Harue Hirai Minamoto (Forced Removal, Tanforan, First Winter in Topaz, Dust-up in the Desert, The Aftermath)
Harue was born in Oakland, CA in 1916. A graduate of Oakland Technical High School, she completed bookkeeping and secretarial courses at Merritt Business School and was hired by the U.S. Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services in 1937. After Executive Order 9066 was issued, she was forced to resign. She married Toshiro Minamoto in February 1942, shortly before they were incarcerated in Tanforan. Two of her three children were born in Topaz. Sponsored by a Quaker family, the Minamotos resettled in Philadelphia in 1944; but when Tosh was drafted in 1945, Harue and the children returned to Oakland. Harue often spoke of the injustices of incarceration to her children and grandchildren and never hesitated to inform others of what EO 9066 did to American citizens. She passed away in 1999. Her story was shared with us by her family: Melyssa Minamoto, Gay Kaplan, John Minamoto, Ed Minamoto and their children.
Meri Mitsuyoshi (Untitled by Saburo Tamura)
Meri’s father and mother were relocated to Tanforan and Topaz from the farming and chrysanthemum-growing communities in Irvington and Redwood City, CA. Meri graduated from UC Berkeley, where she earned a degree in Electrical Engineering. While working in Silicon Valley, she drummed with San Jose Taiko, and has recently embarked on a second career as a psychotherapist. Meri lives in San Jose with her husband, Mark Gonnerman, and their cats, Tabi and Sujata.
Michiko Takeshita Mukai (A Topaz Childhood)
Michi was born in 1935 in San Mateo, CA. At the age of six, she, her seven siblings and parents were incarcerated in Tanforan Assembly Center, then Topaz in Utah and later, Tule Lake, CA. After the War, she returned to California and graduated from San Mateo High School. She worked for Pacific Bell, then married and had two sons. She worked as a teachers’ aid in the San Mateo Elementary School District for 14 years. Her grandchildren are now grown, but she still dog-sits their “babies.”
Shirley Muramoto (Desert Winds and Strings)
Shirley Muramoto is a koto musician, teacher, band leader and filmmaker. She grew up in Oakland, CA after the War. She received her instructor’s license (1976) and master’s degree (2000) from the Chikushi School in Fukuoka, Japan. She was the Creative Director of the 2014 documentary, “Hidden Legacy: Japanese Traditional Performing Arts in the WWII Internment Camps.” In 2012 Shirley was honored by the Hokka Nichibei Kai Japanese American Cultural Association of America by being inducted into the Bunka Hall of Fame for her life-long dedication to teaching and performing on the Japanese koto.