In 1942, more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were removed from their homes along the West Coast of the United States after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. They were incarcerated in concentration camps in remote areas until 1945. One of those camps was in Topaz, Utah. Volunteers from the Friends of the Topaz Museum have gathered these stories of Topaz survivors, told by the survivors themselves or their descendants.

The Stories

Jon Yatabe in Topaz
Toy Story
by Jon Yatabe
Yuriko Lillian Miyachi Kitano
Adopted by Quakers
by Kerrily Kitano
Norm and brother Pat in Topaz
Every Little Moment by Norman Hayashi
Ide Osako Yaki
What is an American?
by Gail Hoshiyama Nanbu
Yoshimotos wedding photo
Galvanized Buckets
by Carol Yoshimoto
James Hirano and son Dan in Topaz
Father and Son
by Dan Hirano
San Francisco Chronicle headline "WAR!"
December 7
by Grace Mori Saito Tom
Roy Iwata, about four years old, with wide-legged stance and hands on hips
Pride
by Roy Iwata
Yae with her mother and sisters, Berkeley, circa 1939
A Family Divided
by Yae Kami Yedlosky
Instruction to all persons of Japanese ancestry (poster)
Left Behind
by Ruth Sasaki
The Iwata family in their Sacramento grocery store, 1932.
Uprooted
by Roy Iwata
Three Iwata brothers and Brownie
Brownie
by Roy Iwata
Handwritten letter from Harold's mother
Harold’s Excuse
by Kimi Kodani Hill
Closeup of a knothole in wood
Oakland to Tanforan
by Grace Mori Saito Tom
Chiura Obata sumi painting Japanese Americans in Berkeley boarding bus to Tanforan.
Separation
by Ruth Hayashi
The grandstand at Tanforan Race Track
The Band’s Visit
by Yae Wada
Yon Kawakita high school yearbook photo
Pomp and Circumstance
by Yoneo Kawakita
Min Tamaki
Min’s Decision
by Ann Tamaki Dion
May 22, 1942 letter to Tanforan
Good Friends
by Ruth Sasaki
The Naruos with baby Judie
First and Last Tanforan Babies
by Ruth Naruo Saito Hara
Lining up on arrival at Tanforan; Shizu is in the center in a white coat.
The Proposal
by Jonathan Hirabayashi
Aerial view of Topaz barracks
On to Topaz
by Grace Mori Saito Tom
Woman with baby boarding train to Topaz
Journey and Arrival
by Ruth Sasaki
The Cedars, Berkeley
Not Oxford Street
by Ruth Hayashi
Aerial view of Crystal City Family Internment Camp (Texas)
Better Than Crystal City
by Tom Kawakami
The Aikawa family
A Family Torn Apart
by Seiji Aizawa
Collage of Amy Takagi and daughter Jeanie in Topaz, with barrack in background and Jeanie's brother looking out the window.
Topaz Birth
by Jeanie Takagi Kashima
The Quality Market in Delta, Utah
The Quality Market
by Gail Hoshiyama Nanbu
Telegram
A Telegram to Topaz
by Ruth Sasaki
Yae, Grace, Sets and Kaz in Topaz
Friends Forever
by Yae Kami Yedlosky
Loading incarcerees onto a truck in Topaz.
Topaz Trucker
by Yoneo Kawakita
pastel drawing of a colorful house
Structuring Chaos
by Ruth Sasaki
Japanese American man (Susumu Yamashita) on "Red," one of the horses on the Topaz Cattle Ranch.
Kibei Cowboy
by Kenneth Yamashita
Frank and Miyoko
Frank and Miyoko
by Frank Kami
Geta
“Romance”
by Grace Mori Saito Tom
Hand-made engagement card
Life Goes On
by Ruth Sasaki
Detail of a koi (carp) carved on scrap wood
Koi
by Carol Yoshimoto
Sketch of young girl drawing in Topaz
Young Artist
by Ibuki Hibi Lee
Shell pin in the shape of a heart
In the Shape of a Heart
by David Izu
Cupcake batter being ladled into a cupcake tin
Sweet Tooth
by Roy Iwata
High school dance in Topaz
Hazukashii
by Ruth Hayashi
the Yamashita extended family, three generations, in Topaz
Kiku’s Angel
by Ann Tamaki Dion and Ken Yamashita
Duke Ellington
Dancing to Duke
by Amy Eto
Ben Takeshita
A Star is Born
by Ben Takeshita
Carved wooden sign reading "Topaz Japanese Library" in Japanese characters
The Topaz Japanese Library
by Setsuko Ogami
Painting of Topaz mountains and camp by Saburo Tamura
Untitled, by Saburo Tamura
by Meri Mitsuyoshi
Carved wooden scotties in ascending sizes
Scotties
by Gail Hoshiyama Nanbu
Farewell card signed with Japanese fude (brushes)
The Topaz Poppy Poetry Club
by Mia Kodani
Pre-War basketball team at Lincoln Middle School in Sacramento. Roy is standing at far left.
Visit to a Civics Class
by Roy Iwata
Huge ant hill in Utah desert
Ant Hills
by Michio Aoyagi
Old doll, missing top of head, with yellowed band aids on forehead.
Doll With Eight Band Aids
by David Izu
army cost in recreated barracks, Topaz Museum
Annie Remembers
by Annie Inouye
Golden Gate Bridge tower in the fog
Homesick
by Grace Mori Saito Tom
Teenage girl ice skating on makeshift rink in Topaz, with barracks in background
Winter Sports
by Grace Mori Saito Tom
Robert and Irvin Hirabayashi in Boy Scout uniforms in San Mateo before the War.
Alternating Currents
by Nancy Hirabayashi
The Takayanagi family at their Berkeley nursery before the War
Toddy’s Story
by Tracy Takayanagi Hui
Pen and ink drawing of Topaz barracks with mountain in the background
The Other Stories
by Ruth Sasaki
Hand-written letter; text crowded onto page
Venturing Out
by Ruth Sasaki
Sycamore Church, early 1900s
Resettlement
by Grace Mori Saito Tom
Kiyo Takahashi in front of Topaz barrack
Kiyo’s Story
by Ruth Sasaki
Child painting at easel outside Topaz barrack, superimposed over black fingerpainting of house.
Topaz Toddler Art
Issei woman waiting for bus to Tanforan; list of families posted behind her
Ties That Bind
by Jonathan Hirabayashi
Harry Oda in uniform in Rome
The Oda Boys
by Ruth Sasaki
Gene Takei in Army uniform
Test Case
by Eugene Takei
Son Dave and father Doug Izu, Seattle, 1955.
Father’s Day
by David Izu
"Wester Sky," an oil painting of a Topaz inhabitant gazing up at a brilliant red sky.
Mystery at Topaz
by Emiko Katsumoto
Ann Ichiyasu letter from Topaz, page 1
Ann’s Letter
by Ann Ichiyasu
Painting of Carl Hirota treating patient
The Dedicated Dentist
by Cynthia Kami, Diane Kami, Carolyn Loughlin
Toichi "Tad" and Tomoye Hitomi in Fresno, May 1942.
Bank Alley
by Suzanne Hitomi
Don "Babe" Danielson
Babe
by Frank Kami
Berkeley friends before the war: Joe (left), Jon, Ronnie, Skippy, and two dogs.
Leaving Topaz
by Joseph Nishimura
Yuri and Hank Shiono wedding photo, 1943
The Honeymoon
by Pat Shiono
Junzo Hibino
Letter to a Nisei Son
by Jean Hibino
Michiko and friends Michiko Nakamura and Hisako Oku in Topaz, August 1943.
A Topaz Childhood
by Michiko Mukai
Hatsuki Nakahara and fish pond he built in Topaz, 1943.
Topaz Fish Story
by Jun Nakahara Dairiki
Section of cardboard "Exit" sign signed by more than 50 people.
Exit From Tanforan
by Diane Yuen
Clip from the newspaper Topaz Times showing an illustration of a turkey, with a processing plant and mountains in the background.
The Thing With Feathers
by Anonymous
Young Japanese American man in undershirt, standing outdoors in front of Army barrack.
Go For Broke
by Ruth Sasaki
The Nakahara family in Topaz: Mother Kita, two sons and four daughters, including Jun, in the center.
The Long Haul
by Jun Nakahara Dairiki
A Model A Ford driven by a Caucasian woman, loaded with happy black, Asian and white kids.
Two Camps
by Jon Yatabe and Ruth Sasaki
A young Japanese American woman and child (about seven years old) sit on platform sheltered by a tent cover.
The Wizard of Provo
by Jon Yatabe
A Japanese American family poses in front of their grocery store, the Yamada Grocery, in Penryn, CA, in the 1930s. They are mostly young adults except for two young children.
Swept Away
by Doris Yamada Yagi
Watercolor of a swirling dust storm in grays, reddish browns and white, with two huddled figures in the middle. A barbed wire fence runs along the lower left. Barracks appear faintly in the distant background.
The Winds of Topaz
by Jon Yatabe
Silhouette of a girl with arm upraised, at the top of a jungle gym, against the twilight sky.
The Jungle Gym
by Jon Yatabe
4 koto players and a shamisen player, all Japanese American women dressed in kimono, perform on stage at Topaz concentration camp.
Desert Winds and Strings
by Shirley Muramoto
Photocopy of a letter from the U.S. Dept. of Immigration and Naturalization Services attesting to the U.S. citizenship and employment of Harue Minamoto. The photo shows a young Japanese American woman with glasses.
Forced Removal
by Harue Minamoto
A group of Japanese Americans dressed in suits, coats, and hats, with baggage and small children in tow, gather at the entrance of a racetrack.
Tanforan
by Harue Minamoto
Japanese American baby on her stomach, smiling toward the camera.
First Winter in Topaz
by Harue Minamoto
A young woman sits outside barrack, sketching, with a dog and little girl on either side. The girl sits in a home-made vehicle with long handle.
The Lost Sketches of Topaz
by Cynthia Wright
A young Japanese American couple stand on the porch in front of a barrack apartment that bears the nameplate "T. Minamoto" next to the door. The woman is carrying a newborn baby. Another Japanese American woman, a friend, joins the photo.
Dust-up in the Desert
by Harue Minamoto
A Japanese American family--father in suit carrying a young child, mother peering into window, and five-year-old girl--returns to their home after the war. Windows are boarded up and "No Japs Wanted" has been painted on the walls.
The Aftermath
by Harue Minamoto
A teenage Japanese American girl in a short white skirt and white sweatshirt raises her arms after shooting a basketball into the air.
Hoop Dreams
by Mitsi Nakamizo Fuchigami
A sketch of the interior of a barrack room converted into a library, with pot-bellied stoves, shelves of books, and many people, men, women, reading newspapers, sitting at tables reading, chatting, etc. A man adds coal to the stove.
Escaping Topaz
by Jon Yatabe
Japanese American family (mother with two daughters and two sons--one, a baby) pose in front of a garden store.
Questions I Never Asked Mom
by Kaz Oyamada Iwahashi
A Japanese American teenaged high school graduate in cap and gown.
A Teen in Topaz
by Steve Fujioka
Three generations of a large Japanese American family pose in front of their barrack in Topaz, Utah. 1944.
The Rowdies
by Helen Harano Christ
A lone bus heads into the distance on a two-lane road. To the right is a concentration camp surrounded by barbed wire fences. A large crowd gathers behind the fence, watching the bus leave.
The End and the Beginning
by Jon Yatabe
Two boys (around 9-10 years old)--one a blond Caucasian, the other Japanese American --pose behind a cartoon of two figures in garish plaid suits astride a bucking donkey.
Marbles and Memories
by Jonathan Hirabayashi
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