Mess hall, Hilo Japanese School, 10/12/47

Hoshida, George [ bio ]

Description

1 drawing on paper : ink ; 9.5 x 6 in.

Ink drawing of the Hilo Japanese School mess hall on October 12, 1947. Bird's eye view of two buildings with palm tree on right. The central building is long with a vent in roof, an open door, and lines extending from roof to foreground. Building in background is roughly sketched.

Caption
Hoshida was one of the seven to nine hundred Japanese Americans in Hawaii who were incarcerated in Justice Department internment camps. He was acutely aware of the importance of recording his experiences through the pen and ink drawings and watercolors he made during his incarceration in five different locations. While Hoshida did not attempt to make any overt commentary on the interment, his drawings and sketches provide a continuous and detailed account of daily activities and his long journey from Hilo, Hawaii, to the desert of Arizona.

Inscription
Written in blue ink, bottom left: Mess Hall / Hilo Japanese School / 10/12/47. Written in pencil, bottom left corner: 91.

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Hirasaki National Resource Center at the Japanese American National Museum (hnrc@janm.org).