Matsuura family letters, 1943-1945.

0.21 linear feet (1 box)

Japanese

In Japanese.

Purchased from William Reese Co. on the Thomas W. Streeter Fund and the Arthur Corbitt Hoskins Memorial Fund, 2019. Purchased from McBride Rare Books on the Thomas W. Streeter Fund, 2022. Purchased from McBride Rare Books on the Frederick W. and Carrie S. Beinecke Fund for Western Americana, 2023.

Arranged chronologically.

This material is open for research.

The Matsuura family was a Japanese-Peruvian family who were deported from Peru and incarcerated in Crystal City, Texas, 1943-1945. The family included Kiyoko Matsuura, Saburo Matsuura, and their children Yoshihiko Matsuura and Koniko Matsuura, who was born in Crystal City. After the war, they were unable to return to Peru and considered moving to Japan.

16 manuscript letters from Kiyoko Matsuura, Saburo Matsuura, and Yoshihiko Matsuura to Kiyoko's mother Kikudo Noda in Lima, Peru, dating August 1943 - November 1945. Yoshihiko Matsuura's letters are written in katakana. Letters describe life in Crystal City Internment Camp, including the family's concerns about their business in Peru, Christmas celebrations, food, requests for money and clothing, Yoshihiko's school and interests, and recreation such as rugby, dances, and gardening. The letters also describe the birth of their daughter Koniko in the camp, including her health. The 1945 letters discuss the family's opinions of Japan, the end of the war, and plans to move to Japan.

October 08, 2019

Matsuura Family Letters. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Matsuura Family Letters. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.