Imprisoned Apart: The World War II Correspondence of An Issei Couple

316 Pages·1998·14.3 MB·English

by  Louis Fiset

The Scott and Laurie Oki Series
in Asian American Studies
The Scott and Laurie Oki Series
in Asian American Studies
From a Three-Cornered World: New and Selected Poems,
by James Masao Mitsui
Imprisoned Apart: The World IMzr II Correspondence of an Issei Couple,
by Louis Fiset
I
mprisoned Apart
The World War II
of
Correspondence an
Issei Couple
Louis Fiset
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON PRESS
Seattle and London
For Joni, in all seasons
This book is published with the assistance of a grant from the Scott and Laurie Oki
Endowed Fund for the publication of Asian American Studies, established through the
generosity of Scott and Laurie Oki.
Publication was supported in part by The Civil Liberties Public Education Fund.
Copyright © 1997 by the University of Washington Press
Printed in the United States of America
Designed by Joanne Poon
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Fiset, Louis.
Imprisoned apart: the World War II correspondence of an Issei
couple / Louis Fiset.
p. cm.-(The Scott and Laurie Oki series in Asian American studies)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-295-97645-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Matsushita, Iwao, 1892-1979. 2. Matsushita, Hanaye, 1898 or
9-1965. 3. Japanese Americans-Correspondence. 4. Japanese
Americans-Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945. I. Tide.
II. Series.
D769·8.A6F49 1998
940·53'089956-dC21 97-29984
CIP
The paper used in this publication
meets the minimum requirements
of American National Standard for
Information Sciences-Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI Z39-48-1948. i§J
The fields under snow
Have withered, but unwithered
Are the asters.
no wayuki ni
karuredo karenu
shion ka na
-Sengin,
17th-century Japanese poet

CONTENTS
List ifi llustrations ix
Foreword by Roger Daniels xi
Acknowledgments xv
PART ONE. The American Experience
1. Establishing Roots 3
2. Listening to the Sound of Shoes 27
3· Incarceration 39
4. Stone Fever 53
5. Fields under Snow 81
PART Two. Wartime Correspondence
6. Censored 101
7. The Letters 113
Notes 269
Appendix 285
Bibliography 287
Photo Credits 293
vii
Index 295

ILLUSTRATIONS
Chapter openings: photographs by Iwao Matsushita
1. "Mountain Lake" 2
2. "Autumn Clouds" 26
3. "Lake Wilderness" 38
4. "Skyline Trail" 52
5. "The Mountain That Was God" 80
6. "Untitled" 100
7. "Ice Coral" 112
Iwao Matsushita, prior to leaving Japan 6
1919 passport 8
On duty as manager of Chester Lodging House 11
Iwao Matsushita, early 1920S 13
Matsushita and his car, 1929 16
Skiing trip with Dr. Kyo Koike 17
Hanaye and Iwao at Alki Beach 18
Rental bungalow in Seattle 20
Hanaye with feline friend 21
Iwao Matsushita, 1933 22
Hanaye Matsushita, 1933 22
Sunday afternoon in a Seattle park 22
Hiking in alpine fir country, Mount Rainier 23 ix
Hanaye rests during a hike 23
Detainees at Fort Missoula 35