”oflessened
offofthecoastand“inahiddengulch
responsibilityandfreedom.Freetospendtheir
surroundedbyagriculturalfields.Thegulchis
timeplayinggamesandsuch,theinterneesfound
500to700feetwideatthecamplocation,with
waystoentertainthemselves.Inthevarious
steepslopesrisingonbothsides.”64Theslopes
formsofentertainment,anarrativeoffunand
leftthecampwellbelowtheagriculturalfields
levitycanbeproduced.Bytakingthisfurther,
aroundit.65OneformerHonouliuliinternee
onecouldevenstretchthatitwasbettertobe
remembersthreethingsaboutthecamp:first,
internedthannot.Internmentmeantlowered
mosquitoeswerearoundallthetime.Second,
labordemands,astheyhadthetimetoengagein
thelocationinthegulchnegatedtheneedfor
nightlycardgames,orabaseballleague.
blackouts.Thelocationliterallyhidthecampto
EspeciallycomparedtotheJewishconcentration
thepointthattheywerenotsubjecttothesame
camps,theinternmentcampshadlesswork
rulesasthegeneralpopulation.Third,theheat
involved.Thereinliesthepositivenarrativesthat
inthecampwassointensethatinterneesshared
havebeenconstructedaboutthecamps.
a“nakedfriendship.”66
WhereHellMeetsParadise
thatmanyinterneesremember.Thememoryof
Toexaminethenegativenarrativesofthe
Itisthisheatandthe“nakedfriendship”
internmentcamps,onemustalsolookatthe
theoppressiveheatissoprevalentthatthe
locationoftheinternmentcamps.Allofthe
interneesatHonouliuligavethecampadifferent
internmentcampsweresetupinlessthan
63
desirableplacesandmadetheprisonersan
isolatedgroup.Honouliuliwasnodifferent.
Covering160acres,thecampwasbuiltonaplain
Tapestries|Spring2016
UnitedStatesNationalParkService,23.
Ibid,25.
65
Burton,Jeff,MaryFarrell,etal.“HellValley:Uncovering
aPrisonCampinParadise.”BreakingtheSilence:Lessonsof
DemocracyandSocialJusticefromtheWorldWarII
HonouliuliInternmentandPOWCampinHawaii,eds.
SuzanneFalgoutandLindaNishigaya,43-79.(Honolulu:
UniversityofHawaiiPress,2014),45.
66
Tasaka,ConfidentialStories,21.
16
64
name,JigokuDani,or“HellValley.”67Honouliuli
extremeexamplesofthepoorenvironment
intheHawaiianlanguagetranslatesto“blue
JapaneseAmericanswereexposedto:
harbor,”or“darkbay.”68Thename“HellValley”
Theareawasfirstvisitedby
‘white’explorersin1776,who
calleditthe‘ValleSolado,’or
ValleyofSalt;itsinhospitable
alkali-ladensoilfrustrated
completelytheeffortsoftwo
distinctgroupsofMormon
pioneerswhotriedtosettle
there.A‘barrenvalley’at4600
feetabovesealevel,with
temperaturesrangingfrom
106°F.inthesummerto-30°in
thewinter,ithasanaverage
rainfallbetween7and8inches
peryear.Otherclimactic
characteristicsincludedwind
‘whichkeepsupaseldom
interruptedwhirlofdust’anda
‘nonabsorbentsoilwhich,after
arain,isagummymuck…71
alonespeaksvolumesaboutwhattheinternees
feltaboutthecampsite.Inaddition,Nishimura
wroteinhisfirstweekatthecampthatmornings
andnightswereextremelycold.69Theinternees
atHonouliuliwereexposedtoextreme
temperatures.ThelocationofHonouliulishows
twothings.First,physicallytheywereremoved
fromplainsightofthegeneralpopulationand
couldexistintheirownspecialworld.And
second,theywereinaplacethathadvaried
temperatures.Exposedtoswelteringheatduring
thedayhours,theyalsoexperiencedfreezing
“bone-chillingfrigidity”and“aharshlandscape
Honouliuliwassimilartotheother
barrenofanyfoliage.”73Thesecampswereonly
internmentcampsonthemainlandinits
threeofthemanysitesthroughoutthecontinent.
location.Many,ifnotallofthelocations
70
designatedforcampswereemptyandunused. WhileHonouliuliwasnotnearlyasextremeas
71
Topaz,acampinUtah,wasoneofthemost
Ibid,97.
JeanneWakatsukiHouston,“FromFarewellto
Manzanar,”inOnlyWhatWeCouldCarry:TheJapanese
AmericanInternmentExperience,ed.LawsonFusaoInada,
(Berkeley:HeydayBooks,2000),104-105.
73
GeorgeTakei,“FromTotheStars,”inOnlyWhatWe
CouldCarry:TheJapaneseAmericanInternmentExperience,
ed.LawsonFusaoInada,(Berkeley:HeydayBooks,2000),
121.
17
72
67
Burton,etal.,“HellValley,”44.
Ibid,44.
69
NishimuraDiary,3/13/43-3/14/43.
70
Daniels,ConcentrationCampsUSA,96.
Tapestries|Spring2016
isolatedlocation,deepinCaliforniadesertatthe
footoftheSierraNevadarange.72TuleLakehad
coldduringthenight.
Manzanarisalsowellknownforbeinginan
68
thesesites,especiallythefluctuationin
Thesequotescontradicteachotheranddonot
temperatureatTopaz,thelocationwasstillvery
matchup,unlessthecooksfromHawaiiinthe
undesirable.Theselocationswereunwantedand
1940sknewhowtopreparebaloneyinwayswe
unusedbypioneersandsettlerswhohadcrossed
donotknow.Regardless,thefoodsituationwas
thecountrylookingforsuitableplacestolive.
veryimportanttotheinterneesatHonouliuli,so
Yet,theAmericangovernmentdeemedthese
muchsothattheywerewillingtopitchinmoney
landsassuitableareasforinterneestolive.
andthegovernmentcouponstheyreceivedto
FoodfortheBodyandSoul
purchaseculturalfooditemssuchasmiso,
takuwan,andtofu.77Infactonetime,therewas
Aunifieddistrustinthefoodalsogavethe
interneesanareatoworktogetherandgrow
greatangerbecauseashipmentoffoodwasnot
closer.Somethingassimpleasfoodcanbea
storedproperlyandgotspoiled,thusruining
toughadjustmentforpeopleastheyareremoved
plansforameal.78Thisunifiedefforttopool
fromtheirnaturalplaces.AtHonouliuli,the
togetherresourcestomakemealsforthewhole
foodwassomethingtogetadjustedto.The
communitybetterandculturallyfamiliarmake
opinionsoftheinterneesweresplit.Somepeople
methinkthatbothpartieswholikedthefood
likeNishimurahadnoproblemwiththefood
andcomplainedaboutithavemerit.Themeals
sayingthatitwas“prettygood,”sincecooksfrom
probablywereveryplainandsimple,butthere
allovertheislandwereatthecamp.74Others
weredaysthattheyweremadebetterbecauseof
complainedthattheyonlyreceivedbaloneywhile
thethingsthattheprisonerspurchased.
inthecamp.75Andyet,ShomeiKaneshiroalso
remembersverysimplemealscenteredoneggs.76
growtheirownproductsprobablyhelpedthe
UniversityofHawaii,Waialua&Haleiwa,381.
75
Tasaka,ConfidentialStories,23.
76
Hayashi,Tatsumi,andShomeiKaneshiro.“OralHistory
Interviews,Kaneshiro,Shomei [manuscript].”Japanese
CulturalCenterofHawaii,September25,2013.
Tapestries|Spring2016
https://jcch.follettdestiny.com/cataloging/servlet/presentti
tledetailform.do?action=AddTMyList&bibID=43734&siteTy
peID=2,10.
77
Ibid,23.
78
Ibid,23.
18
74
Evenmoreso,thecommunityeffortto
foodsituation.Oneofthemostimpressive
aestheticboost.Thisshowsthatsomethingas
thingsthatIfoundwhilereadingthediaryandall
simpleasagardenwasapositiveexperienceand
theseotherinterviewsandsources,isthefact
allowedthemtoshapetheirinternmentinaway
thattheinterneeshadtheirowngardentogrow
thatbenefittedthem.Itwasameanstoenrich
vegetablesandproductsthatthecampdidnot
theiroverallexperience.Whileagardendidnot
provide.Nishimuraremembersthegardenthat
worktoerasetherealityoftheirimprisonment,it
thecamphad,butonlymentionsitbriefly.79I
didworktoraisespiritsenough.
canonlyguessthathedidnotplayabigpartin
helpingtotendtothegardenbecauseofhisjob
downswiththefoodexperience.Jeanne
asthecamptailor.However,Nishimura’s
WakatsukiHoustoninherfamousmemoir,
mentionofthegardenmeansthatitmusthave
FarewelltoManzanar,remembersthatthefood
beenafairlyimportantendeavorforsome.And
madeeveryonesickandmanyofthecookswere
othersrememberthatthevegetablegardenwasa
firsttimers.82Inaddition,foodwouldspoiland
bigpartofthecamp.Thegardenwasasourceof
therefrigerationwaspoor.83Thus,theyoften
foodfortheresidentsandthefoodtheygrew
timesdidnothavetheresourcesavailableto
madesomemuchhappier.80Today,the
themthatpeopleatHonouliulihad.But
archaeologistsworkingonthesitehavefoundthe
Manzanardidhaveathrivingagriculturalscene.
locationsforthegardenatHonouliuliandstate
Thecampwassoproductivethat:
that“gardens,pools,andotherlandscapefeatures
BySeptember1942,the
storehouseswerefiledwiththe
harvestedcrops.Manzanar
becamenotonlyself-sufficient
infeedingitself,butalsoshipped
itsexcesscropstoothercamps
tofeedtheprisonersthere.84
createdbytheresidentsoftenembellishedthe
starklayout.”81Goingoffoftheiranalysisofthe
gardensite,italsoservedasapsychologicaland
79
UniversityofHawaii,Waialua&Haleiwa,381.
80
Tasaka,ConfidentialStories,23.
81
UnitedStatesNationalParkService,57.
Tapestries|Spring2016
Mainlandinternmentalsohaditsupsand
82
Houston,“FromFarewelltoManzanar,”105.
Ibid,105.
84
Armor,etal.,Manzanar,92.
83
19
Theytoohadtheirownsuccessgrowingtheir
owncropstolivenuptheirmeals,butalsofor
otherinterneeswhosufferedthewaythatthey
did.
Foodseemslikesomethingverysimple
andanunimportantfactorinthegrandscheme
ofthingsconsideringtheinterneessituation.
Foodwassomethingthatservedasabonding
experience.Whetheritwasoverthefactthatthe
foodwasterribleandmadethemsick,oritwas
thedecisiontogrowacommunitygardenforall
toeatfrom,thefoodbroughttheinternees
together.FortheHonouliuliinternees,foodgave
themawaytoshapetheirinternment.They
gainedawaytoactivelychangetheenvironment
thattheywerelivingin.Asimplesignoflifein
“HellValley”wasapparentlyenoughtoraise
alone,isincomplete.Onewaytodosoisby
lookingverycloselyatHonouliuli.Honouliuliis
importanttoconsiderbecauseofthemyriadof
waysthatitfitsintoboththenegativeand
positivestories.Nishimuraandtheotherswere
verymuchexposedtothesameinjusticesasthe
mainlandinternees.Whiletheywere
criminalized,persecutedandattackedfortheir
race,thecampsallowedthemtofindsolaceand
carefromotherJapaneseAmericans.Sointhis
siteofoppression,JapaneseAmericansfound
camaraderieandacceptance.
Thebreakdowninfamilystructurewasa
crushingblowtomanyJapaneseAmericans.In
anyinstance,nothavingaparentaroundwould
JapaneseAmericans.Absentparentsmeanta
Conclusion
missingauthorityfigurethatcouldhelptoreign
ThestoryofJapaneseAmerican
internmenthasbeentoldtwodifferentways.
Onewayspeakstothenegativityandthe
outrightinjusticeitwas,whiletheothersideis
Tapestries|Spring2016
Thetwosidesmustbereconciledbecauseeach,
betough,butitwasespeciallycrushingtothe
spirits.
sayingthatthecampsreallywerenotthatbad.
inthechildrenorprovideforthem.Formanyof
theJapaneseAmericanswhowereimprisoned,
theylostcontrolovertheirlives.Theycouldnot
bewiththeirchildrenandtakeanactiverolein
20
raisingthem,buttheparentshadtositonthe
Interneeshadachancetoliveinsolidarity.
sideandwatchthemgrowupfromafarand
Therewasaloweredsenseofdistrustandhatred.
behindbarbedwire.Atthesametime,theyhad
Everyonewasenduringthesamehardships.
somecontrolinraisingsomethingandstill
Everyoneinthecampswerewrongfully
meaningsomething.Thegardenandthefood
imprisonedfortheirrace.
situationforHonouliuliinterneeswereboth
importanttotheirpsycheandtheirstomachs.
thepositiveandnegativenarrativescome
Honouliulihadamuchbetterfoodsituationthan
together.AnditisintheseexamplesthatI
mainlandcampsandintheirfood,theHonouliuli
struggledwithhowtofeelaboutthecamps.I
prisonersaffectedtheirimprisonment.
recognizetheinvasionofcivillibertiesthatthe
camprepresented,butIalsorecognizethe
Thephysicallocationofthecampswere
Thesearejustafewexamplesoftheway
hellaciousandunfitforliving.Oftensecluded
opportunitiesitcreated.ItallowedforJapanese
andremovedfromcivilization,thelocationofthe
tofindcommongroundwiththeirpeers.The
campsdidnothelptheinternees.Thecamps
experiencealsogavethemachancetoexplore
wereconstructedinplacesthatpeoplechosenot
differentleisureactivities.FortheJapanese
toliveonforonereasonoranother,yetthe
Americansingeneral,itprovidedanopportunity
Americangovernmentdeemedthemsuitablefor
toescapescrutinyandhatredthatwasintheir
JapaneseAmericans.Thisspeaksvolumesabout
lives.
howthegovernmenttrulyviewedthe“enemy
aliens.”Yetthisisolationgavethemsomerespite
tostartinvestigatingthepolarizingnarrativesof
fromtheoutsideworld.Inthecamps,they
thecamps.Honouliulicontainedmanyofthe
understoodwhotheywereandknewthatthe
samenegativesofthemainlandcampsandhad
struggletoprovethemselvesAmericanwasjust
manyofthesamepositives.Buttheprisonersat
ashardasnotclaimingJapanesedescent.
Honouliuliseemtohaveamuchkinder
Tapestries|Spring2016
Andagain,Honouliuliisafineplaceforus
21
remembranceofthecamp.ItwasNishimura’s
thoseprisoners.Muchofthefocushasbeenon
quotethatleftmebefuddledandrealistically
themainlandcampsthusfarandIamawareof
askingthequestionofnarrative.Yearsafterhis
thereasonswhy.Therecentrediscoveryofthe
release,Nishimurasaidinaninterviewthat
Honouliulicampandthelowernumberof
“Honouliuliinternmentcampwasn’tthatbad.”85
internedJapaneseinHawaiihaveshiftedfocus
Whatwasitthatmadethecampnotthatbad?
awayfromthecamp.Itistimetostudythesite
AndIthinkpartofitisowedtothelocationof
closelyandgiveititsduerecognition.
Honouliuli.WhenIsaylocation,Idonotmean
theactuallocationofthecampontheisland,but
ImeanthelocationofHonouliuliwithinthe
confinesofAmericaandinHawaii.Had
NishimurabeeninternedatManzanar,orTopaz,
orHeartMountain,Ibelievethathewouldnot
saythosewordsabove.Thefactorofplace
changesperceptionsofinternment.
ThisistheimpactthatHonouliulican
haveoninternmentstudies.Therearesome
nationalnarrativesthatcampchallenges.The
perceptionsofthecampandthelocalfactorsthat
broughtabouttheseperceptionshavenotbeen
includedinbroaderinternmentstudies.The
uniquefactorsofHawaii’spopulationand
locationchangedthemeaningofinternmentfor
85
Interview,379.
Tapestries|Spring2016
22
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