Morita, Yoko (9/4/2018)

Morita, Yoko (9/4/2018)

Yoko Morita, a nisei born in Canada in 1935, discusses her family's pre-WWII movements between Vancouver, Japan, and Portland and their forced removal to Minidoka after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After incarceration, the family returned to Portland before eventually moving to Chicago. The daughter of a Nichiren Buddhist priest, she shares memories of life in Minidoka and of the Japanese American community in Portland in the immediate postwar era, particularly the social events that took place in her father's temple. She also recounts her arrival in Chicago as a teenager in 1951, including her participation in a girls club, the Chicago nisei social scene, experiences at Waller High School, and employment at the Edgewater Beach Hotel. Also notable are her memories of assisting her mother, the founder of the Mishokai ikebana school in Chicago. Having lived in many places as an adult, including Japan, Florida, and the Washington, D.C. area, she expresses an attachment to Chicago as her "furusato" or hometown. She concludes her interview by expressing a desire for future generations to know and appreciate Japanese culture.

2018-09-04

video

Takada, Anna

Morita, Yoko

Nichiren Buddhism

Portland, OR

Portland Assembly Center

Minidoka

Mud

Property Loss

Nisei

Waller High School

Skyleens

Ro Babes

Social Clubs

Edgewater Beach Hotel

Chicago Nichiren Buddhist Church

Ikebana

5400