Nisei community
leader and newspaper publisher in Seattle who during World War II was
incarcerated with his family at Camp Harmony in Washington and the Minidoka
Relocation Center in Idaho.
Repository:
University of Washington
Libraries Special
Collections
Languages:
Collection materials are in
English.
Sponsor:
Funding for encoding this finding
aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment
for the Humanities.
Biographical Note
James ("Jimmie") Sakamoto was a prominent Nisei community leader,
activist, and newspaper publisher renowned for his ardent American patriotism.
He was born in Seattle in 1903 to Japanese immigrant parents who arrived in the
Northwest in 1894. He graduated from Franklin High School in 1920. A year
later, he helped to found the Seattle Progressive Citizens' League to oppose
the city's anti-alien land law and various other proposed pieces of
anti-Japanese legislation. In 1923, Sakamoto moved to the East Coast where he
became a professional welterweight (often known as "featherweight") prize
fighter. During this time he also worked as English editor of the New York City
Japanese American Daily News and took classes at
Princeton. In 1927, as a result of injuries suffered in the ring, he went blind
and returned to Seattle shortly thereafter.
In 1928, Sakamoto established and became publisher of Seattle's
English language newspaper, the Japanese-American
Courier, which quickly boasted circulation figures over 10,000. In 1930,
he helped to form the Japanese American Citizens' League (JACL) and from
1936-1938 served as the organization's second national president.
The advent of the War in the Pacific led to one of the most
influential periods in Sakamoto's life -- the approximately four months he
spent as "Chief Supervisor" at the Camp Harmony assembly center in Puyallup.
There Sakamoto offered critical support and leadership for his fellow Japanese
Americans and was, simultaneously, a trusted functionary of Army officials.
But World War II also brought the end to one of Sakamoto's
longest-running professional accomplishments, the Japanese-American Courier newspaper, and compelled him
to put aside his vigorous activist work for the JACL. Moreover, he, his wife
Misao, their two young daughters, and his wife's parents were forced to leave
their home -- along with nearly 13,000 other Washington State residents of
Japanese descent -- and were incarcerated for three years at the Minidoka
Relocation Center in southern Idaho. At Minidoka, Sakamoto's leadership efforts
were not encouraged in the way they had been at Camp Harmony. Although he
continued to mediate on behalf of his fellow Nisei -- such as writing letters
to political figures (including President Franklin D. Roosevelt) and
arbitrating disputes -- he served in no official political capacity.
Upon his release from Minidoka in July 1945, Sakamoto returned to
Seattle with his wife and family. In 1946, he began working for the Society of
St. Vincent de Paul and remained there, as head of the Pick-up and Telephone
Solicitation Department, until his untimely death in 1955 after being hit by a
car while walking to work.
Content Description
The collection consists of Sakamoto's personal papers and two
subgroups, the Japanese American Citizens' League (JACL) and the
Japanese-American Courier. The personal papers
include material on the evacuation and relocation of the West Coast Japanese,
and on the Japanese community in general. The bulk of the materials on subjects
such as the evacuation, Camp Harmony, and the Minidoka Relocation Center are
located in subject series of the same names; however, researchers should be
aware that other sections in the accession -- especially Incoming and Outgoing
Letters, General Correspondence, Case Files, re: Internees, Speeches and
Writings, and Legislation -- also contain significant amounts of material on
such matters.
The JACL subgroup ranges from approximately 1930 to 1954 and consists
primarily of correspondence and minutes concerning the development of the
organization, its role in supporting legislation regarding immigration and
citizenship, and its stand during the relocation and evacuation. The
Courier subgroup mainly concerns the business
aspects of the newspaper, but it also includes correspondence pertaining to the
newspaper's activities in the Japanese community of the Seattle area, such as
its sports leagues, Public Service Bureau, and cooking school.
Other Descriptive Information
The Microforms and Newspapers Center in Suzzallo Library owns a
complete collection of the Japanese-American
Courier which may be easier to read than the single copies found in this
accession in Special Collections. This microfilm may be borrowed through
Interlibrary Borrowing.
Use of the Collection
Alternative Forms Available :
A microfilmed copy of the papers is available in Special Collections
and may be borrowed through Interlibrary Borrowing.
Restrictions on Access :
Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use :
The literary rights of these papers have been retained. Thus, users
who wish to quote Sakamoto's writings must contact the Sakamoto family for
permission. In addition, users who wish to quote Sakamoto's correspondents must
search for their heirs and contact them directly for permission.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information :
Sakamoto's widow, Misao Sakamoto, donated and personally organized
this 8.45 cubic foot accession in 1971.