Storage Basket

Eiko Yamada brought this basket with her when she immigrated to the U. S. in the 1920s to join her husband Tamizo in his nursery business. Fearing that her heirloom kimono would be confiscated after the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941, Eiko cut it up, hid the silk remnants in this basket, and had it shipped with other items to Manzanar. The original shipping tags with the family number 2811 are attached. Her grandson Russel said: "Until recently, I didn't know the significance of the items inside this basket; torn pieces of silk, a 1947 guest book and an art deco metal plate."