Koizumi, Edward (5/12/2021)

Koizumi, Edward (5/12/2021)

Edward Shinichi Koizumi is a shin-issei born in 1950 in Nambu, Yamanashi, Japan. Edward’s maternal grandmother and grandfather were separated during World War II, as Edward’s grandmother was traveling with her children to visit family in Japan at the time of Pearl Harbor. As a result, while Edward’s maternal grandfather was incarcerated at Manzanar, his family was unable to leave Japan. After the war, Edward’s mother, although she was an American citizen, was unable to return to the United States as she voted in a Japanese election. Edward and his siblings spent their early childhood on his family’s farm in Japan, but eventually, when Edward was four years old, his mother was allowed to move back to the United States. Edward’s family packed up, and moved to join his mother’s family in Chicago. Having a natural curiosity and talent for building and design, after graduating high school, he attended the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology and worked as a model maker, building models for photographers and TV production. Given his personal experiences and those of his family, he hopes that others can learn from these experiences and foster an open-minded society where immigration and differences are welcome and celebrated. 

2021-05-12

video

Lincoln, Emma Saito

Koizumi, Edward

Kibei

Nambu-cho

Yamanashi-ken

Manzanar

McClurg Company

Nichiren Buddhist Church

Institute of Design

Illinois Institute of Technology

3800