Sawtelle Stories Forum IV
Saturday, 2-4 pm, January 29, 2011
Social Hall, West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple
2003 Corinth Ave, West Los Angeles, CA 90025
Free admission. No registration.
Sawtelle Sories Forum IV focuses on the Nikkei (Japanese American) resettling from concentration camps during World War II in Sawtelle, a Westside area of Los Angeles, through room and boarding facilities.
Future forums are planned to add to the rich history of Sawtelle Nikkei. All shall culminate with another Sawtelle Reunion.
The second Sawtelle Reunion is scheduled for May 29, 2011
Sawtelle Stories: Kobayakawa Boarding House
Sawtelle Stories: Kobayakawa Boarding House
Pictured above are two aspects of the Kobayakawa House, a popular boarding house on Sawtelle Boulevard in West Los Angeles’s Japan Town.
During the post-WW II period when Nikkei were returning from concentration camps, Kobayakawa, along with several other boarding houses and the hostel at the Japanese Institute of Sawtelle served as temporary shelters for the Issei (the first generation) and Nissei (the second generation).
This resettlement era of the 1940s through 1960s featured a dynamic Nikkei community. What role did these boarding houses play in the development of this Nikkei community?
For starters, Dr. Tom Maeda and Dr. Tosh Ishioka are slated to talk about their experiences at Kobayakawa.
George Oshimo was a guest at Kamisato. Dr. Jack Fujimoto guested at the Nitta-Nakamura House. Others will be invited to presenters.
The historical context in which Sawtelle Japan Town grew in the postwar era was unique. Jobs, primarily in the gardening and landscaping area, were abundant in the redlined communities causing a Nikkei ghetto to exist but filled with dynamic interplay of social, economic, and political forces.
For additional information, see the website of the Japanese Institute of Sawtelle, www.sawtellejis.org or contact Tosh Ishioka by email tishioka@aol.com, Jack Fujimoto by email mjf1928@yahoo.com
