Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of Asaji Nakahama

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Descendants of Asaji Nakahama

Generation No. 1

1. ASAJI¹ NAKAHAMA was born January 01, 1880 in Taiji-cho, Higashi-muro-gun, Wakayama-ken, and died May 13, 1932 in Los Angeles Co., CA. He married OSUMA RYONO Abt. 1916 in Japan. She was born October 13, 1895 in Taiji-cho, Higashi-muro-gun, Wakayama-ken, and died Bet. 1946 - 1951 in Japan.

Notes for ASAJI NAKAHAMA:
1) October 2005, Researcher note: Asaji Nakahama and wife, Osuma Ryono, were the great-grandparents of our granddaughter, Margie Diane Payne. Our interest in the Nakahama family is to provide Margie with a good knowledge of her Japanese ancestry. We will provide a basic history of our theories as to how Asaji Nakahama came to the US, where the Nakahama family was when WWII began and where the Nakahama family was during the war years. The only living immediate member of his family is his daughter, Kiyoko, who has passed on the info that her father and mother died around the same time. However, we've not been able to locate her father, Asaji Nakahama, after the 1930 census and not at all on the Manzanar Relocation Center listing with the rest of the Nakahama family. We will try to document the Nakahama family in the hopes that our granddaughter, Margie, will someday use this information and be able to continue to find her Japanese heritage. Many Issei and Nisei have not passed on this part of their history to the Sansei generation of their families because they feel it is their "Enryo" [shame] even though it is truly not their shame but the shame of the American government's mistreatment of many loyal, hardworking Japanese families.

2) Historical Migration - "Japanese Immigrants and their Descendants" (DiscoverNikkei.com) - Excerpt from article: "Between 1885 and 1924 about 200,000 Japanese arrived in Hawaii and about 180,000 immigrated to the continental United States. Most came from the southern prefectures of Japan which had been plagued by conditions of drought, famine and overpopulation. In Hawaii, the early Issei worked on the sugar plantations; on the mainland they were sent working in Alaska's salmon canneries, in Utah's minining camps, in Oregon sawmills or in California's agriculture fields. Immigrants found that racism always played a part in their lives It eventually brought a halt to new laborers entering the US after the U.S.-Japan Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907-08. In the following years, the makeup of the Japanese community changed from single males to families, coming about by achievements in Issei agriculture. Naturalization rights were denied in 1922 and immigration from Japan was terminated in 1924 (both effective until 1952), both delivering severe setbacks to the community.

3) A History of Japanese Americans in California: IMMIGRATION
(http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/5views/5views4a.htm), Excerpt from web site: " In 1890, 2,038 Japanese resided in the United States; of this number, 1,114 lived in California." Natives from Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Yamaguchi, and Fukushima were sought for their supposed expertise in agriculture, for their hard work, and for their willingness to travel. Immigrants to California from these prefectures constituted the largest numbers of Japanese in the state. [Note: Asaji Nakahama has been noted by his daughter's documents to have immigrated to the US in February 1900. We can only theorize that he may have come from one of these areas and possibly have been related to one of the 1,114 who were already living in California since that is where he settled.]

4) A History of Japanese Americans in California: PATTERNS OF SETTLEMENT AND OCCUPATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS (http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/5views/5views4b.htm), excerpt:
Most Japanese immigrants entered the United States through San Francisco. As a result, the first large settlement of Japanese in California was in San Francisco. By 1900, Southern California had a Japanese population of approximately 500, with the largest concentration in Los Angeles County." [Note: Los Angeles County, CA is where Asaji Nakahama settled his family.]

5) "Terminal Island Issei/Nisei" - Long Beach Area History, Virtual Oral/Aural History Archive, California State University - Excerpt from Archive is placed in our records as background info on the area where Asaji Nakahama lived and worked. Hisako Nakahama, his daughter, documented her father was in the US from February 1900 to May 13, 1932. It is possible he has died by that date; therefore, he would not have been one of the Japanese fishermen picked up in 1942 as stated in the article: "When the Los Angeles Terminal Railroad connected the city to the coastal communities of Long Beach and San Pedro in the 1890s, Rattlesnake Island, the narrow strip of land in the channel across from San Pedro became linked to Los Angeles and was renamed Terminal Island. A small group of Japanese fishermen had established an abalone cooperative on the island earlier, in 1901, but it was not until 1906-1907 that the Japanese fishing village of Terminal Island took shape. The first twenty houses were built on pilings along the shore of the main channel. Within a year or two, approximately 600 more Japanese arrived. They were mainly men, one-fourth of whom came from Taiji, a small fishing village in Wakayama prefecture. By the 1930s, the Japanese community located in the Fish Harbor area of Terminal Island had grown to over 2,000. Most of the men were fishermen, and many of their wives and daughters worked in the canneries. The residents felt a distinct sense of belonging to a unique community with its own cultural, economic and recreational activities. It was torn asunder, however, at the outbreak of World War II. In February 1942, the community was given forty-eight hours to evacuate and most of its members were placed in concentration camps. During the war, the company housing and commercial buildings which had served the Japanese American community were bulldozed to make way for the expanding canneries. [Note: It would seem that the majority of the Japanese on Terminal Island came from the "Wakayama prefecture" as did Asaji Nakahama. "Prefecture" in the Japanese system, is a word used for translating references to an administrative district, which is about the area of a county in the United States but, on average, about half the population of a state. We have confirmation of the Nakahama family living on Terminal Island from firsthand accounts given by Hisako (Nakahama) Payne to her children. Also we have the original US government documentation of Hisako Nakahama's removal from Terminal Island to be relocated to the Manzanar Relocation Center. As of July 2006, we have reviewed the an original book and index of a book that Hisako (Nakahama) Payne received when attending one of the annual memorial pilgrimages to Terminal Island, CA and in this book, her family members are listed as coming from the city of Taiji which in in the Wakayama Prefecture.]

6) Wakayama Prefecture - Homeland of Asaji Nakahama: The Terminal Island Japanese families have been noted to have been from the Wakayama Prefecture in Japan. The following website at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~jpnwgw/geomap.html offers an excellent description of Japan and the area. Excerpt describing the islands of Japan: "Japan consists of 5 major islands; Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Okinawa, and Shikoku. The country can also be divided into 9 regions. Within these nine regions there are 47 provinces or states which are commonly referred to as prefectures. The Japanese language identifies a prefectural name by attaching a suffix of -to, -do, -fu, or -ken. The Wakayama-Ken Prefecture is in the Kinki Region (a belt that extends across the lower part of the island from the Sea of Japan to the Pacific Ocean) on the Island of Honshu. The Kinki Region is one of five regions on the Island of Honshu. The Island of Honshu is Japan's main island and is one of the five islands which make up Japan. The capital city of the Wakayama-Ken Prefecture is Wakayama-Shi."

7) "Furuasto (Home Sweet Home) - The Lost Village of Terminal Island" - (See Hisako Nakahama notes for excerpts from this site about the Japanese on Terminal Island.

8) Online Source: World War Registration Cards, 1917-1918 (Ancestry.com) - A Registration Card was found for Asaji Nakahama with the following information: Roll #1530800, Draft Board: 3; Serial #1585; Order #628; Name: Asaji Nakahama; Address: P. O. Box 44, East San Pedro, CA; Age: 39; Birthdate: January 1, 1880; Race: Oriental; Alien: Non-Declarant; Citizen: Japan; Occupation: Fisherman; Employer: Self; Nearest Relative: Katsube Hayashi (living at same address as Asaji); Signature: made his "mark", then full name was written as "Asaji Nakahama" and under that he wrote his name in Japanese; Registrar's Report: 4-4-3C; Height: Short; Build: Slender; Color of Eyes: Brown; Color of Hair: Black; Disabilities: None; Date: Sept. 7, 1918; Board: Los Angeles, CA; Branch: City Hall, San Pedro, CA. [Note: According to the 1930 census, Asaji first married at age 37 but his wife isn't listed as nearest relative on this reg. card where he's shown as being 39 yrs. old......not too surprising with the structure of the Japanese family though.]

12) US Census, 1930 - Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., CA, San Pedro District, ED585, District 15, Blk. 1500, Assembly Dist. 72, 221C Cannery Street, HH381, Pg. 25A, Roll #155, Pg. 246. Asaji Nakahama (age 50, est. birth 1880, Race: Japanese, Language: Japanese, born Japan-Japan-Japan, 1st married at age 37 yrs, occupation: fisherman, commercial fishing; Class of Worker: Worker; Immigrated: 1900; Naturalization: Alien; Home: Rented; Monthly Rental: $5.50) is found on this census. Living in his household are: Osuma (wife, age 37, est. birth 1893, Race: Japanese; Language: Japanese; born Japan-Japan-Japan; 1st married at age 23, Immigrated: 1919, Naturalization: Alien), Asayo (daughter, age 17, est. birth 1913, Race: Japanese, born CA-Japan-Japan), Sumayo (daughter, age 10, est. birth 1920, Race: Japanese, born CA-Japan-Japan), Sakuo (son, age 8, est. birth 1922, Race: Japanese, born CA-Japan-Japan), Kiyoko (daughter, age 4 8/12, est. birth 1926, Race: Japanese, born CA-Japan-Japan) and Hisako (daughter, age 2 6/12, est. birth 1928, Race: Japanese, born CA-Japan-Japan). [Note: Daughter, Asayo, is shown as 17 yrs. old but she was only 12 years old in 1930.]

13) September 7, 2005 - Telephone conversation w/Kelli (Bickerstaff) Payne. Kelli states that her husband, Mark, has no knowledge of his grandfather but that he has asked his Aunt Kiki and she tells him that her father, Asaji Nakahama, and her mother, Osuma (Ryono) Nakahama, both died about the same time. [Note: Osuma Nakaham was listed on the Manzanar Relocation Center's Roster in 1942 as "Widow" and we've confirmed Asaiji Nakahama's death in 1932. Osuma Nakahama died after her release from Tule Lake Relocation Center sometime between 1946 and 1953 in Japan.]

14) Document of daughter, Hisako Margie Nakahama: American Consular Service, Request to Reclaim US Citizenship for Hisako Margie Nakahama: Hisako answered questions regarding her family on this document. There is no actual date of the document's completion; however, it is believed to have been completed between 1951 and 1953 when she returned to the US. She stated her father's birthdate was January 1, 1879 and his birth place was Wakayama-Ken, Higashi - Muro-Gun, Taiji-Cho, Japan. She stated that he was deceased at the time she completed the document but did not specify a death date for him. She listed the Dates of Residence in US for her father as being from "February 1, 1900 to May 13, 1932". [Note: This document helps us to confirm Asaji Nakahama's death date.]

15) Online Source: California Deaths Menu 1930-1939 - Asaji Nakahama, Pg. 4958, State File #26116, Name: Asaji Nakahama; Spouse Initial: O.; Age Group: 1 (0-99 yrs); Age: 54; County of Death: #70 (Los Angeles); Death Date: May 13, 1932; Year Filed: 1932. [Note: This death record index confirms our theory that Asaji Nakahama died on May 13, 1932, as evidenced also by his daughter, Hisako Nakahama's statement of that being the last day he was in the US. He died before years before his family was evacuated from Terminal Island and incarcerated in Manzanar and Tule Lake Relocation Centers.]

More About ASAJI NAKAHAMA:
Census: 1930, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., CA, San Pedro District, ED585, District 15, Blk. 1500, Assembly Dist. 72, 221C Cannery Street, HH381, Pg. 25A, Roll #155, Pg. 246.
Comment: 1930, Language spoken: Japanese
Immigration: February 01, 1900, Listed on daughter, Hisako Nakahama's application request to reclaim her US Citizenship as immigrating to US on this date.
Military service: September 07, 1918, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 (see notes)
Nationality: 1930, Listed on 1930 US census as Race: Japanese and "Al" for "Alien" status.
Occupation 1: 1942, Fisherman (Source: Wife's Japanese-American Internee Data File, 1942-1946)
Occupation 2: October 1926, Fisherman [Source: Birth certificate of daughter Hisako Nakahama]

Notes for OSUMA RYONO:
1) Historical Background Info: "A History of Japanese Americans in California: IMMIGRATION" -
(http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/5views/5views4a.htm), Excerpt from web site: "For wives who entered after 1910, the first glimpse of the United States was the Detention Barracks at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. New immigrants were processed there, and given medical exams." [Note: The 1930 census record shows that Osuma (Ryono) Nakahama immigrated to the US in 1919 but that they married about 1916. She most likely came into the US and was at Angel Island in San Francisco, CA.]

2) Historical Background Info: "Japanese American Women Three Generations 1890-1990" by Mei Nakano (online article for National Japanese American Historical Society's web site) - Excerpt from site: "Japanese women began trickling into this country around the turn of the century, then in sizable numbers around 1915. They came most frequently as picture brides, strangers to their husbands, strangers to the country. In 1920, the immigration of brides was abruptly cut off...........some brides came to carry out the wishes of the parents who had made the match, some came because it presented a last hope for marriage and a few even came for the adventure offered." [Note: This article is a must read for anyone with an ancestor who was an Issei bride.]

3) Historical Background Info: "The Eviction of Terminal Island" (http://members.tripod.com/runker_room/tiestalk/terminal.htm), excerpt from article: ".....Terminal Island in the Los Angeles harbor .....as the first community on the West Coast to be evicted en masse. On Feb. 25, 1942, the US Navy informed its 3,500 residents that they had 48 hours to leave their homes. Ten days later, mass eviction was ordered within 48 hours. Issei women and their children, unaccustomed to dealing with business matters, struggled to dispose of their family property and settle their affairs. The result was total chaos, abandonment of household goods and equipment and victimization of the women and children by predatory merchants and exploiters of misfortune. Three religious organizations played roles in providing safe havens to residents: Terminal Island Japanese Baptist Church, the American Friends (Quaker) Service Committee and the Jodo Shinshu Temples of Los Angeles. [Note: We have the original documentation that Osuma (Ryone) Nakahama and her children were removed from Terminal Island and we believe that this is the experience that they lived through.]

4) "Temporary Assembly Centery, Wartime Civil Control Administration", Project Mngr: Geoff Froh (http://www.densho.org/sitesofshame/index.html), excerpts: "In spring 1942, the WCCA hastily prepared temporary "assembly centers" to house individuals of Japanese ancestry who were removed from their homes after the signing of the EO9066. In California.......centers were located at horse racetracks, fairgrounds........surrounded by barbed-wire fences and patrolled by armed military police. People were housed in animal stalls and barracks with communal bathrooms and mess halls. Privacy was next to nonexistent. Most families lived in a 20-by-20-foot room separated by partitions that did not reach the ciling. Living conditions were chaotic and squalid. Shortages of food and deplorable sanitation were common. Overcrowding, uncertainity and stress created tension in the centers." [Note: We believe that there are two temporary assembly centers which the Nakahama family might have entered upon removal from their home: 1) Santa Anita TAC and Owens Valley TAC. We'll list them below for background info until we can confirm which center the Nakahama family was first put in.]
      A) Santa Anita Temporary Assembly Center - Opened March 27, 1942, Closed October 27, 1942, located at the world-famous Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia, CA. Japanese from the Los Angeles county area were held here, as well as from San Diego and Santa Clara Counties. The primary exit destinations included Manzanar as well as others. [Note: In inquirying about the Terminal Island residents removal with our cousin, Anita Hollis, who is a longtime resident of Los Angeles Co., CA, we found that her daughter's in-laws were also Terminal Island Japanese removed at the same time as the Nakahama family. Robin stated her in-laws didn't like to talk about their incarceration but had said they were "housed in temporary quarters at the Santa Anita Race Track stables" before they were "moved to the Manzanar camp". It is possible that the Nakahama family was also placed in this temporary camp.]

      B) Owens Valley Temporary Assembly Center - Opened March 21, 1942, Closed June 2, 1942, located at Manzanar, CA on the site that later became the WRA-run incarceration camp Manzanar. More than 90 percent were from the Los Angeles area. There was no primary exit destiniation since the people who were brought here to the Owens Valley TAC remained when the camp changed to the WRA run Manzanar incarceration camp. [Note: The US Government documentation we have for the Nakahama states they were in the "Assembly Center: Manzanar" and in the "Relocation Project: Manzanar". This would seem to mean that the Nakahama family was first in the Owens Valley temp. assembly camp which then became the Manzanar Relocation Center. However, documented dates of the Japenese removal from Terminal Island has been said to have happened 10 days from February 25, 1942......estimating about March 7, 1942. The Nakahama family is not documented to be at the Manzanar camp until April 3, 1942. Where could the Nakahama family have been from March 7th to April 3rd?]

5) National Archives - File Unit Title: Japanese-American Internee Data File, 1942-1946; Member of: Record Group 210; Records of the War Relocation Authority; Series: Records About Japanese Americans Relocation During World War II, 1988-1989; Name: Osuma Nakahama. Osuma Nakahama was found in this data file as follows:
Relocation Project: Manzanar
Assembly Center: Manzanar (up to 6/1/42)
Last Premanent Address: Los Angeles, California
Last Permanent Address State: Pacific States - California
Last Permant Address County: Los Angeles
Birth Place of Parents: Father=Japan, Mother=Japan
Fathers Occupation in US: Blank, Unknown, None, Dash
Fathers Occupation Abroad: Fishermen
Total Years of Schooling in Japan: None
Years of Schooling in Japan: None
Year of First Arrival in Territorial US: 1920
Total Length of Time in Japan: 20 years or more
Number of Times in Japan: 1 time --not attending school
Age At Time In Japan: Between ages 0-9, 10-19 & also 20 & over
Individual Number: 01425
Sex and Marital Status: Female Widowed
Race of Individual and Spouse: Individual-Japanese; Spouse-Japanese
Year of Birth: 1895
Birthplace: Japan - Southern Division
Alien Registration Number, Social Security Number and Japanese Language School: Has both AR and SS number and has not attended Japanese language school.
Highest Grade Completed or Grade Attending: No schooling or kindergarten in either Japan or US.
Language: Japanese speaking only.
Primary Occupation: Unskilled Occupations in Canning and Preserving of Foods.
File Number: 105945

[Note: The Manzanar Relocation center file shows Osuma Nakahama as widow. Her husband, Asaji Nakahama died on May 13, 1932 in Los Angeles Co., CA. Also listed in the Manzanar Relocation Center with Osuma are her five children. Four of the five children are still single (Sumayo, Sakuo, Kiyoko and Hisako) but one daughter, Asayo Nakahama, has married. This married daughter is listed as Asayo Minami and is also in the Manzanar Relocation Center as well as her husband, Sam Minami, and child, Toshiko Minami.]

6) "Roster of Manzanar Residents" (Pg. 130) - United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Manzanar National Historic Site, Independence, CA (copies received September 7, 2005) - Contact was made online with Carrie Strawn (Manzanar Nat'l Historic Site Staff member) regarding the Manzanar Relocation Center's evacuees. Carrie mailed us two pages of the relocation center's roster, an "Explanation of Fields" for the roster's abbreviations, a Manzanar Camp Layout (shows how the camp was laid out and provides us a look into exactly which area and building the Nakahama/Minami families were living) and an informative brochure titled "Manzanar" (explains the camp layout, has photos of evacuees, gives background info and shows timeline of time period). On the Roster, Osuma Nakahama and her unmarried children are listed on Page 130. She is listed as "Alien" and the children are listed as "Citizens". The Roster is dated June 1, 1942 to December 1, 1944 but Osuma Nakahama's "Type of Original Entry" is shown as "MaAC" which shown on the explanation sheet means "MaAC - means arrived at Manzanar before June 1, 1942". This earlier interment entry is also confirmed by the letter written to Hisako Nakahama-Payne from the US Government in our possession. Other info on the Roster is: Individual's number in the camp (Osuma was #5,666 on the Roster); names of individuals; Family Number (#1425); Sex; Date of Birth; Marital Status; Citizenship Status; Alien Registration No. (Osuma's ARN#1861769); Type of Original Entry (MaAC); Date of Original Entry (6-1-42); Pre-Evacuation Address (W. Los Angeles, CA); Center Address; Type of Final Departure (T-S); Date of Final Departure (Feb. 2, 1944); Destination of Final Departure (Tule Lake, Calif). The "Type of Final Departure" gives insight into why the Nakahama and Minami families were transferred from Manzanar to Tule Lake. The Roster shows "T-S" which on the "Explanation of Fields" sheet means "T-S = transfer-segregation, transferred to Tule Lake after Loyalty Questionairee". The Manzanar brochure we received explained the "Loyalty Question" and the Tule Lake transfer of the Nakahama-Minami families as: "They [the Manzanar Japanese] were asked if they would swear unqualified allegiance to the United States. Some older internees answered "no" because they were not allowed to become U. S. citizens. Others refused to serve while their families were behind barbed wire. Those who answered "yes" were considered "loyal" and became eligible for indefinite leave outside the West Coast military areas. Those who answered "no" were sent to a segregation center at Tule Lake, Calif." [Note: From the Roster, we can see that the Nakahama and Minami families most probably answered the loyalty question "No-No" and as such were transfered to the Tule Lake Relocation Center (Feb. 19, 1944) as confirmed by the Hisako Nakahama-Payne letter from the US Government in our possession.]

7) Tule Lake Relocation Center (Modoc Co., CA) - As of September 2005, no records have been found online for the Tule Lake Relocation Center's internees. An email was sent to the NARA inquiring if there were records, such as we'd found for the Manzanar Relocation Center, for the Tule Lake Relocation Center. A response was received from N. J. Melley, Archives Specialist, Electronic & Special Media Records Services Division, National Archives and Records Administration on September 2, 2005 stating the following: "The ESMRSD of the NARA has custody on only one data file on internees during WWII which you found in our Access to Archival Databases (AAD) resource. It was created from a set of punchcards idential to those at the University of California, Berkeley's Bancroft Library. However, there are textual records in which you may be interested. As far as we know, this is the only data file currently available. However, NARA's Textual Archives Services Div., Old Military and Civil Records (NWCTB) has custody of two series of Textual records which may be of interest to you. The first is the Final Accountability Roster of Evacuees. The second is "Records about Japanese Americans Relocated During World War II" data file serves as an index. The evacuee files are closed for 75 years from date of birth of the individual evacuee. However, the file can be accessed with written permission of the individual or next of kin. [Note: This email confirms that the files we've found online are only for the Manzanar Camp and so the Nakahama family is only found for the period of April 1942 through February 1944. The NARA email contains email contact and telephone contact info and will be kept on file for future reference.]

8) Book, "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Wakatsuki-Houston and James D. Houston, published 1973. Mrs. Wakatsuki-Houston talks in her book about the "Loyalty Oath" and the "Yes Yes No No" questions which caused a dilemna for her family at Manzanar as well as all other Japanese-American families interred. The two questions from the "War Relocation Authority Application for Leave Clearance, 1943" which caused the most problems were:
      Question #27: Are you willing to serve in the Armed Forces of the US on combat duty, wherever ordered? yes____ no____
      Question #28: Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the US of America and faithfully defend the US from any or all attack by foreign or domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese emperor, or any other foreign government, power, or organization? yes____ no____. Everyone 17 years of age and older was required to complete and sign the Loyalty Oath. Anyone who signed these two questions as "no no" were sent to Tule Lake camp in northern California where all the "disloyal" were to be assembled for what most people believed would be eventual repatriation to Japan. [Note: We believe this is the very reason that the Nakahama and Minami families were transferred from Manzanar to Tule Lake.....even though they were not "disloyal" to the United States.]

9) "Loyalty Questionnaire - February 6, 1943" - Project Mngr: Geoff Froh (http://www.densho.org/sitesofshame/index.html), excerpt: "The US Army and the War Relocation Authority produced questionnaires for all WRA incarcerees seventeen years of age and older. The army's version of the questionnaire is for Nisei (US citizens) males. The WRA version is for Nisei females and the Issei. Both questionnaires contained two questions (27 & 28) that cause confusion and controversy for incarcerees. Despite serious problems with the wording and meaning of the questions, government officials generally consider those who answered "no" to these two questions to be "disloyal" to the US; they are transferred to the Tule Lake incarceration camp which is designated a segregation camp." [Note: The Nakahama and Minami families were transferred to Tule Lake Relocation Center on February 21, 1944 as confirmed by US Government documents of Hisako Nakahama.]

10) January 2006 - Ongoing search for the Nakahama family after their release from Tule Lake Relocation Center: Osuma (Ryono) Nakahama's whereabouts, as her family's, is a mystery to date. Since we know she and her family were at Tule Lake when released in 1946. and we have found her youngest daughter, Hisako, returning from Japan in 1953, it could be possible that the Nakahama family was one of the family's who requested to be repatriated to Japan at the end of their internment. This is just a theory at the time being because none of the descendants of the Nakahama or Minami family have earlier family history. The following quote was taken from the web site, "Japanese American internment From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia" and discussed Tule Lake and the people there: " One of the camps, Tule Lake, was in fact later turned into a prison camp, with watchtowers, fences, and guards. Tule Lake was reserved for those of Japanese descent who were specifically suspected of espionage, treason, or other such disloyalty, and their families, as well as individuals who were community leaders, such as teachers or priests. Other families were held at Tule Lake because they requested to be repatriated to Japan. A number of pro-Japan demonstrations were held there throughout the war."

11) Document: American Consular Service, Request to Reclaim US Citizenship for Hisako Margie Nakahama (daughter of Osuma Ryono Nakahama): Hisako answered questions regarding her family on this document. There is no actual date of the document's completion; howeve, because of work dates on the document it is believed to have been completed between 1951 and 1953, when she returned to the US. She stated her mother's birthdate was October 13, 1895 and her birth place was Wakayama-Ken, Higashi - Muro-Gun, Taiji-Cho, Japan. She stated that her mother was deceased at the time she [Hisako] completed the document but did not specify a death date for her mother. She listed the Dates of Residence in US for her mother as being from "April 27, 1919 to February 24, 1946". [Note: Hisako Nakahama's release from Tule Lake Relocation Center is confirmed to have been "February 24, 1946". She states on her Req. for Reclaiming US Citizenship application that her entry into Japan was on "March 11, 1946". From these dates, it seems that Hisako accompanied her mother to Japan upon their release from Tule Lake Relocation Center.]

12) Online Source (Ancestry): California Passenger and Crew Lists 1893-1957 Record - Name: Osuma Nakahama; Port of Arrival: San Francisco, CA, Arrival: May 15, 1919; Ship Name: Korea Maru #18169; Index #89; Manifest: Group 5, #29, Cause of Detention: Medical Release PB, Act. of Board of Special Inquiries Admitted: May 15, 1919.

More About OSUMA RYONO:
Comment: 1930, Language spoken: Japanese
Immigration 1: 1920, Southern Division, Japan to Terminal Island, Los Angeles Co., CA
Immigration 2: 1919, Listed on 1930 census her year of immigration to US as 1919
Immigration 3: April 27, 1919, Listed on American Consular Service document completed by daughter, Hisako Nakahama, being in US from April 27, 1919 to February 24, 1946.
Immigration 4: May 15, 1919, California Passenger & Cred Lists 1893-1957 Record - See notes for full info.
Nationality: 1930, On 1930 US Census listed Japanese and as "Al" for "Alien" status.
Occupation: Bet. 1942 - 1946, Unskilled Occupations in Canning and Preserving of Foods (Source: Japanese-American Internee Data File, 1942-1946, File #105945
Residence 1: Bet. April 1942 - February 1944, Manzanar Relocation Center (Southern California), Bet. Independence and Lone Pine, Inyo Co., CA
Residence 2: Bet. February 1944 - February 1946, Tule Lake Relocation Center, (Northern California), Klamath Falls Basin, Modoc Co., CA

Marriage Notes for ASAJI NAKAHAMA and OSUMA RYONO:
1) It is not known whether Osuma Ryono was a "picture bride" or if she and Asaji Nakahama were promised before he left Japan. They may have even been married before she came to the US.

2) Document: American Consular Service document completed by daughter, Hisako Nakahama, to re-establish her US Citizenship. Listed her mother as being in the US from April 27, 1919 to February 24, 1946. Oldest known child of Osuma (Ryono) Nakahama was born in May 1920. Her husband, Asaji Nakahama is shown as being in the US from February 1, 1900 to May 13, 1932. If this is so, then there are a couple of questions: 1) Did Asaji go back to Japan and marry Osuma? We've found no evidence of him traveling back to Japan in 1919 to date. 2) Did they marry before Osuma came to the US in 1919 because on the 1930 census their ages reflect they married about 1916. Our assumption is that Osuma was either a "picture bride" or she and Asaji might have been promised through their family connections since both families came from the Taiji area. Either way, we believe they were married in 1916 and that leaves us to also believe the marriage was done in Japan, not the US, and maybe even by proxy on the part of Asaji.

More About ASAJI NAKAHAMA and OSUMA RYONO:
Marriage: Abt. 1916, Japan

Children of ASAJI NAKAHAMA and OSUMA RYONO are:

2.	i.	ASAYO² NAKAHAMA, b. March 09, 1920, East San Pedro, Los Angeles Co., CA; d. October 05, 1989, Orange Co., CA.
3.	ii.	SUMAYO SHIRLEY NAKAHAMA, b. June 07, 1921, East San Pedro, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., Rural Dist. Terminal Island, CA; d. June 08, 1991, Los Angeles Co., CA.
4.	iii.	SAKUO BOB NAKAHAMA, b. March 20, 1923, East San Pedro, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., Rural Dist. Terminal Island, CA; d. January 23, 2002, Long Beach, Los Angeles, CA.
	iv.	KIYOKO BETSY NAKAHAMA, b. August 03, 1925, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., Rural Dist. Terminal Island, CA; m. SHIZUMI SUZUKI; b. February 05, 1918, Washington; d. September 23, 1989, Los Angeles Co., CA.

Notes for KIYOKO BETSY NAKAHAMA:
1) "Roster of Manzanar Residents" (Pg. 130) - United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Manzanar National Historic Site, Independence, CA (copies received September 2005): Kiyoko Nakahama is found on this roster as Individual No. 5,669. She is living with her mother, Osuma Nakahama, and siblings, Sumayo, Sakuo Bob and Hisako. Kiyoko Nakahama's birth is given as "June 3, 1925" which varies from the California Birth Index shown as "August 3, 1925". [See Osuma Ryono notes for full description of the family on the Roster and info received with the Roster.]

2) National Archives - File Unit Title: Japanese-American Internee Data File, 1942-1946; Member of: Record Group 210; Records of the War Relocation Authority; Series: Records About Japanese Americans Relocation During World War II, 1988-1989; Name: Kiyoko Nakahama. Kiyoko Nakahama was found in this data file as follows:
Relocation Project: Manzanar
Assembly Center: Manzanar (up to 6/1/42)
Last Premanent Address: Los Angeles, California
Last Permanent Address State: Pacific States - California
Last Permant Address County: Los Angeles
Birth Place of Parents: Father=Japan, Mother=Japan
Fathers Occupation in US: Fisherman
Fathers Occupation Abroad: Unknown
Total Years of Schooling in Japan: None
Years of Schooling in Japan: None
Year of First Arrival in Territorial US: ---
Total Length of Time in Japan: None
Number of Times in Japan: None - attending school
Age At Time In Japan: Never in Japan
Individual Number: 01425
Sex and Marital Status: Female Single
Race of Individual and Spouse: Individual-Japanese; No Spouse
Year of Birth: 1925
Birthplace: Pacific States - California
Alien Registration Number, Social Security Number and Japanese Language School: Has neither AR nor SS number and has attended Japanese language school.
Highest Grade Completed or Grade Attending: High School 2 in US.
Language: Japanese speaking; English speak, read & write.
Primary Occupation: None listed
File Number: 105941

[Note: This daughter of Osuma (Ryono) and Asaji Nakahama is a Nisei....a Japanese-American citizen born to Issei (immigrant Japanese) parents.]

More About KIYOKO BETSY NAKAHAMA:
Census: 1930, See Asaji Nakahama notes.
Residence 1: Bet. April 1942 - February 1944, Manzanar Relocation Center (Southern California), Bet. Independence and Lone Pine, Inyo Co., CA
Residence 2: Bet. February 1944 - February 1946, Tule Lake Relocation Center (Northern California), Klamath Falls Basin, Modoc Co., CA

HISAKO MARGIE NAKAHAMA, b. October 06, 1926, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., CA; d. August 04, 1992, Long Beach, Terminal Island Rural Dist., Los Angeles Co., CA.

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