Kokoro: The Story of Sacramento's Lost Japantown

Japan Alley business with residence above. In Japantown's heyday, colorful lanterns set the scene in Japan Alley as musicians played the shamisen (a Japanese stringed instrument) to accompany singers late into the night.

Japan Alley (located between 3rd and 4th, L and Capitol) was the heart of Sacramento's Japantown.

Aokihara’s jewelry store at 1125 3rd Street was among many thriving Japantown businesses.

This photo shows one of the hundreds of businesses in Japantown. The Hamai Kaishundo Drug Store and Print Shop was located at 1210 3rd Street.

As in Japan, merchandise often was displayed outside Japantown stores. Here sacks of rice are stacked in front of the Sanyo Co. grocery and hardware store located at 1331 4th Street.

Fish was a staple on Japanese American tables. There were several markets to buy fresh fish, as well as bait fish, in Japantown. This photo shows the Kobayashi Fish Market at 1314 4th Street.

The owners of Kyotani Liquor Store at 301 Capitol Avenue documented their store's grand opening in December 1934 with this formal photograph.

Harold N. Ouye stands outside his family drugstore at 301 L Street. At that time, Japanese American pharmacists couldn't get jobs in white-owned pharmacies, so Ouye opened his own.

Ouye Pharmacy at 3rd and L streets was a popular hangout for the youth of Japantown.

The large number of stylists in this photo is one indicator of the success of Fusako Ishima’s Beauty Shop, at 523 Capitol Avenue.

Women exchange traditional greetings outside the Sun Rise Laundry on Capitol Avenue between 3rd and 4th streets.

A Young People's Christian Conference gathering at the Japanese First Baptist Church. This church, located at 1530 5th St., was founded in 1920 and had a large membership by the end of the decade.

Methodist and Buddhist churches were established in Japantown in the 1890s. By the 1920s, various Japanese religions joined them. The Konko kyo church, serving those of the Shinto faith, was at 604 O St.

Church activities played a big part in Japantown life. This ceremonial gathering took place at Nichiren Buddhist Church, located at 220 P Street.

The Legislature authorized separate schools for Japanese Americans in 1921, but Sacramento schools remained integrated. Most Japantown children attended Lincoln School at 418 P Street. This was the 1938 kindergarten class.

National Foundation Day, marking the date when the nation of Japan was established around 660 BCE, is a national holiday in Japan. It also was celebrated in Sacramento’s Japantown.

The immigrant generation (Issei) hoped their children (Nisei) would assimilate to America but didn’t want them to forget their own culture. This is a performance by Alice Kataoka’s dance class.

Japantown offered courses in everything from traditional flower arranging to Japanese language instruction to sewing. This photo shows Mrs. Kataoka’s sewing class

Lake Washington, just across the river from Sacramento's Japantown, was a popular destination for community gatherings. These children were attending a Fourth of July picnic.

Most Anglo groups didn't accept members of Japanese ancestry, so Japantown created its own. The Sacramento Buddhist church started a Boy Scout troop in 1904. Troop 50, shown here, formed in 1930.

Sumo matches were common. Volunteers would build a dirt mound behind Tozai Dry Goods, and hundreds of spectators would crowd into Japan Alley to watch matches featuring wrestlers from across the region.

Watching sumo wrestling was a popular pastime among Japantown Issei men, especially during tournaments. This photo shows a sumo championship award ceremony.

Traditional Japanese sports flourished alongside their American counterparts. This photo shows a judo group that was part of the Sakura City Gymnastics, Physical Training and Education Association.

Baseball was a passion in the Japanese American community. This photo shows the Wakaba baseball team posed in front of the Sacramento Buddhist Church at 418 O Street.

In 1931 the Hirosho baseball team visited from Japan. They played Japanese American teams up and down the West Coast, including Sacramento's Wakaba team. The two teams are shown in this photo.

Basketball became very popular among the Nisei (second generation) in Sacramento's Japantown and other West Coast communities in the 1930s. This photo shows Sacramento's Mikado basketball team.

Anyone prominent in the Japanese American community was suddenly a suspect after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Giichi Aoki, owner of Aoki Music, was one of the Japantown businessmen interrogated by police.

Following Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans had to turn in all items the U.S. government considered to be dangerous “contraband,” including these little girls’ radios and cameras.

The Japanese American Citizens League presented a statement of loyalty to the Sacramento City Manager the day after Pearl Harbor. Left to right: Walter Tsukamoto, Dr. Jiro Muramoto, Dr. George Muramoto, Henry Taketa, Dr. George Takahashi, Dr. George Iki

With hostility against their community rising, Sacramento Japanese American businessmen purchased a newspaper ad to proclaim allegiance to the United States and point out that they were U.S. citizens.

After President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, exclusion orders went up in Japanese American neighborhoods across the West Coast informing residents that they had to leave. This one was posted at 5th and O streets.

Forced from their homes with a few days' notice, many families parted with prized possessions for far less than their replacement value, or didn't find buyers at all.

There was just a short time to prepare to leave and most people didn’t have a place to store their belongings. Families, like the one in this house at 427 O Street, sold anything they could.

Churches and individuals who owned property offered a place for some families to store possessions. But when they returned home years later, many found their items had been stolen or damaged.

Businesses had to liquidate their merchandise quickly. Yorozu at Fourth and Capitol was one of many Japantown businesses that held bargain closing sales in the hurried days before they were forced out.

The U.S. government relied on members of the Japanese American community to help build their own housing at the “assembly centers.” This work crew took a break from constructing barracks at Walerga.

By mid-May 1942, Sacramento’s Japantown was deserted. Its residents were held at Walerga “Assembly Center” north of Sacramento before being sent to incarceration centers in distant places. They wouldn't be allowed to return for years.

Behind barbed wire at Walerga, the Japanese Americans made the best of a bad situation. They attended school and organized activities. These two friends posed for a U.S. government photographer.

Finding a place to live was the first problem for the returning residents of Japantown. The Buddhist Church and kaikan (assembly hall) at 5th and O streets, shown here, served as a temporary hostel.

Among those who found shelter at Parkview Presbyterian Church upon returning to Sacramento were (l to r): Takejiro Shimatsuko, Etsu and Miye Nakamura, Rev. Isamu Nakamura, Mr. and Mrs. Oshima, Mr. Hirotsu, Rev. Igarashi, Mrs. Shimatsuko, and William Otani.

Hisano Murakami and her son Katsuro opened the Melody Café at 318 L Street upon returning from Tule Lake after the war. She had previously owned the Nikko Low Restaurant at 1326 4th Street from 1933 to 1942.

The wartime incarceration took a heavy toll on Japantown businesses. In 1941, there were 471 Japanese American-owned businesses; in 1954 that number was around 300. But those that remained, like Kat’s Koffee Klub, which opened December 2, 1950 at 318 L St., did a brisk business.

Kay’s Fountain at 331 N Street was a popular hangout. Before the war, the clientele of a Japantown restaurant like this one would have been almost entirely Japanese American.

Iris Sukiyaki was one of many Japanese American businesses that repopulated 4th Street, Japantown’s central business district, after the war.

Outside Ariake Chop Suey at 1323 4th Street.

In 1946, brothers Fred and Harold Ouye reopened their pharmacy, this time in the old Sumitomo Bank building at the corner of 4th and L streets.

Hiring a chindon’ya, an elaborately costumed street musician, was a traditional way to advertise a business. This one performs outside Toyo Photography Studio at 1226 4th St. as Mrs. Komura looks on.

Members of Nisei VFW Post 8985 walk in a Fourth of July parade along J Street. The all-Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team is the most highly decorated unit for its size and length of service in U.S. history.

Issei, or immigrants from Japan, were barred by law from becoming U.S. citizens until 1952. When the law changed, they were eager to become citizens of the country they had called home for so long. This is Noboru Shirai’s citizenship class, held at Fremont School.

The annual Buddhist Church Bazaar offered games, food, and socializing. By the time of its 50th anniversary in 1950, Sacramento’s Buddhist Church was the second-largest in the U.S. In a new location, the bazaar still draws crowds today.

The Buddhist Church kaikan (assembly hall) was the setting for many community activities, such as this Hanayagi classical dance recital.

These girls perform in a Hana matsuri, or flower festival, at the Buddhist Church. The April 8 event celebrates the Buddha’s birth.

Originally formed to help new immigrants find housing and work, kenjinkai took on a more social aspect in the postwar years. This photo shows a dinner hosted by the Hiroshima Kenjinkai.

After the war, community members reactivated the Sacramento chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), originally formed in 1931. The group sponsored many activities, including this photography contest.

The JACL and a network of churches brought back the annual Obon festivals that had been an important part of prewar life. Here, members of the Fukushima Kenjinkai provide a traditional music performance.

Obon celebrations transformed O Street as dancing and singing to the music of flutes and drums lasted far into the night. Buddhist and non-Buddhist girls alike enjoyed dressing up in yukata (casual kimono) and joining the festivities.

The Obon celebration was a major event, attended by people outside the Japanese American community as well as within it. Sacramento's mayor delivers remarks in this photo.

Talent shows were popular in postwar Japantown, with participants of all ages. The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) sponsored the annual “Stars of Tomorrow" in the Buddhist Church kaikan

After the war the student body of Lincoln School was more ethnically diverse, reflecting changes in the neighborhood it served. This is the junior high 1948 graduating class.

In contrast to downtown today, Japantown was both a business district and a close-knit neighborhood of families.

Japantown residents enjoyed going to the movies at the Lincoln Theater, located at 412 L Street. It was owned by the Yokoi and Nakatani families.

Dances were one part of a lively social life for Japantown’s young people. These girls are dressed up for the annual Omega Phi Social Club formal dance at the Senator Hotel at 12th and L streets.

Basketball grew in popularity among Japantown girls after the war. The Sacramento Saints girls’ basketball team often played in the Buddhist Church kaikan (assembly hall) at 5th and O streets.

The Sacramento Maroons boys’ basketball team won the 1947 Tournament Championship. The team was sponsored by the Young Buddhist Association.

Baseball continued to be a popular pastime in the Japanese American community in the 1950s.

Bowling was a favorite pastime after the war. The neighborhood organized a Nisei Bowling League that, with 128 members by 1951, was the largest of its kind in the nation. Kanji Nishijima is shown here.

Bowling was a popular sport among young Japanese American women too.

Officials present a plan for redevelopment of the West End. Japantown would be replaced by a shopping plaza with a Macy's (shown), along with office buildings and parking structures.

The Sacramento City Council hears testimony about the proposed redevelopment of the West End, including Japantown, at a public meeting.

Henry Taketa testified, “As a result of our wartime evacuation, we were forcibly kicked out of our residences and places of business. We by experience know that you take a lot of losses when you have to move out.”

Frank Yoshimura testified, “The Redevelopment Agency’s plan is an abuse of power. There is a large population of racial minorities, and we in the area will be facing racial discrimination in trying to relocate.”

Arthur Mitsutome said, “We believe in the American democratic way of life and feel that fair play should be accorded to all. Progress ... with utter disregard to the rights of the individuals concerned is not progress in the right direction.”

Giichi Aoki testified, “The entire Japanese population suffered great hardship during the war. Evacuation during this peacetime is entirely different from the last... I appeal to your sense of justice and fairness.”

Once again business owners had to sell out as they prepared to move or close. This photo shows the closing sale at Frank Yoshimura’s shoe store at 1219 4th Street.

This sign advertised the new location of Ouye’s Pharmacy when it was forced to relocate. The business was one of a few to survive redevelopment. It stayed in business at 10th and V streets until 2007.

In September 1956, the City acquired the first three of 15 blocks slated for redevelopment. Homes and businesses, like these at 4th and Capitol, soon fell to the wrecking ball in the name of progress.

The house on the left, at 5th St. and Capitol Ave., was the home of Henry Taketa, the unofficial “Mayor of Japantown.” After the Taketas were forced out, it became the headquarters of the redevelopment agency.

Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown and others break ground at the opening ceremony of the Capitol Mall Redevelopment Project. The Japantown businesses along Capitol Avenue made way for office buildings.

This scene of a wrecked building at the heart of Japantown at 4th and Capitol was a common sight as demolition continued. Decades of community were reduced to rubble and memories.

Betty Inada (1913-2001) couldn't be a star in the U.S. because of her ethnicity. In 1933, she left for Japan, where her American-accented singing was a hit. She became Japan’s most popular pre-WWII female jazz singer.

Sacramento native Agnes Miyakawa (1911-1995) left home to study singing in Paris. In 1931 her debut performance there in Madame Butterfly earned acclaim. She went on to perform in Japan, Los Angeles and elsewhere and appeared in films and on radio.

George Kambara’s (1916-2001) career began at Tule Lake, where he was put in charge of eye care for his fellow incarcerees. After the war he became a leader in opthalmology. He is shown with his parents.

While at Tule Lake, Mitsuye Endo (1920-2006) agreed to be a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging her imprisonment. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in her favor in December 1944, leading to closing the incarceration camps.

Returning from heroic service in WWII, Sacramento’s Japanese American soldiers weren’t welcome in existing VFW posts due to their ethnicity. They organized their own post in 1947. Nisei VFW Post 8985 was the first of its kind.

Attorney Henry Taketa (1913-1991) co-founded the Sacramento JACL in 1931. After the war, he helped others returning from the incarceration find shelter and jobs. Later he led the fight to save Japantown from redevelopment.

Yuki Shimoda (1921-1981) was one of Japantown’s most popular entertainers prior to WWII. He went on to a career on Broadway and in movies and TV, including Auntie Mame (1958), Farewell to Manzanar (1976), and A Town Like Alice (1981.)

Eugene Okada (1919-2012) helped rebuild postwar Japantown. He co-edited the community newspaper and organized bowling leagues. He also reopened his family’s landmark Yorozu store, which, after a second relocation in the redevelopment, he ran until his death.

Born in Japantown, Tommy Kono (1930-2016) started weightlifting at Tule Lake. He won gold in the 1952 and 1956 Olympics and silver in 1960, the only athlete ever to medal in three weight classes. He set world records in four weight divisions.

Toko Fujii (1920-2001) helped knit Japantown back together after the war. He helped reorganize the JACL, refurbish the Buddhist church gym, and organize the church’s youth basketball program.

Harvey Itano (1920-2010) was the first Japanese American elected to the National Academy of Sciences, for his work on sickle cell anemia. He had the highest GPA of UC Berkeley’s Class of 1942, but couldn't attend graduation, imprisoned at Walerga.

Robert Matsui (1941 – 2005) was elected 14 times to Congress, where he helped pass legislation providing redress to Japanese Americans for their WWII losses. He is shown with his wife, Doris, who has represented Sacramento in Congress since Robert's death, and their son.

Bill Matsumoto (1918-2000), shown at left, helped rebuild the sense of community in Japantown that had been lost during the wartime incarceration. He is perhaps best remembered for organizing the popular JACL talent shows.

Pat Morita (1932-2005) was best known for his roles in the TV show Happy Days and in the Karate Kid film series. Born in Isleton, Morita first tried his comedy on patrons in his family’s Japantown restaurant after the war.