Gonzo Mimaki’s life spanned the arc of Japanese American history: samurai roots in Kumamoto, railroad labor, California farming, community leadership, and wartime incarceration at Heart Mountain.
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San Maló
The first Asians in America may not be who most people expect. Lafcadio Hearn’s 1883 account of San Maló captured the story of the Manilamen, Filipino fishermen who built what is likely the first Asian American settlement in the United States.
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Santa Anita Assembly Center
On March 27, 1942, Santa Anita Racetrack was converted into a detention site for Japanese Americans. At its peak, more than 18,000 people were held there — over 8,500 lived in horse stalls. It was called “protection.”
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James Sakamoto
After losing his eyesight from boxing, Jimmie Sakamoto founded the first all-English Japanese American newspaper and helped lead the JACL.
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Manzanar War Relocation Center
On March 21, 1942, 82 Japanese American men arrived in California’s Owens Valley as “volunteers” to help build what the government called a “reception center.” Within weeks, it became Manzanar, one of America’s first concentration camps.
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Dr. Mary Oda
She lost three members of her family in an incarceration camp. She then spent her life bringing new ones into the world. March 15, 1920: Mary Sakaguchi Oda, a physician whose medical training was interrupted by World War II incarceration, was born in North Hollywood, California. Her life would become a story of remarkable resilience.
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Taky Kimura
Bruce Lee changed martial arts forever. His films, philosophy, and revolutionary approach to combat made him one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. But one of the most important people in Lee’s life never chased the spotlight. Taky Kimura chose to teach.
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Operation Meetinghouse
March 9, 1945: The firebombing of Tokyo became the deadliest air raid in history, killing an estimated 100,000 people and destroying much of the city.
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Zenimura Field
Known as the father of Japanese American baseball, Kenichi Zenimura built a baseball field inside the Gila River War Relocation Center. On March 7, 1943, the first official game was played at Zenimura Field, launching a 32-team league that became the heart of camp life.
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