Katano family papers

The majority of the collection consists of correspondence sent to the Katano family while they were interned at the Manzanar War Relocation Center from 1942 to 1945. Many of the letters were sent to Tomeko Dorothy Katano, who was at Manzanar from ages 19-22. Some of Tameko's acquaintances describe their daily activities (one friend wrote in September 1942 of going to see 'Pride of the Yankees,' playing in a soccer league, and spending time at the beach, noting that "nothing new happens around here"), while others write of their own wartime experiences (a friend named Jack Tilson wrote of the difficulties of obtaining certain supplies, and the added burden of his wife having a leg amputated). Some of the letters only allude to the Katanos' situation in the relocation center (a beau of Tameko's urged her to "Have no fear [and] let us be Merry and Happy," while a school acquaintance wrote to her brother Kanya in 1942 that "We all miss you and the other friends now missing from our school"), while others were more explicit. A letter from Tilson dated January 10, 1944, urged Tameko and her family to study the U.S. Constitution and remember their rights as American citizens, while acknowledging that "there is an element in California that are against you, but that's one of the consequences of war…it will pass away in time." An acquaintance named Mrs. Bruggemann wrote to Tameko in August 1942 that "it is a great thing we sent [a parcel of peaches] when we did – because that was the last time trucks went up to Manzanar. Everything goes by train now." Mrs. Bruggemann also alluded to the bleak situation outside the camp, writing that "I …wanted to get to your father's auction…[but] most everything was gone from your store and what remained did not look like anything your father had owned." While little of the Katanos' own correspondence is included in the collection, an unnamed friend wrote to Takaichi Katano that "I was very sad when you wrote about you being unhappy and lonely but I hope for you[r] sake that you shall be happy oh very happy in the future." In a letter dated Feb. 22, 1945, a friend named Mack Mayada described the difficulties he had encountered since leaving "dear old Manzanar." He had moved to Cleveland, Ohio, but had difficulty finding a place to live and did not "like the Japanese out here…Some of them think that they're pretty good. I think that the whites are better." He planned to return to the West Coast, where despite his experiences he still felt "more at home" (Feb. 22, 1945). Some of the letters are also from companies and libraries that Tameko had ordered or borrowed books from. Two of the letters are in Japanese.

The remainder of the collection consists of ephemera, including receipts from Manzanar businesses and an invitation to a wedding at a Manzanar church, library and membership cards (including Tameko's membership card in the Manzanar Young Buddhist Association), a report card from Central College for Yasumani Katano, and a physiology exam taken by Tameko.