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John Shizuto Sunada

My name is John Shizuto Sunada - my first name is John, a very Christian name but I was born Buddhist. I think my parents wanted an American name, a name that was easy to remember. Both my parents were Kibei (born in the U.S., raised in Japan). My middle name is Shizuto, which means quiet child because I was quiet baby, I guess. My last name is Sunada, meaning sandy rice field in Japanese. I was born in Fresno, California, in a rural part of the county. My father was born in Fresno, but went back to Hiroshima Japan as a child. My mom was born in Visalia and went to Japan as a child. Her family settled in Wakayama. Her maiden name was Tamaki. Both my parents were in the Gila River relocation camp where they met.