Izui Family papers and photographs

Mikisaburo Izui (1/30/1882 – 8/26/1963) was a veteran of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) and a recipient of the Medal of Bravery for his service during the conflict. He immigrated to the United States in 1907 and worked as a pharmacist in Seattle, Washington. Mikisaburo’s personal journals and artifacts reflect his intense interest in botany and his artistic abilities. In early 1942, the United States government separated Mikisaburo from his wife, Suzu, and two children, Victor and George, and incarcerated him in a United States Department of Justice Internment Camp located at Fort Missoula, Montana. While at Fort Missoula, Mikisaburo’s case would have been reviewed by the Alien Enemy Hearing Board, whose purpose was to determine if a detainee should be recommended for permanent internment. Mikisaburo was recommended for permanent internment and was moved to Camp Livingston, Lousiana - a U.S. Army Internment Camp. After several months, he was reunited with his family at the Minidoka Relocation Center in Hunt, Idaho. He was the brother of Matakichi Baker Izui.

Suzu Okamoto Izui (9/30/1880 – 2/04/1964) was an educated woman and played the biwa (lute) and shamisen (three string guitar). Her musical composition booklets and instruments are housed at the Japanese American Service Committee Legacy Center. Suzu emigrated from Japan to Seattle, Washington where she met and married to Mikisaburo and had two sons. She was later interned at the Minidoka Relocation Camp with her family.

Matakichi Baker Izui (1/01/1886 – 3/31/1983) was born in Niigata-shi, Niigata-ken Japan and moved to the United States in 1910 at his brother’s urging. He was a chef, enjoyed exploring the outdoors and lived throughout the United States. Matakichi lived in Seattle, Washington (1938) and California (1942) before he was interned at the Manzanar Relocation Center (1944) at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in California. After he was released, Matakichi relocated to Bridgeton, NJ (1945) and later moved to Los Angeles, CA (1948). He finally settled in Chicago, IL (1976). His scrapbook contains his government papers and documents related to his professional life, internment experience and travels.

Victor Izui (1918 - d. 4/02/2009), son of Suzu and Mikisaburo, was sent to the Puyallup Assembly Center (also known as Camp Harmony) located near Seattle, Washington. He was later interned at the Minidoka Relocation Center in southern Idaho where he was assigned to work at the camp hospital. In 1943, the U.S. government did an about-face and welcomed Nisei into the armed forces. Victor, along with many other Japanese Americans, felt that the only way one could prove their loyalty to the U.S. was by serving. He joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team as a Combat Medic. He assisted in rescuing the “Lost Battalion,” a besieged group of Texans in the Vosges Mountains, France. Victor was one of a handful of members of the I Company that was neither killed nor wounded. Collection contains articles that recount his reminiscences about his childhood, internment experience and service to the country. He was married to Michi Katagiri and had two children and two grandchildren. Victor and his family eventually settled in the suburbs of Chicago where he worked as a dentist.

George Kiyoshi Izui (1923 - d.2002), brother of Victor, grew up in “Japantown” section of Seattle, Washington and attended Bailey Gatzert Elementary School and Broadway High School. After completing high school, he was interned at Minidoka and was classified as 4F and was unable to serve in United States Armed Forces. George later spent a brief period of time working in Alaska before he resettled in the Chicago area and found work on a farm owned by Curtiss Candy. He became a dental lab technician and married Ruby Tashima in 1949 and had three children. George was passionate about Kendo martial arts and founded the Midwest Kendo Federation. He was also a longtime member of the Buddhist Temple of Chicago. He and his wife, Ruby, donated “Scene: the pictorial magazine” to the JASC Legacy Center.

Ruby Chizuko Izui (nee Tashima) (7/15/1925- ) grew up in Oregon and was the daughter of tenant farmers. During WWII, she was sent to Portland Assembly Center and from there she was sent to the Minidoka Relocation Camp with her parents and sister. She finished her schooling at Hunt High School while interned at Minidoka. In 1943, she moved to Chicago where she found work at Curtiss Candy. During her employment, she met and married George Izui and had three children. She still resides in the city of Chicago.

Source: Izui, Ruby