1916 Prefectural Immigrant History

[History of the Japanese from Hiroshima Prefecture] Kashu Hiroshima kenjin hattenshi

Kaihara, Sakae

Notes: "The earliest work treating the Japanese from Hiroshima Prefecture in California which stresses agricultural activities. Provides statistics for the years 1912–1913 broken down into Gun origins, data on the distribution of those engaged in agricultural pursuits, and information on the various prefectural organizations throughout the state. Concludes with a Who's Who in California."—Buried Past, 311.

In the author's introduction, he says work on the book began in October 1913 and continued for two years. He traveled throughout California to meet and interview farmers and business owners for the Who's Who section. The book is illustrated with 37 pages of halftone plates of Japanese American businesses, farms, and prominent families. The Who's Who has in-text halftone portraits of many of those profiled.

The prefaces provide context for this early directory and history. Despite the anti-Asian sentiment in the United States, the Japanese politician Hayami Sejii writes that "it is an urgent task for our country to establish colonies and encourage immigration" because of the large remittances of funds sent back to Japan from the U.S.

The Hiroshima lawyer and politician Takuzo Hanai expresses a common sentiment, that anti-immigrant legislation goes against the ideals of the American experiment. He writes, "I for one cannot help but believe that the anti-Japanese ideology of the US is destroying the spirit of the nation they founded and is a threat to the future of the nation... If the Japanese living in the US wish to further their development, they must have the courage to do something about a thousand forms of exclusion and ten thousand forms of persecution" (translation by your cataloguer).

Kaihara emigrated to the US in 1903 and lived in Sacramento (See Buried Past, 512)

[2], [2 leaves of plates of nobles from Hiroshima],[6 calligraphy], 12, 37 (half-tone plates), [1], 2, [2, ads], 4, 622, [2], 68 (directory), [8, colophon and ads] pages.

OCLC: 20345134 (Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA), 842391259 (Berkeley)

Edition + Condition: First edition (first printing). A very good copy in blue cloth, spotted in places on the back cover.

Publication: Sacramento, CA: Yorozu Shoten Shutchojo, 1916 (Taisho 5).

Item No: #308084

Price: $3,500