Ikuo Shinmasu
@IkuoShinmasuIkuo Shinmasu is from Kaminoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. In 1974, he started working at Teikoku Sanso Ltd (currently AIR LIQUIDE Japan GK) in Kobe and retired in 2015. Later, he studied history at Nihon University Distance Learning Division and researched his grandfather who migrated to Seattle. He shared a part of his thesis about his grandfather through the series, “Yoemon Shinmasu – My Grandfather’s Life in Seattle,” in the North American Post and Discover Nikkei in both English and Japanese. He presently lives in the city of Zushi, Kanagawa, with his wife and eldest son.
Updated August 2021
Stories from This Author
Chapter 14 (Part 2)–Nisei and Their College Education
July 7, 2023 • Ikuo Shinmasu
Read Chapter 14 (Part 1) >> CONNECTION BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AND JAPANESE COMMUNITY “Female Students from UW Go Sightseeing in Japantown” (August 17, 1938 issue) Thirty-five female students taking summer classes at UW went sightseeing in Japantown. An event that was arranged by YMCA at UW. Though we call them a group of female students, some were high school students taking summer classes and others were elementary school teachers; there were even some elderly ladies with grey hair. …
Chapter 14 (Part 1)–Nisei and Their College Education
July 6, 2023 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In the last chapter, I wrote about the problem of Nisei’s dual citizenship and their marriage. This chapter shares The North American Times articles1 about colleges that Nisei attended. Many Niseis went to college, which is a higher educational institution in America. They learned and acquired state-of-the-art technology and knowledge in hopes of later being able to contribute to the Nikkei community. ADMISSION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON We can find the history of the University of Washington (UW) in …
Chapter 13 (Part 2)—Nisei Dual Citizenship and Marriage Issues
June 12, 2023 • Ikuo Shinmasu
Read Chapter 13 (Part 1) >> PERSPECTIVES ON NISEI IN THE UNITED STATES I would like to introduce interesting articles about how Nisei in the U.S. were viewed by Japanese in Japan and the American public as well as how Nisei in the U.S. viewed Japan. 1. A Viewpoint of a Japanese Female Student on Nisei in the United States “Her View on Nisei – Perception of Japanese Living in the United States to Their Homeland is From Meiji and …
Chapter 13 (Part 1)—Nisei Dual Citizenship and Marriage Issues
June 11, 2023 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In the last chapter, I discussed Japanese language schools. This chapter features the issues of dual citizenship and marriage that the Nisei faced as they came of age. When the Nisei were born, their Issei parents submitted a birth certificate to the United States. Many registered births at the Japanese Consulate at the same time. Therefore, many Nisei held dual nationality. When the Nisei came of age, however, they had to confront the compelling decisions of which nationality to keep and/or …
Chapter 12 (Part 2): Nisei Education in Japanese Schools
April 27, 2023 • Ikuo Shinmasu
Read Chapter 12 (Part 1) >> PROBLEMS OF TEXTBOOKS One of the North American Times1 articles (Feb. 13, 1919 issue) talks about the discuission about the textbooks that should be used at the Seattle Japanese school. There has been discussion on the need for textbook editing and compilation at the Seattle Japanese School. After a series of meetings and discussions by the educational affairs committee, and with the opinions of teachers at Japanese schools in different parts of Washington State …
Chapter 12 (Part 1): Nisei Education in Japanese Schools
April 26, 2023 • Ikuo Shinmasu
Many Nisei were born as a result of picture marriages, which I wrote about in the last chapter of this series. Providing Japanese education for America-born children thus became an important mission of the Japanese community in Seattle. In this chapter, I will write about the Seattle Japanese School that was founded for the Japanese language education of the Nisei. ESTABLISHMENT OF SEATTLE JAPANESE SCHOOL In 1902, the Seattle Nihonjin-kai (Japanese Association) established the Seattle Nihonjin-kai Affiliated Elementary School as …
Chapter 11 (Part 2) Picture-Bride Marriages on the Rise
Jan. 6, 2023 • Ikuo Shinmasu
Read Chapter 11 (Part 1) >> HIGH BIRTH RATE OF JAPANESE In the column “The Rise and Fall of Main Street” (From the Jan. 1, 1939 issue), which I introduced in Chapter 11 - Part 1, Akatonbo Nakamura describes the sharp increase of newborns, based on the number of Japanese reported by Seattle Teikoku (Imperial) Consulate General of Japan within its boundary. “After 1910, a period of about ten years was the golden era for midwives, with the number of …
Chapter 11 (Part 1) Picture-Bride Marriages on the Rise
Jan. 5, 2023 • Ikuo Shinmasu
The last chapter reviewed the history of The North American Times. In this chapter, I will introduce articles from 1918 to about 1920 on marriage through picture brides which peaked around 1910. Beginning about 1900, the anti-Japanese movement in America began to get intense. In response, the Japanese government concluded the Gentlemen’s Agreement with the U.S. in 1908. This agreement imposed restrictions on Japanese immigration to America. Since it also made it difficult for Japanese workers in America to return temporarily to …
Chapter 10 (Part 5) History of the North American Times – World War II and the Last Issue
Dec. 7, 2022 • Ikuo Shinmasu
In the last part, I talked about Sumiyoshi Arima’s articles in The North American Times written as Chairperson of the Japanese Association and a newspaper reporter. In this part, I would like to introduce some articles that were published at the beginning of World War II and the last issue of The North American Times. BEGINNING OF WORLD WAR II The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 shook the Japanese community in Seattle. By that time, Sumio Arima, Sumiyoshi’s younger brother, …
Chapter 10 (Part 4) History of the North American Times – Sumiyoshi Arima, Chairman of the Japanese Association and Journalist
Nov. 30, 2022 • Ikuo Shinmasu
The last part shared articles by a female employee of the North American Times, the 5000th anniversary issue and the increase of the subscription fee. This part features articles of Sumiyoshi Arima as Chairman of the Japanese Association and a newspaper reporter. SUMIYOSHI ARIMA—CHAIRMAN OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION After Sumikiyo Arima retired, his eldest son, Sumiyoshi Arima, took over the position of president and publisher of The North American Times. He also became chairman of the Nihonjinkai (Japanese Association) in 1932; …
