His Obituary – Kenzo Okubo, Local Japanese [Restauranteur], Succumbs. Kenzo Okubo, proprietor of the Sunrise Café on West Holly street for many years, died March 23 at the Tule Lake hospital in northern California, according to a letter received by Mrs. George LaClair, of 1400 H street, from Hime Okubo, a daughter of the veteran Japanese restauranteur. Gathered at the Tule lake camp with thousands of other persons of Japanese ancestry, Mr. Okubo, who was about 68 years of age and had spent most of his life in Bellingham, looked forward to the day when he could return here, his daughter said. Stricken with pneumonia, death came swiftly. Members of the family, including a son, Hiram, who is in the United States army, attended the funeral. Some 500 persons at the camp joined in paying last respects to the deceased. The Bellingham Herald, 14 April 1943.
Father of Decorated Veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
All three of Kenzo's sons served with distinction in the U.S. Army's highly-decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WWII; Corporals Hirami (Hiram) and Sumi were seriously wounded in service, and a third, Corporal James Kazuo, was awarded the Medal of Honor. In addition, a nephew he raised as a son, Pvt. Isamu Kunimatsu, was killed in action in Italy in 1944.
Kenzo's Ancestry
Kenzo, son of Jinzae Mon Kanzaki Okubo, was born at Ondo-machi, Aki-gun, Hiroshima-ken, Japan, (in the 11th year of Meiji); died at Tule Lake Segregation Center on 23 March 1943 aged 65 years, of pneumonia; his ashes were interred with his wife at Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit Michigan in 1973 [Calif. State, VR, Deaths, filed 27 Mar. 1943; War Relocation Authority (WRA), Individual Record, 3 Aug. 1942].
Ondo is located on a small island in the Inland Sea about 10 miles southeast of downtown Hiroshima. It had a population of about 14,000 in 2003.
Childhood and Education
Kenzo was intelligent and was well educated. He attended grade school at Ondo, Aki-district, Hiroshima, Japan, 1885-1893, and high school at Kure, Hiroshima, 1893-1897 [WRA Records; Tomi Okubo].
Kenzo was raised at a Buddhist in the Shinto tradition.
From January 1900 until 1907 he worked first as a cabin boy and/or as a cook on commercial sailing ships. He told a good story about being shipwrecked on a small island during one of his voyages.
Immigration to the U.S. in 1900
Manifest Lists indicate that Kenzo arrived in the U.S. in 1900, when he accompanied his future KANZAKI in-laws, and in fact, when he had assumed the ZANZAKI family name. They all arrived at Tacoma, Washington on 8 April 1900, after sailing on the S.S. Olympia from Kobe, Japan. The register lists him as Kinzo KANZAKI, aged 20 years, 10 months, which matches his birthdate [Seattle, Washington, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1957].
His Marriage in 1907
Kenzo married Fuyu KANZAKI at Seattle, King Co., Washington, on 16 December 1907, two days after her arrival from Japan. At the time of his marriage, he lived at Port Blakely, Kitsap Co., Washington, on Bainbridge Island.
Kenzo and Fuyu initially lived there, where they were enumerated in the 1910 U.S. Census, under the name KANZAKI. At the time, Kenzo worked as a cook in a salmon cannery.
Life at Anacortes and Seattle, Washington (1910-1927)
Kenzo and Fuyu took up residence at Anacortes, from 1908 or 1910 until 1920, where several of their children were born.
Kenzo was arrested in 1913 for a minor infraction of a hunting law. "Kenzo Okubo, a Japanese employed in one of the local fisheries, was arrested Monday for carrying firearms and was fined $35 and costs in the justice court of W. H. Beard. Okubo was carrying a shotgun when arrested and also had a county hunting license but the state laws says that aliens cannot carry firearms without a state license.” [Anacortes American, 27 November 1913].
Kenzo and Fuyu visited Japan to visit relatives from December 1915 until May 1916, when they were readmitted to the U.S. at Seattle, Washington, on the ship Shidzuoka Maru [Japanese Passport, Stamped 26 May 1916 by US INS].
The family enumerated at Anacortes in the May 1917 Anacortes School Census.
The family was enumerated there in the 1 May 1918 special census where Kenzo was a codfish skinner. They were enumerated next to the family of Isekichi Kunimatsu.
This family was enumerated in the 1920 U.S. Census on Oakes Ave., Anacortes, where Kenzo worked as a foreman at the Robinson Fisheries, in a large codfish processing plant. Their son, James Kazuo, was born there on 20 May 1920, where Kenzo worked in a codfish plant.
The family was enumerated in the 1921 Anacortes School Census, when children Toshiko, Hirami, Sumi, and Tomi were counted. Hime and James were too young to be counted in this school census. At the time the family lived at the Robinson Fishery where Kenzo worked.
They moved to Seattle in 1921, where the youngest son, John, was born in 1923. They started a restaurant, the Sunrise Coffee House & Bakery, on King St., and a bakery. Many years later his daughter Tomiko wrote that "the restaurant was successful but the hours were long and seven days a week were too much for him. He bought a butcher shop thinking he could enjoy a day off but being new at the business, it failed."
In 1924 they moved back to Anacortes where they again resided at Oakes Ave., and where Kenzo worked at a fishery.
They were enumerated there in Anacortes School Censuses from May 1925 until May 1927. During the 1924-1925 school year the children attended about 10 weeks of school at Anacortes, suggesting that they returned to Anacortes about mid-March in 1925.
In May 1926, the family resided at 2311 12th Street, within an easy walk of the waterfront.
In May 1927, the family resided on Route 2, Oakes Ave.
Move to Bellingham, Washington in 1927
In 1927, following the death of his wife's sister, Yukino, they moved to Bellingham, to take care of Yukino's young children and to take over her restaurant, the Holly Tea Parlor, until 1931. They lived at 1406 H Street, from 1927 until their relocation to Tule Lake in 1942.
As recalled by his daughter Tomi, years later, “When our Aunt (mother’s sister) died suddenly [in 1927], leaving a restaurant business and six children still at home, our father decided to move to Bellingham [to] take over the restaurant and care of the children. With six of us and six of them we got along. It wasn’t easy for the folks but once we were old enough, [we] helped at the restaurant.”
For their entire stay at Bellingham, they lived at a large home at 1406 H Street, which was an easy walk to the restaurants that they owned and operated. Their home, built about 1900, had at least four bedrooms.
The family was listed in Bellingham City Directories from 1928 until 1941. They were enumerated in Bellingham School Censuses from 1928 until 1932, the last year those censuses are available online. In 1930 the Kunimatsu children, Saburo, Shiro, and Isamu, were enumerated with them in the Bellingham School Census.
He owned and operated the Sunrise Cafe, 523 W. Holly Street, from 1931 until 1942. The cafe was known for its nickel coffee and donut and American food. This restaurant, long operated by Japanese Americans, was built on pilings on the waterfront.
His neighbors held his family in high esteem and described them as being model citizens, loyal Americans, and as respected members of the community [War Relocation Authority Recs.]. They described his children as intelligent and industrious. They were known for their good sense of humor and wide smiles.
His American-born children lived all-American lives. They graduated from Roeder Junior High School and Whatcom High School at Bellingham. The boys played on the high school football team, skied at Mt. Baker, and played baseball, basketball, and tennis. Sumi was the best athlete in the family and participated in city tennis tournaments and played semi-pro baseball. Hiram and Saburo graduated with bachelor's degrees from the University of Washington Seattle, where they participated in Japanese student life. Son Jim took pre-dental classes at Western Washington College of Education (now Western Washington University) at Bellingham after graduating from high school. They fished, boated, and enjoyed clam bakes on the beach and other social activities.
Evacuation in 1942
The U.S. Army moved rapidly to implement the President’s executive order of February 1942 to evacuate Japanese Americans from the West Coast. Notices were quickly posted notifying Japanese Americans of their impeding evacuation. They were given little time to sell their businesses, homes, and dispose of property that could not be taken to the Segregation Center: they could only take what they could carry.
Starting in March, 1942, his children had to drop out of school and to quit their jobs to help prepare for the evacuation. In May he closed the Cafe.
"The Sunrise café, pioneer West Holly street eating house, is closed. Founded by Japanese in the nineties, it operated through the years near the viaduct, the café finally closed its doors, a victim of the war. Ironically, its proprietor, Hiram Okubo, American-born Japanese of 1406 H street, is serving with the United States army. He is now stationed at Fort Snelling, Minn. Federal orders that all persons of Japanese blood must leave the sea coast brought the decision of Kenzo Okubo, father of the café owner, to close the business and dispose of the fixtures. No one seems to recall the date that the doors of the Sunrise café first opened. Some oldsters, who might be referred to as pioneers, do recall eating in the Sunrise when boys in short pants. The Sunrise, they remember, served coffee and doughnuts for a nickle at that time and the bargain price on the coffee and sinkers drew their trade." The Bellingham Herald, Friday, 15 May 1942.
““My father had to close the restaurant,” his daughter Hime said. “You couldn’t sell it, because everyone knew you had to leave and they wanted it for practically nothing.” Her father did manage to see some restaurant equipment, along with all of the family belongings that could not be packed in suitcases for their new home in the camp at Tule Lake, Calif. Hime remembered that Schmacher’s family—the LeClaires—invited them to move in with them for awhile after their belongings were sold, while they were still waiting to be assigned to an internment camp. “We were young, so it never affected us that badly,” Hime said. “Leaving Bellingham was quite trying, but we looked on to new friends and things.”” The Bellingham Herald, 17 July 2000, page A2.
On 3 June 1942, their home served as the evacuation center for the tiny Japanese community in Whatcom County. Photos show piles of their belongings on their front porch, wrapped in woven mats and fastened by ropes, ready to be loaded on the bus. Kenzo, Fuyu, Tomi, Hime, and James along with their nephews and niece, Shiro, Isamu, and Takeko Kunimatsu were evacuated to Tule Lake Segregation Center, Modoc Co., northeastern California. As they left, Kenzo posted a “for sale” sign on the house.
They were first taken by a chartered North Coast Lines bus to Burlington, about 20 miles south of Bellingham, and from there they were taken by a 10--hour train to Tule Lake. A photo published in The Bellingham Herald later that day shows a number of the evacuees standing around the bus before their departure. It must have been a long, sad, and trying train ride for Kenzo. Bellingham had been a good home for his family and he was never to return.
Relocation to the Tule Lake Segregation Center
The next day he and his family found themselves behind barbed wire fences, patrolled by armed guards, at Tule Lake Segregation Center, which, as fate would have it, proved to be a hotbed of Japanese American resistance to the U.S. Government. Most of the parents there opposed the participation of their children in the war effort.
Even Kenzo was not too sure that he wanted his sons to sign up for military service. But his wife Fuyu was all for it, and paid the price in many ways. She was shunned by and suffered abuse from many of her fellow internees at Tule Lake, who made life uncomfortable for her.
Kenzo's was the chief cook for the "Victory" block at Tule Lake Segregation Center until his death. The WRA records indicate that Kenzo was 5'3" tall and weighed 110 lbs [WRA, 3 Aug. 1942].
Kenzo spent the last 10 months of his life at Tule Lake Segregation Center.
Center Life (1942-1943)
Center life behind barbed wire was rugged, primitive, and monotonous. There were no sidewalks, so when it rained it was hard to get about on the muddy “streets” that connected the barracks. Their small barrack had barely been finished and was poorly furnished. It was covered in tar paper and was not effective in keeping out the cold, wind, and rain. A coal-burning stove provided heat and bare light bulbs provided light. The family itself shared a large one-room apartment with no partitions for privacy of the parents and children. Latrines, showers, mess halls, and laundry rooms were centrally located and shared with many other families. However, there was a hospital, schools, and other facilities. Internees were hired to staff these facilities.
Kenzo's work as the head cook of the "Victory" block earned him $16 month.
Death From Pneumonia in 1943
Kenzo caught pneumonia after neglecting a cold for about 7 to 10 days prior to his death. When he was admitted to the center hospital he had a fever and was delirious. Although in generally good health, he was emaciated [WRA Records]. His family kept vigil at his bedside, and his daughter, Tomi, provided the information for his death certificate.
Death: Kenzo Okubo, age 65, succumbed at the Base Hospital on March 23 at 6:00 p.m. Formerly of Bellingham, Washington, he is survived by his wife Fuyu and children Hiram, Sumi, Tomi, Hime, James and Mrs. I. Matsuo. Center residence #1302-D.
Delayed Recognition
The injustice of the internment and recognition of Kenzo's contribution to the war effort were addressed only many years after his death.
In 1988 the U.S. Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 providing reparations for the unjustified and ruinous internment of the Japanese-Americans during WWII. Sadly, Kenzo and his wife had long since passed away, but each of the surviving members of his family interned at Tule Lake Segregation Center or elsewhere received an apology from President Bush and a $20,000 reparation under this Act.
“In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded 22 Medals of Honor [to Japanese-American veterans or their survivors] on the South Lawn of the White House. Each recipient was introduced by name, his citation read aloud. The widow of his son Jim and Jim's children were there, seated among the crowd, learning the full extent of their father’s service. Finally, President Clinton declared, “It is long past time to break the silence about their courage, to put faces and names with the courage, and to honor it by name.”” [The Seattle Times, Western Student Jim Okubo went from an ‘enemy alien’ to an American Hero, by Jayson Jenks, 20 July 2017.]
Burial in 1974
Kenzo's remains were removed to Klamath Falls, Oregon, for cremation [His death certificate]. According to his daughter, Tomi, his widow kept his ashes on her mantle place for 30 years. His ashes, and those of his son John, were placed in his widows coffin just before she was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in 1974. His name was not inscribed on his widow's marker.
Biography by Tom Brocher, updated 24 Feb. 2021
Father of Decorated Veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
All three of Kenzo's sons served with distinction in the U.S. Army's highly-decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WWII; Corporals Hirami (Hiram) and Sumi were seriously wounded in service, and a third, Corporal James Kazuo, was awarded the Medal of Honor. In addition, a nephew he raised as a son, Pvt. Isamu Kunimatsu, was killed in action in Italy in 1944.
Kenzo's Ancestry
Kenzo, son of Jinzae Mon Kanzaki Okubo, was born at Ondo-machi, Aki-gun, Hiroshima-ken, Japan, (in the 11th year of Meiji); died at Tule Lake Segregation Center on 23 March 1943 aged 65 years, of pneumonia; his ashes were interred with his wife at Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit Michigan in 1973 [Calif. State, VR, Deaths, filed 27 Mar. 1943; War Relocation Authority (WRA), Individual Record, 3 Aug. 1942].
Ondo is located on a small island in the Inland Sea about 10 miles southeast of downtown Hiroshima. It had a population of about 14,000 in 2003.
Childhood and Education
Kenzo was intelligent and was well educated. He attended grade school at Ondo, Aki-district, Hiroshima, Japan, 1885-1893, and high school at Kure, Hiroshima, 1893-1897 [WRA Records; Tomi Okubo].
Kenzo was raised at a Buddhist in the Shinto tradition.
From January 1900 until 1907 he worked first as a cabin boy and/or as a cook on commercial sailing ships. He told a good story about being shipwrecked on a small island during one of his voyages.
Immigration to the U.S. in 1900
Manifest Lists indicate that Kenzo arrived in the U.S. in 1900, when he accompanied his future KANZAKI in-laws, and in fact, when he had assumed the ZANZAKI family name. They all arrived at Tacoma, Washington on 8 April 1900, after sailing on the S.S. Olympia from Kobe, Japan. The register lists him as Kinzo KANZAKI, aged 20 years, 10 months, which matches his birthdate [Seattle, Washington, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1957].
His Marriage in 1907
Kenzo married Fuyu KANZAKI at Seattle, King Co., Washington, on 16 December 1907, two days after her arrival from Japan. At the time of his marriage, he lived at Port Blakely, Kitsap Co., Washington, on Bainbridge Island.
Kenzo and Fuyu initially lived there, where they were enumerated in the 1910 U.S. Census, under the name KANZAKI. At the time, Kenzo worked as a cook in a salmon cannery.
Life at Anacortes and Seattle, Washington (1910-1927)
Kenzo and Fuyu took up residence at Anacortes, from 1908 or 1910 until 1920, where several of their children were born.
Kenzo was arrested in 1913 for a minor infraction of a hunting law. "Kenzo Okubo, a Japanese employed in one of the local fisheries, was arrested Monday for carrying firearms and was fined $35 and costs in the justice court of W. H. Beard. Okubo was carrying a shotgun when arrested and also had a county hunting license but the state laws says that aliens cannot carry firearms without a state license.” [Anacortes American, 27 November 1913].
Kenzo and Fuyu visited Japan to visit relatives from December 1915 until May 1916, when they were readmitted to the U.S. at Seattle, Washington, on the ship Shidzuoka Maru [Japanese Passport, Stamped 26 May 1916 by US INS].
The family enumerated at Anacortes in the May 1917 Anacortes School Census.
The family was enumerated there in the 1 May 1918 special census where Kenzo was a codfish skinner. They were enumerated next to the family of Isekichi Kunimatsu.
This family was enumerated in the 1920 U.S. Census on Oakes Ave., Anacortes, where Kenzo worked as a foreman at the Robinson Fisheries, in a large codfish processing plant. Their son, James Kazuo, was born there on 20 May 1920, where Kenzo worked in a codfish plant.
The family was enumerated in the 1921 Anacortes School Census, when children Toshiko, Hirami, Sumi, and Tomi were counted. Hime and James were too young to be counted in this school census. At the time the family lived at the Robinson Fishery where Kenzo worked.
They moved to Seattle in 1921, where the youngest son, John, was born in 1923. They started a restaurant, the Sunrise Coffee House & Bakery, on King St., and a bakery. Many years later his daughter Tomiko wrote that "the restaurant was successful but the hours were long and seven days a week were too much for him. He bought a butcher shop thinking he could enjoy a day off but being new at the business, it failed."
In 1924 they moved back to Anacortes where they again resided at Oakes Ave., and where Kenzo worked at a fishery.
They were enumerated there in Anacortes School Censuses from May 1925 until May 1927. During the 1924-1925 school year the children attended about 10 weeks of school at Anacortes, suggesting that they returned to Anacortes about mid-March in 1925.
In May 1926, the family resided at 2311 12th Street, within an easy walk of the waterfront.
In May 1927, the family resided on Route 2, Oakes Ave.
Move to Bellingham, Washington in 1927
In 1927, following the death of his wife's sister, Yukino, they moved to Bellingham, to take care of Yukino's young children and to take over her restaurant, the Holly Tea Parlor, until 1931. They lived at 1406 H Street, from 1927 until their relocation to Tule Lake in 1942.
As recalled by his daughter Tomi, years later, “When our Aunt (mother’s sister) died suddenly [in 1927], leaving a restaurant business and six children still at home, our father decided to move to Bellingham [to] take over the restaurant and care of the children. With six of us and six of them we got along. It wasn’t easy for the folks but once we were old enough, [we] helped at the restaurant.”
For their entire stay at Bellingham, they lived at a large home at 1406 H Street, which was an easy walk to the restaurants that they owned and operated. Their home, built about 1900, had at least four bedrooms.
The family was listed in Bellingham City Directories from 1928 until 1941. They were enumerated in Bellingham School Censuses from 1928 until 1932, the last year those censuses are available online. In 1930 the Kunimatsu children, Saburo, Shiro, and Isamu, were enumerated with them in the Bellingham School Census.
He owned and operated the Sunrise Cafe, 523 W. Holly Street, from 1931 until 1942. The cafe was known for its nickel coffee and donut and American food. This restaurant, long operated by Japanese Americans, was built on pilings on the waterfront.
His neighbors held his family in high esteem and described them as being model citizens, loyal Americans, and as respected members of the community [War Relocation Authority Recs.]. They described his children as intelligent and industrious. They were known for their good sense of humor and wide smiles.
His American-born children lived all-American lives. They graduated from Roeder Junior High School and Whatcom High School at Bellingham. The boys played on the high school football team, skied at Mt. Baker, and played baseball, basketball, and tennis. Sumi was the best athlete in the family and participated in city tennis tournaments and played semi-pro baseball. Hiram and Saburo graduated with bachelor's degrees from the University of Washington Seattle, where they participated in Japanese student life. Son Jim took pre-dental classes at Western Washington College of Education (now Western Washington University) at Bellingham after graduating from high school. They fished, boated, and enjoyed clam bakes on the beach and other social activities.
Evacuation in 1942
The U.S. Army moved rapidly to implement the President’s executive order of February 1942 to evacuate Japanese Americans from the West Coast. Notices were quickly posted notifying Japanese Americans of their impeding evacuation. They were given little time to sell their businesses, homes, and dispose of property that could not be taken to the Segregation Center: they could only take what they could carry.
Starting in March, 1942, his children had to drop out of school and to quit their jobs to help prepare for the evacuation. In May he closed the Cafe.
"The Sunrise café, pioneer West Holly street eating house, is closed. Founded by Japanese in the nineties, it operated through the years near the viaduct, the café finally closed its doors, a victim of the war. Ironically, its proprietor, Hiram Okubo, American-born Japanese of 1406 H street, is serving with the United States army. He is now stationed at Fort Snelling, Minn. Federal orders that all persons of Japanese blood must leave the sea coast brought the decision of Kenzo Okubo, father of the café owner, to close the business and dispose of the fixtures. No one seems to recall the date that the doors of the Sunrise café first opened. Some oldsters, who might be referred to as pioneers, do recall eating in the Sunrise when boys in short pants. The Sunrise, they remember, served coffee and doughnuts for a nickle at that time and the bargain price on the coffee and sinkers drew their trade." The Bellingham Herald, Friday, 15 May 1942.
““My father had to close the restaurant,” his daughter Hime said. “You couldn’t sell it, because everyone knew you had to leave and they wanted it for practically nothing.” Her father did manage to see some restaurant equipment, along with all of the family belongings that could not be packed in suitcases for their new home in the camp at Tule Lake, Calif. Hime remembered that Schmacher’s family—the LeClaires—invited them to move in with them for awhile after their belongings were sold, while they were still waiting to be assigned to an internment camp. “We were young, so it never affected us that badly,” Hime said. “Leaving Bellingham was quite trying, but we looked on to new friends and things.”” The Bellingham Herald, 17 July 2000, page A2.
On 3 June 1942, their home served as the evacuation center for the tiny Japanese community in Whatcom County. Photos show piles of their belongings on their front porch, wrapped in woven mats and fastened by ropes, ready to be loaded on the bus. Kenzo, Fuyu, Tomi, Hime, and James along with their nephews and niece, Shiro, Isamu, and Takeko Kunimatsu were evacuated to Tule Lake Segregation Center, Modoc Co., northeastern California. As they left, Kenzo posted a “for sale” sign on the house.
They were first taken by a chartered North Coast Lines bus to Burlington, about 20 miles south of Bellingham, and from there they were taken by a 10--hour train to Tule Lake. A photo published in The Bellingham Herald later that day shows a number of the evacuees standing around the bus before their departure. It must have been a long, sad, and trying train ride for Kenzo. Bellingham had been a good home for his family and he was never to return.
Relocation to the Tule Lake Segregation Center
The next day he and his family found themselves behind barbed wire fences, patrolled by armed guards, at Tule Lake Segregation Center, which, as fate would have it, proved to be a hotbed of Japanese American resistance to the U.S. Government. Most of the parents there opposed the participation of their children in the war effort.
Even Kenzo was not too sure that he wanted his sons to sign up for military service. But his wife Fuyu was all for it, and paid the price in many ways. She was shunned by and suffered abuse from many of her fellow internees at Tule Lake, who made life uncomfortable for her.
Kenzo's was the chief cook for the "Victory" block at Tule Lake Segregation Center until his death. The WRA records indicate that Kenzo was 5'3" tall and weighed 110 lbs [WRA, 3 Aug. 1942].
Kenzo spent the last 10 months of his life at Tule Lake Segregation Center.
Center Life (1942-1943)
Center life behind barbed wire was rugged, primitive, and monotonous. There were no sidewalks, so when it rained it was hard to get about on the muddy “streets” that connected the barracks. Their small barrack had barely been finished and was poorly furnished. It was covered in tar paper and was not effective in keeping out the cold, wind, and rain. A coal-burning stove provided heat and bare light bulbs provided light. The family itself shared a large one-room apartment with no partitions for privacy of the parents and children. Latrines, showers, mess halls, and laundry rooms were centrally located and shared with many other families. However, there was a hospital, schools, and other facilities. Internees were hired to staff these facilities.
Kenzo's work as the head cook of the "Victory" block earned him $16 month.
Death From Pneumonia in 1943
Kenzo caught pneumonia after neglecting a cold for about 7 to 10 days prior to his death. When he was admitted to the center hospital he had a fever and was delirious. Although in generally good health, he was emaciated [WRA Records]. His family kept vigil at his bedside, and his daughter, Tomi, provided the information for his death certificate.
Death: Kenzo Okubo, age 65, succumbed at the Base Hospital on March 23 at 6:00 p.m. Formerly of Bellingham, Washington, he is survived by his wife Fuyu and children Hiram, Sumi, Tomi, Hime, James and Mrs. I. Matsuo. Center residence #1302-D.
Delayed Recognition
The injustice of the internment and recognition of Kenzo's contribution to the war effort were addressed only many years after his death.
In 1988 the U.S. Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 providing reparations for the unjustified and ruinous internment of the Japanese-Americans during WWII. Sadly, Kenzo and his wife had long since passed away, but each of the surviving members of his family interned at Tule Lake Segregation Center or elsewhere received an apology from President Bush and a $20,000 reparation under this Act.
“In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded 22 Medals of Honor [to Japanese-American veterans or their survivors] on the South Lawn of the White House. Each recipient was introduced by name, his citation read aloud. The widow of his son Jim and Jim's children were there, seated among the crowd, learning the full extent of their father’s service. Finally, President Clinton declared, “It is long past time to break the silence about their courage, to put faces and names with the courage, and to honor it by name.”” [The Seattle Times, Western Student Jim Okubo went from an ‘enemy alien’ to an American Hero, by Jayson Jenks, 20 July 2017.]
Burial in 1974
Kenzo's remains were removed to Klamath Falls, Oregon, for cremation [His death certificate]. According to his daughter, Tomi, his widow kept his ashes on her mantle place for 30 years. His ashes, and those of his son John, were placed in his widows coffin just before she was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in 1974. His name was not inscribed on his widow's marker.
Biography by Tom Brocher, updated 24 Feb. 2021
His Obituary – Kenzo Okubo, Local Japanese [Restauranteur], Succumbs. Kenzo Okubo, proprietor of the Sunrise Café on West Holly street for many years, died March 23 at the Tule Lake hospital in northern California, according to a letter received by Mrs. George LaClair, of 1400 H street, from Hime Okubo, a daughter of the veteran Japanese restauranteur. Gathered at the Tule lake camp with thousands of other persons of Japanese ancestry, Mr. Okubo, who was about 68 years of age and had spent most of his life in Bellingham, looked forward to the day when he could return here, his daughter said. Stricken with pneumonia, death came swiftly. Members of the family, including a son, Hiram, who is in the United States army, attended the funeral. Some 500 persons at the camp joined in paying last respects to the deceased. The Bellingham Herald, 14 April 1943.
Father of Decorated Veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
All three of Kenzo's sons served with distinction in the U.S. Army's highly-decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WWII; Corporals Hirami (Hiram) and Sumi were seriously wounded in service, and a third, Corporal James Kazuo, was awarded the Medal of Honor. In addition, a nephew he raised as a son, Pvt. Isamu Kunimatsu, was killed in action in Italy in 1944.
Kenzo's Ancestry
Kenzo, son of Jinzae Mon Kanzaki Okubo, was born at Ondo-machi, Aki-gun, Hiroshima-ken, Japan, (in the 11th year of Meiji); died at Tule Lake Segregation Center on 23 March 1943 aged 65 years, of pneumonia; his ashes were interred with his wife at Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit Michigan in 1973 [Calif. State, VR, Deaths, filed 27 Mar. 1943; War Relocation Authority (WRA), Individual Record, 3 Aug. 1942].
Ondo is located on a small island in the Inland Sea about 10 miles southeast of downtown Hiroshima. It had a population of about 14,000 in 2003.
Childhood and Education
Kenzo was intelligent and was well educated. He attended grade school at Ondo, Aki-district, Hiroshima, Japan, 1885-1893, and high school at Kure, Hiroshima, 1893-1897 [WRA Records; Tomi Okubo].
Kenzo was raised at a Buddhist in the Shinto tradition.
From January 1900 until 1907 he worked first as a cabin boy and/or as a cook on commercial sailing ships. He told a good story about being shipwrecked on a small island during one of his voyages.
Immigration to the U.S. in 1900
Manifest Lists indicate that Kenzo arrived in the U.S. in 1900, when he accompanied his future KANZAKI in-laws, and in fact, when he had assumed the ZANZAKI family name. They all arrived at Tacoma, Washington on 8 April 1900, after sailing on the S.S. Olympia from Kobe, Japan. The register lists him as Kinzo KANZAKI, aged 20 years, 10 months, which matches his birthdate [Seattle, Washington, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1957].
His Marriage in 1907
Kenzo married Fuyu KANZAKI at Seattle, King Co., Washington, on 16 December 1907, two days after her arrival from Japan. At the time of his marriage, he lived at Port Blakely, Kitsap Co., Washington, on Bainbridge Island.
Kenzo and Fuyu initially lived there, where they were enumerated in the 1910 U.S. Census, under the name KANZAKI. At the time, Kenzo worked as a cook in a salmon cannery.
Life at Anacortes and Seattle, Washington (1910-1927)
Kenzo and Fuyu took up residence at Anacortes, from 1908 or 1910 until 1920, where several of their children were born.
Kenzo was arrested in 1913 for a minor infraction of a hunting law. "Kenzo Okubo, a Japanese employed in one of the local fisheries, was arrested Monday for carrying firearms and was fined $35 and costs in the justice court of W. H. Beard. Okubo was carrying a shotgun when arrested and also had a county hunting license but the state laws says that aliens cannot carry firearms without a state license.” [Anacortes American, 27 November 1913].
Kenzo and Fuyu visited Japan to visit relatives from December 1915 until May 1916, when they were readmitted to the U.S. at Seattle, Washington, on the ship Shidzuoka Maru [Japanese Passport, Stamped 26 May 1916 by US INS].
The family enumerated at Anacortes in the May 1917 Anacortes School Census.
The family was enumerated there in the 1 May 1918 special census where Kenzo was a codfish skinner. They were enumerated next to the family of Isekichi Kunimatsu.
This family was enumerated in the 1920 U.S. Census on Oakes Ave., Anacortes, where Kenzo worked as a foreman at the Robinson Fisheries, in a large codfish processing plant. Their son, James Kazuo, was born there on 20 May 1920, where Kenzo worked in a codfish plant.
The family was enumerated in the 1921 Anacortes School Census, when children Toshiko, Hirami, Sumi, and Tomi were counted. Hime and James were too young to be counted in this school census. At the time the family lived at the Robinson Fishery where Kenzo worked.
They moved to Seattle in 1921, where the youngest son, John, was born in 1923. They started a restaurant, the Sunrise Coffee House & Bakery, on King St., and a bakery. Many years later his daughter Tomiko wrote that "the restaurant was successful but the hours were long and seven days a week were too much for him. He bought a butcher shop thinking he could enjoy a day off but being new at the business, it failed."
In 1924 they moved back to Anacortes where they again resided at Oakes Ave., and where Kenzo worked at a fishery.
They were enumerated there in Anacortes School Censuses from May 1925 until May 1927. During the 1924-1925 school year the children attended about 10 weeks of school at Anacortes, suggesting that they returned to Anacortes about mid-March in 1925.
In May 1926, the family resided at 2311 12th Street, within an easy walk of the waterfront.
In May 1927, the family resided on Route 2, Oakes Ave.
Move to Bellingham, Washington in 1927
In 1927, following the death of his wife's sister, Yukino, they moved to Bellingham, to take care of Yukino's young children and to take over her restaurant, the Holly Tea Parlor, until 1931. They lived at 1406 H Street, from 1927 until their relocation to Tule Lake in 1942.
As recalled by his daughter Tomi, years later, “When our Aunt (mother’s sister) died suddenly [in 1927], leaving a restaurant business and six children still at home, our father decided to move to Bellingham [to] take over the restaurant and care of the children. With six of us and six of them we got along. It wasn’t easy for the folks but once we were old enough, [we] helped at the restaurant.”
For their entire stay at Bellingham, they lived at a large home at 1406 H Street, which was an easy walk to the restaurants that they owned and operated. Their home, built about 1900, had at least four bedrooms.
The family was listed in Bellingham City Directories from 1928 until 1941. They were enumerated in Bellingham School Censuses from 1928 until 1932, the last year those censuses are available online. In 1930 the Kunimatsu children, Saburo, Shiro, and Isamu, were enumerated with them in the Bellingham School Census.
He owned and operated the Sunrise Cafe, 523 W. Holly Street, from 1931 until 1942. The cafe was known for its nickel coffee and donut and American food. This restaurant, long operated by Japanese Americans, was built on pilings on the waterfront.
His neighbors held his family in high esteem and described them as being model citizens, loyal Americans, and as respected members of the community [War Relocation Authority Recs.]. They described his children as intelligent and industrious. They were known for their good sense of humor and wide smiles.
His American-born children lived all-American lives. They graduated from Roeder Junior High School and Whatcom High School at Bellingham. The boys played on the high school football team, skied at Mt. Baker, and played baseball, basketball, and tennis. Sumi was the best athlete in the family and participated in city tennis tournaments and played semi-pro baseball. Hiram and Saburo graduated with bachelor's degrees from the University of Washington Seattle, where they participated in Japanese student life. Son Jim took pre-dental classes at Western Washington College of Education (now Western Washington University) at Bellingham after graduating from high school. They fished, boated, and enjoyed clam bakes on the beach and other social activities.
Evacuation in 1942
The U.S. Army moved rapidly to implement the President’s executive order of February 1942 to evacuate Japanese Americans from the West Coast. Notices were quickly posted notifying Japanese Americans of their impeding evacuation. They were given little time to sell their businesses, homes, and dispose of property that could not be taken to the Segregation Center: they could only take what they could carry.
Starting in March, 1942, his children had to drop out of school and to quit their jobs to help prepare for the evacuation. In May he closed the Cafe.
"The Sunrise café, pioneer West Holly street eating house, is closed. Founded by Japanese in the nineties, it operated through the years near the viaduct, the café finally closed its doors, a victim of the war. Ironically, its proprietor, Hiram Okubo, American-born Japanese of 1406 H street, is serving with the United States army. He is now stationed at Fort Snelling, Minn. Federal orders that all persons of Japanese blood must leave the sea coast brought the decision of Kenzo Okubo, father of the café owner, to close the business and dispose of the fixtures. No one seems to recall the date that the doors of the Sunrise café first opened. Some oldsters, who might be referred to as pioneers, do recall eating in the Sunrise when boys in short pants. The Sunrise, they remember, served coffee and doughnuts for a nickle at that time and the bargain price on the coffee and sinkers drew their trade." The Bellingham Herald, Friday, 15 May 1942.
““My father had to close the restaurant,” his daughter Hime said. “You couldn’t sell it, because everyone knew you had to leave and they wanted it for practically nothing.” Her father did manage to see some restaurant equipment, along with all of the family belongings that could not be packed in suitcases for their new home in the camp at Tule Lake, Calif. Hime remembered that Schmacher’s family—the LeClaires—invited them to move in with them for awhile after their belongings were sold, while they were still waiting to be assigned to an internment camp. “We were young, so it never affected us that badly,” Hime said. “Leaving Bellingham was quite trying, but we looked on to new friends and things.”” The Bellingham Herald, 17 July 2000, page A2.
On 3 June 1942, their home served as the evacuation center for the tiny Japanese community in Whatcom County. Photos show piles of their belongings on their front porch, wrapped in woven mats and fastened by ropes, ready to be loaded on the bus. Kenzo, Fuyu, Tomi, Hime, and James along with their nephews and niece, Shiro, Isamu, and Takeko Kunimatsu were evacuated to Tule Lake Segregation Center, Modoc Co., northeastern California. As they left, Kenzo posted a “for sale” sign on the house.
They were first taken by a chartered North Coast Lines bus to Burlington, about 20 miles south of Bellingham, and from there they were taken by a 10--hour train to Tule Lake. A photo published in The Bellingham Herald later that day shows a number of the evacuees standing around the bus before their departure. It must have been a long, sad, and trying train ride for Kenzo. Bellingham had been a good home for his family and he was never to return.
Relocation to the Tule Lake Segregation Center
The next day he and his family found themselves behind barbed wire fences, patrolled by armed guards, at Tule Lake Segregation Center, which, as fate would have it, proved to be a hotbed of Japanese American resistance to the U.S. Government. Most of the parents there opposed the participation of their children in the war effort.
Even Kenzo was not too sure that he wanted his sons to sign up for military service. But his wife Fuyu was all for it, and paid the price in many ways. She was shunned by and suffered abuse from many of her fellow internees at Tule Lake, who made life uncomfortable for her.
Kenzo's was the chief cook for the "Victory" block at Tule Lake Segregation Center until his death. The WRA records indicate that Kenzo was 5'3" tall and weighed 110 lbs [WRA, 3 Aug. 1942].
Kenzo spent the last 10 months of his life at Tule Lake Segregation Center.
Center Life (1942-1943)
Center life behind barbed wire was rugged, primitive, and monotonous. There were no sidewalks, so when it rained it was hard to get about on the muddy “streets” that connected the barracks. Their small barrack had barely been finished and was poorly furnished. It was covered in tar paper and was not effective in keeping out the cold, wind, and rain. A coal-burning stove provided heat and bare light bulbs provided light. The family itself shared a large one-room apartment with no partitions for privacy of the parents and children. Latrines, showers, mess halls, and laundry rooms were centrally located and shared with many other families. However, there was a hospital, schools, and other facilities. Internees were hired to staff these facilities.
Kenzo's work as the head cook of the "Victory" block earned him $16 month.
Death From Pneumonia in 1943
Kenzo caught pneumonia after neglecting a cold for about 7 to 10 days prior to his death. When he was admitted to the center hospital he had a fever and was delirious. Although in generally good health, he was emaciated [WRA Records]. His family kept vigil at his bedside, and his daughter, Tomi, provided the information for his death certificate.
Death: Kenzo Okubo, age 65, succumbed at the Base Hospital on March 23 at 6:00 p.m. Formerly of Bellingham, Washington, he is survived by his wife Fuyu and children Hiram, Sumi, Tomi, Hime, James and Mrs. I. Matsuo. Center residence #1302-D.
Delayed Recognition
The injustice of the internment and recognition of Kenzo's contribution to the war effort were addressed only many years after his death.
In 1988 the U.S. Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 providing reparations for the unjustified and ruinous internment of the Japanese-Americans during WWII. Sadly, Kenzo and his wife had long since passed away, but each of the surviving members of his family interned at Tule Lake Segregation Center or elsewhere received an apology from President Bush and a $20,000 reparation under this Act.
“In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded 22 Medals of Honor [to Japanese-American veterans or their survivors] on the South Lawn of the White House. Each recipient was introduced by name, his citation read aloud. The widow of his son Jim and Jim's children were there, seated among the crowd, learning the full extent of their father’s service. Finally, President Clinton declared, “It is long past time to break the silence about their courage, to put faces and names with the courage, and to honor it by name.”” [The Seattle Times, Western Student Jim Okubo went from an ‘enemy alien’ to an American Hero, by Jayson Jenks, 20 July 2017.]
Burial in 1974
Kenzo's remains were removed to Klamath Falls, Oregon, for cremation [His death certificate]. According to his daughter, Tomi, his widow kept his ashes on her mantle place for 30 years. His ashes, and those of his son John, were placed in his widows coffin just before she was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in 1974. His name was not inscribed on his widow's marker.
Biography by Tom Brocher, updated 24 Feb. 2021
Father of Decorated Veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
All three of Kenzo's sons served with distinction in the U.S. Army's highly-decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WWII; Corporals Hirami (Hiram) and Sumi were seriously wounded in service, and a third, Corporal James Kazuo, was awarded the Medal of Honor. In addition, a nephew he raised as a son, Pvt. Isamu Kunimatsu, was killed in action in Italy in 1944.
Kenzo's Ancestry
Kenzo, son of Jinzae Mon Kanzaki Okubo, was born at Ondo-machi, Aki-gun, Hiroshima-ken, Japan, (in the 11th year of Meiji); died at Tule Lake Segregation Center on 23 March 1943 aged 65 years, of pneumonia; his ashes were interred with his wife at Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit Michigan in 1973 [Calif. State, VR, Deaths, filed 27 Mar. 1943; War Relocation Authority (WRA), Individual Record, 3 Aug. 1942].
Ondo is located on a small island in the Inland Sea about 10 miles southeast of downtown Hiroshima. It had a population of about 14,000 in 2003.
Childhood and Education
Kenzo was intelligent and was well educated. He attended grade school at Ondo, Aki-district, Hiroshima, Japan, 1885-1893, and high school at Kure, Hiroshima, 1893-1897 [WRA Records; Tomi Okubo].
Kenzo was raised at a Buddhist in the Shinto tradition.
From January 1900 until 1907 he worked first as a cabin boy and/or as a cook on commercial sailing ships. He told a good story about being shipwrecked on a small island during one of his voyages.
Immigration to the U.S. in 1900
Manifest Lists indicate that Kenzo arrived in the U.S. in 1900, when he accompanied his future KANZAKI in-laws, and in fact, when he had assumed the ZANZAKI family name. They all arrived at Tacoma, Washington on 8 April 1900, after sailing on the S.S. Olympia from Kobe, Japan. The register lists him as Kinzo KANZAKI, aged 20 years, 10 months, which matches his birthdate [Seattle, Washington, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1957].
His Marriage in 1907
Kenzo married Fuyu KANZAKI at Seattle, King Co., Washington, on 16 December 1907, two days after her arrival from Japan. At the time of his marriage, he lived at Port Blakely, Kitsap Co., Washington, on Bainbridge Island.
Kenzo and Fuyu initially lived there, where they were enumerated in the 1910 U.S. Census, under the name KANZAKI. At the time, Kenzo worked as a cook in a salmon cannery.
Life at Anacortes and Seattle, Washington (1910-1927)
Kenzo and Fuyu took up residence at Anacortes, from 1908 or 1910 until 1920, where several of their children were born.
Kenzo was arrested in 1913 for a minor infraction of a hunting law. "Kenzo Okubo, a Japanese employed in one of the local fisheries, was arrested Monday for carrying firearms and was fined $35 and costs in the justice court of W. H. Beard. Okubo was carrying a shotgun when arrested and also had a county hunting license but the state laws says that aliens cannot carry firearms without a state license.” [Anacortes American, 27 November 1913].
Kenzo and Fuyu visited Japan to visit relatives from December 1915 until May 1916, when they were readmitted to the U.S. at Seattle, Washington, on the ship Shidzuoka Maru [Japanese Passport, Stamped 26 May 1916 by US INS].
The family enumerated at Anacortes in the May 1917 Anacortes School Census.
The family was enumerated there in the 1 May 1918 special census where Kenzo was a codfish skinner. They were enumerated next to the family of Isekichi Kunimatsu.
This family was enumerated in the 1920 U.S. Census on Oakes Ave., Anacortes, where Kenzo worked as a foreman at the Robinson Fisheries, in a large codfish processing plant. Their son, James Kazuo, was born there on 20 May 1920, where Kenzo worked in a codfish plant.
The family was enumerated in the 1921 Anacortes School Census, when children Toshiko, Hirami, Sumi, and Tomi were counted. Hime and James were too young to be counted in this school census. At the time the family lived at the Robinson Fishery where Kenzo worked.
They moved to Seattle in 1921, where the youngest son, John, was born in 1923. They started a restaurant, the Sunrise Coffee House & Bakery, on King St., and a bakery. Many years later his daughter Tomiko wrote that "the restaurant was successful but the hours were long and seven days a week were too much for him. He bought a butcher shop thinking he could enjoy a day off but being new at the business, it failed."
In 1924 they moved back to Anacortes where they again resided at Oakes Ave., and where Kenzo worked at a fishery.
They were enumerated there in Anacortes School Censuses from May 1925 until May 1927. During the 1924-1925 school year the children attended about 10 weeks of school at Anacortes, suggesting that they returned to Anacortes about mid-March in 1925.
In May 1926, the family resided at 2311 12th Street, within an easy walk of the waterfront.
In May 1927, the family resided on Route 2, Oakes Ave.
Move to Bellingham, Washington in 1927
In 1927, following the death of his wife's sister, Yukino, they moved to Bellingham, to take care of Yukino's young children and to take over her restaurant, the Holly Tea Parlor, until 1931. They lived at 1406 H Street, from 1927 until their relocation to Tule Lake in 1942.
As recalled by his daughter Tomi, years later, “When our Aunt (mother’s sister) died suddenly [in 1927], leaving a restaurant business and six children still at home, our father decided to move to Bellingham [to] take over the restaurant and care of the children. With six of us and six of them we got along. It wasn’t easy for the folks but once we were old enough, [we] helped at the restaurant.”
For their entire stay at Bellingham, they lived at a large home at 1406 H Street, which was an easy walk to the restaurants that they owned and operated. Their home, built about 1900, had at least four bedrooms.
The family was listed in Bellingham City Directories from 1928 until 1941. They were enumerated in Bellingham School Censuses from 1928 until 1932, the last year those censuses are available online. In 1930 the Kunimatsu children, Saburo, Shiro, and Isamu, were enumerated with them in the Bellingham School Census.
He owned and operated the Sunrise Cafe, 523 W. Holly Street, from 1931 until 1942. The cafe was known for its nickel coffee and donut and American food. This restaurant, long operated by Japanese Americans, was built on pilings on the waterfront.
His neighbors held his family in high esteem and described them as being model citizens, loyal Americans, and as respected members of the community [War Relocation Authority Recs.]. They described his children as intelligent and industrious. They were known for their good sense of humor and wide smiles.
His American-born children lived all-American lives. They graduated from Roeder Junior High School and Whatcom High School at Bellingham. The boys played on the high school football team, skied at Mt. Baker, and played baseball, basketball, and tennis. Sumi was the best athlete in the family and participated in city tennis tournaments and played semi-pro baseball. Hiram and Saburo graduated with bachelor's degrees from the University of Washington Seattle, where they participated in Japanese student life. Son Jim took pre-dental classes at Western Washington College of Education (now Western Washington University) at Bellingham after graduating from high school. They fished, boated, and enjoyed clam bakes on the beach and other social activities.
Evacuation in 1942
The U.S. Army moved rapidly to implement the President’s executive order of February 1942 to evacuate Japanese Americans from the West Coast. Notices were quickly posted notifying Japanese Americans of their impeding evacuation. They were given little time to sell their businesses, homes, and dispose of property that could not be taken to the Segregation Center: they could only take what they could carry.
Starting in March, 1942, his children had to drop out of school and to quit their jobs to help prepare for the evacuation. In May he closed the Cafe.
"The Sunrise café, pioneer West Holly street eating house, is closed. Founded by Japanese in the nineties, it operated through the years near the viaduct, the café finally closed its doors, a victim of the war. Ironically, its proprietor, Hiram Okubo, American-born Japanese of 1406 H street, is serving with the United States army. He is now stationed at Fort Snelling, Minn. Federal orders that all persons of Japanese blood must leave the sea coast brought the decision of Kenzo Okubo, father of the café owner, to close the business and dispose of the fixtures. No one seems to recall the date that the doors of the Sunrise café first opened. Some oldsters, who might be referred to as pioneers, do recall eating in the Sunrise when boys in short pants. The Sunrise, they remember, served coffee and doughnuts for a nickle at that time and the bargain price on the coffee and sinkers drew their trade." The Bellingham Herald, Friday, 15 May 1942.
““My father had to close the restaurant,” his daughter Hime said. “You couldn’t sell it, because everyone knew you had to leave and they wanted it for practically nothing.” Her father did manage to see some restaurant equipment, along with all of the family belongings that could not be packed in suitcases for their new home in the camp at Tule Lake, Calif. Hime remembered that Schmacher’s family—the LeClaires—invited them to move in with them for awhile after their belongings were sold, while they were still waiting to be assigned to an internment camp. “We were young, so it never affected us that badly,” Hime said. “Leaving Bellingham was quite trying, but we looked on to new friends and things.”” The Bellingham Herald, 17 July 2000, page A2.
On 3 June 1942, their home served as the evacuation center for the tiny Japanese community in Whatcom County. Photos show piles of their belongings on their front porch, wrapped in woven mats and fastened by ropes, ready to be loaded on the bus. Kenzo, Fuyu, Tomi, Hime, and James along with their nephews and niece, Shiro, Isamu, and Takeko Kunimatsu were evacuated to Tule Lake Segregation Center, Modoc Co., northeastern California. As they left, Kenzo posted a “for sale” sign on the house.
They were first taken by a chartered North Coast Lines bus to Burlington, about 20 miles south of Bellingham, and from there they were taken by a 10--hour train to Tule Lake. A photo published in The Bellingham Herald later that day shows a number of the evacuees standing around the bus before their departure. It must have been a long, sad, and trying train ride for Kenzo. Bellingham had been a good home for his family and he was never to return.
Relocation to the Tule Lake Segregation Center
The next day he and his family found themselves behind barbed wire fences, patrolled by armed guards, at Tule Lake Segregation Center, which, as fate would have it, proved to be a hotbed of Japanese American resistance to the U.S. Government. Most of the parents there opposed the participation of their children in the war effort.
Even Kenzo was not too sure that he wanted his sons to sign up for military service. But his wife Fuyu was all for it, and paid the price in many ways. She was shunned by and suffered abuse from many of her fellow internees at Tule Lake, who made life uncomfortable for her.
Kenzo's was the chief cook for the "Victory" block at Tule Lake Segregation Center until his death. The WRA records indicate that Kenzo was 5'3" tall and weighed 110 lbs [WRA, 3 Aug. 1942].
Kenzo spent the last 10 months of his life at Tule Lake Segregation Center.
Center Life (1942-1943)
Center life behind barbed wire was rugged, primitive, and monotonous. There were no sidewalks, so when it rained it was hard to get about on the muddy “streets” that connected the barracks. Their small barrack had barely been finished and was poorly furnished. It was covered in tar paper and was not effective in keeping out the cold, wind, and rain. A coal-burning stove provided heat and bare light bulbs provided light. The family itself shared a large one-room apartment with no partitions for privacy of the parents and children. Latrines, showers, mess halls, and laundry rooms were centrally located and shared with many other families. However, there was a hospital, schools, and other facilities. Internees were hired to staff these facilities.
Kenzo's work as the head cook of the "Victory" block earned him $16 month.
Death From Pneumonia in 1943
Kenzo caught pneumonia after neglecting a cold for about 7 to 10 days prior to his death. When he was admitted to the center hospital he had a fever and was delirious. Although in generally good health, he was emaciated [WRA Records]. His family kept vigil at his bedside, and his daughter, Tomi, provided the information for his death certificate.
Death: Kenzo Okubo, age 65, succumbed at the Base Hospital on March 23 at 6:00 p.m. Formerly of Bellingham, Washington, he is survived by his wife Fuyu and children Hiram, Sumi, Tomi, Hime, James and Mrs. I. Matsuo. Center residence #1302-D.
Delayed Recognition
The injustice of the internment and recognition of Kenzo's contribution to the war effort were addressed only many years after his death.
In 1988 the U.S. Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 providing reparations for the unjustified and ruinous internment of the Japanese-Americans during WWII. Sadly, Kenzo and his wife had long since passed away, but each of the surviving members of his family interned at Tule Lake Segregation Center or elsewhere received an apology from President Bush and a $20,000 reparation under this Act.
“In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded 22 Medals of Honor [to Japanese-American veterans or their survivors] on the South Lawn of the White House. Each recipient was introduced by name, his citation read aloud. The widow of his son Jim and Jim's children were there, seated among the crowd, learning the full extent of their father’s service. Finally, President Clinton declared, “It is long past time to break the silence about their courage, to put faces and names with the courage, and to honor it by name.”” [The Seattle Times, Western Student Jim Okubo went from an ‘enemy alien’ to an American Hero, by Jayson Jenks, 20 July 2017.]
Burial in 1974
Kenzo's remains were removed to Klamath Falls, Oregon, for cremation [His death certificate]. According to his daughter, Tomi, his widow kept his ashes on her mantle place for 30 years. His ashes, and those of his son John, were placed in his widows coffin just before she was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in 1974. His name was not inscribed on his widow's marker.
Biography by Tom Brocher, updated 24 Feb. 2021
