Biography / History

Yoshio Okumoto was born on January 10, 1903 in Hilo, Hawaii to Issei parents, Iwajiro and Kiyo (nee Nakao) Okumoto. He had seven siblings: Latsaki, Hakuyo, Masowo, Yoshinoka, Misae, Sugie, Tatsuo (note: spellings may vary).

In 1925 Okumoto moved from Hilo to California to attend Stanford University where he studied pre-med and was a member of the Japanese Student Association (founded in 1902) on campus. The Association built and maintained the Japanese Clubhouse (est. 1916) due to non-inclusive policies of other social and living options on campus.

University Presidents Ray Lyman Wilbur and his predecessor Dr. Jordan appear regularly in the Japanese Student Association's annual photos and were said to be supportive of the Japanese American scholars on their campus. The Clubhouse maintained an open policy and some on campus were receptive to a level of diversity unique at the time, such as Caucasian student Howard Luxmore Carpenter. As noted in Carpenter's 1935 obituary, he "exemplified the Baha'i principle of race oneness - incidentally startling his university contemporaries by rooming with Yoshio Okumoto, a Japanese fellow-student."

After graduating in 1928, Okumoto stayed at Stanford and worked in the Anatomy Department. He traveled back and forth to Hawaii several times during and after his studies with the last known trip occuring in 1935. In his leisure time, he played tennis.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, University President Ray Lyman Wilbur advocated for tolerance on campus and met with ardent support. President Wilbur is also credited for having a role in successfully delaying the 'evacuation' of the district which allowed his students more time to continue their studies and others, such as Okumoto, to maintain their campus employment despite restrictions such as the mandatory curfew. Finally, in late May 1942, Okumoto along with 39 students and one professor (Yamato Ichihashi) were forced to comply with the mandatory exclusion requirement and departed by train to an assembly center.

A bachelor, Okumoto was assigned family number 31959 and went first to the Santa Anita Assembly Center, then transferred to Heart Mountain on September 10th, 1942. He resided in barrack 29-5-B. He was unsuccessful in his bid to work for the hospital and ended up mostly as a field laborer.

While at Heart Mountain, Okumoto extensively documented life in camp through his photography. Little is know regarding when his interest in photography began and whether he had honed his skills before coming to Heart Mountain or developed his mastery during his incarceration period. There was a well established camera club at Heart Mountain, in addition to the photography done for administrative/ID card purposes, documentation for the WRA, the camp Sentinel newspaper, as well as the high school Eagle newspaper and yearbooks. Although there were at least two private darkrooms in existence beneath residential barracks (one created by George and Frank Hirahara, the other by Yone Kubo) where and how Okumoto developed his film has not yet been determined. While he mostly captured his perspective, scenery, and subjects independently, some of his more 'staged' photos were taken for the benefit of the WRA.

With the help of a Stanford professor, Okumoto departed Heart Mountain on January 16, 1945, making him one of the earlier Nisei to return to California, where he resumed his old job in the Anatomy Department. In August 1953, Okumoto was listed as a contributor to the research article titled "The physical growth and development of children who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima or Nagasaki" which was published by the Department of Anatomy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University in the Journal of Pediatrics, Vol.43, No.2.

Throughout the war, including his time at Heart Mountain, Okumoto remained secretary of the Stanford Japanese Student Association and maintained these duties upon his return to Stanford. In the interim war years, the Clubhouse was rented out by the campus administration to the Walter Thompson Cooperative Club. However, in the absence of the attentive care the Clubhouse was given by the Japanese Student Association members, the property fell into disrepair. Okumoto's post-war attempt to re-establish the Japanese Student Association was unsuccessful. As the sole remaining Association member, the administration allowed Okumoto to resume management of the Clubhouse property and the new residents renamed it the 'Tamarack Lodge'. Many of these residents were international students and/or members of the International club (the successor of the Cosmopolitan Club, whose first president was Yamato Ichihashi). Meanwhile, Okumoto struggled with the upkeep and was limited in his capacity to utilize the Association's funds and accounts for this purpose. However, in 1966 he paid to have the roof repaired. In early 1968, the final group of residents of the former Clubhouse were evicted and it was demolished.

Okumoto remained at Stanford as a research assistant in Anatomy for the duration of his career. Okumoto retired circa 1973 and his last known residence was in Redwood City. In 1987, with the blessing of a few former Japanese Student Association members, the original funds and rent proceeds collected from the Tamarack Lodge, amounting to $27,500 with accrued interest, were donated to the financial aid office to establish a scholarship fund for Japanese students.

Okumoto died on February 15, 1993 in San Mateo, California. Records indicate he remained a bachelor and was childless. He is buried at the Alae Cemetery in Wainaku, Hawaii.

Arrangement

The images are not categorized or arranged in any specific order. Some annotations are present on the verso of the prints, however, the inclusion of names is more the exception than the rule. During the reformatting project these annotations were transcribed into a spreadsheet, which is available upon request.

Scope and Content

Photographic prints depict everyday life, special events, and staged/portrait photography at Heart Mountain as captured by Mr. Okumoto.Photographer annotations are present on the verso of some prints but typically include only exposure or processing notes; names, dates, and other subject detail is rarely present. Subject matter includes landscapes, sports, group photos, family pictures, portrait photos, festivals, performances, art and textile shows, and some site features such as the swimming hole, agricultural endeavors, and general grounds including administrative offices,schools, dining halls, recreation halls, movie theater, places of worship, barrack housing, Victory gardens, etc. A few images are taken from location outside the barbed wire perimeter and were taken on trips made by the Heart Mountain Camera Club.The collection does not contain the original negatives and the whereabouts of the negatives is unknown.

Other Formats Available

Approximately 300 images from the collection are available online through our partnership with Densho. To view these select images, please visit http://ddr.densho.org/ddr/hmwf/1/.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The physical collection is available for on-site research only. Note: A select portion of the collection (approximately 300 images) is available in digital format, see Other Formats Available section above.

All materials are subject to administrative review prior to being served for research due to privacy or preservation (condition) concerns. Some materials may be restricted upon assessment. We can not guarantee same day availability for items requiring redaction or reformatting. We highly recommend researchers review the finding aid and schedule a phone consultation with the Archivist before planning a research trip. Research appointments must be made in advance, please consult the archivist.

Use Restrictions

As allowable by law, the HMWF may provide copies of materials for private study, scholarship, or research. The HMWF reserves the right to deny or limit reproductions.

Producing or allowing reproduction as permitted by law for libraries and archives, or possession of reproductions by a user does not imply rights ownership. Some materials in our collection are within the public domain or may be used under "fair use", as defined by law. We kindly request proper citation for any material used from the HMWF Collection.

The user is solely responsible for copyright compliance and if use exceeds "fair use", the user may be subject to copyright infringement.

Service and/or licensing fees may apply for reproduction and permissions for other use.

Privacy and Personally Identifiable Information

(PPI policy courtesy of and adapted from the Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Art)

Manuscript collections that include twentieth and twenty-first century archival materials may contain sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state “right to privacy” laws. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal cause for action if facts concerning an individual’s private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person.

The HMWF staff have taken care to identify Personally Identifiable Information found within its archival collections when undertaking archival processing work. Some collections are flagged for secondary review upon receipt of a research request and may be redacted or deemed restricted at that time. However, privacy protected information may still be discovered during use of the archival collections, particularly in those collections that are unprocessed or have been minimally processed.

Researchers agree to make no notes or other recordation of privacy protected information if found within the archival collections, and further agree not to publish, publicize, or disclose such information to any other party for any purpose if found within the archival collections.

Researchers agree to indemnify and hold harmless the HMWF and its officers, employees, and agents from and against all suits, claims, actions, and expenses arising out of use of archival collections held by the HMWF.

Intellectual Property Rights Status

he IP rights for this collection undetermined. Researchers may request an IP rights assessment, however, the user is ultimately responsible for identifying and obtaining use permissions from the copyright owner. Some, but not all materials in our collection are within the public domain or may be used under "fair use", as defined by law.

Disclaimer: While the current HMWF administration makes a concerted effort to determine the current rights holder, identifying the right status is often a complex and ambiguous matter, especially in regards to our early accessions.

For material the HMWF does not own rights to, we do not guarantee the accuracy of rights status appearing in our documentation. The user is responsible for identifying and obtaining permissions from the copyright holder.

When the intellectual property rights are held by the HMWF, use of this work beyond "Fair Use" requires the written permission of an authorized HMWF representative and fees may apply. Inquiries can be made with the archivist.

Reproduction Restrictions

Please allow ample time to conduct your on-site research. If your research is dependent on the ability to obtain reproductions for off-site reference, please let the archivist know before you begin reviewing materials as we may not be able to fulfill all of your reproduction expectations. Also note: all reproduction requests will be processed after your visit and sent electronically.

NOTE: §108(i) expressly prohibits us from making or distributing reproductions of MUSICAL WORKS, PICTORAL, GRAPHIC, SCULPTURAL WORK, OR MOTION PICTURES of materials for which we do not own the Intellectual Property rights and one of the allowable exceptions does not exist. This includes photographic material.

“Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works” include two-dimensional and three dimensional works of fine, graphic, and applied art, photographs, prints and art reproductions, maps, globes, charts, diagrams, models, and technical drawings, including architectural plans. - - U.S. Copyright Law, Section 101

In the event we are unable to reproduce material in our collection due to these legal limits, you still have the option of seeking out the copyright holder and obtaining the necessary permissions. When presented with verifiable written authorization from the legitimate copyright holder, the HMWF can produce a reproduction.

Preferred Citation

Okumoto Photo Collection, Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation

Processing Information

Machine-readable finding aid created by Nicole Blechynden, March 2016.

In 2013-1014 the collection was rehoused and digitized in conjunction with a partnership project with Densho. Scanning with select metadata creation for this project was completed by Kathryn McKee.

Administrative Note

This project was funded, in part, by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Provenance

Given by Grace Kawakami

Related Material

Guide to the Japanese Students Association, Stanford University, Records. Held at Stanford University, University Archives. http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt3p3038sf

Access Terms

United States. War Relocation Authority

World War, 1939-1945 -- Concentration camps -- Wyoming.

World War, 1939-1945 -- War work -- Wyoming.

Wyoming -- History -- 1919-1945.

Heart Mountain Relocation Center (Wyo.)

Japanese Americans -- Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945.

Japanese Students Association (Stanford, Calif.)

Japanese students--California.

Okumoto, Yoshio

Photographs.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Concentration camps

World War, 1939-1945 -- Evacuation of civilians

World War, 1939-1945 -- Japanese Americans -- Social conditions -- Wyoming -- Park County.

Wyoming -- History, 1939-1945.

Inventory

Photographs  circa 1942-1945

Bibliography

Heart Mountain Relocation Center Roster. War Relocation Authority (WRA), December 1944.

Various records: U.S. Census, passenger lists, vital records, etc. Ancestry.com.

Stanford Japanese Students Association photos . Stanford University Libraries digital collections.

Chang, Gordon (ed.) Morning Glory, Evening Shadow: Yamato Ichihashi and His Internment Writings . Stanford University Press.

The Baha'i World: A Biennial International Record. Volume VI. 91 and 92 of the Baha'i Era. April 1934-1936 A.D. pp.491-492.

Sweeney, Michael. Residents Evicted from Tamarack, Old Japanese Clubhouse Will Finally Die. The Stanford Daily, Volume 152, Issue 52, 5 January 1968.

Altenberg, Lee. Walter Thompson House. Access on 03/08/2016 from http://dynamics.org/Altenberg/ARCHIVES/STANFORD/WALTER_THOMPSON_HOUSE/.

MacCrystall, Mike. Japanese scholarship fund created. The Stanford Daily, Volume 192, Issue 11, 12 October 1987.

The Journal of Pediatrics (abstract). www.jpeds.com. Elsevier Inc.