About this Item
We believe these material came from internee Ben Takamatsu (one item is inscribed to him). The rarest of the items offered here is the "Gassho; All Units Forum, Poston, Ariz. Unit 1, Sept. 4, 1943." This is a small octavo pamphlet of [34] mimeographed pages in the original stapled wrappers with blue lettering also bearing a Buddhist image. OCLC only locates one copy of this (Shields Library at Davis). This is a pamphlet by and about the Young Buddhists' Association activities at Poston. It is also the publication recording the happenings at the very first All Units gathering of the YBA at Poston. When Poston was constructed along the Colorado River, the internee population was so large they made three distinct camps (1, 2, & 3). While there were undoubtedly YBA meetings held in each of the camps this is the record of the first joint meeting. Throughout the history of Japanese in America the YBA had always played a pivotal role, much like the YMCA of the 19th century. Religion is crucial to the history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II. Many Japanese Americans turned to their beliefs for comfort in a time of upheaval. Buddhists faced particular challenges. Many American authorities considered Buddhism to be alien, suspicious, and potentially disloyal. Nevertheless, Buddhists held on to their traditions. They developed new forms of religious practice and forged interfaith bonds. Their beliefs helped support them through the hardship and injustice of their wartime experience. About the first 10 pp. have greetings from various Buddhist camp luminaries in the 3 camps. From the Forum General Chairman we read - "A plate full of war with dressings of hate, jealousy and ignorance being forced down the throats of people all over the world, needs spiritual guidance, and a chance for people to sit quietly and talk things over about the present, the past and the future." From the Rev. Tsunoda of Camp III we read - "With faith in Amidha Buddha, with absolute reliance upon His Mercy and Power permeating out hearts and strengthening us in overcoming all difficulties and obstacle, let us Bussoi look ahead to the not too distant future when we will be returning to the normal functions of American life and will be given an opportunity to participate in the building of a new world civilization based on the Buddhist principle of Universal Brotherhood and Love." The Forum only lasted one day and the day's schedule of events show it to be half social (i.e. making new friends at the other camps) and and half religious (some of the prayers are in Romanized Japanese as it is likely that the Issei didn't teach their children Japanese in the hopes of their assimilating more quickly). Next we have three issues of the daily paper printed and published by the internees; "Press Bulletin. Published Daily except Monday at Poston, Arizona." These are Vol. VI, Nos. 23 & 27 (10/31/42 & 11/5/42) and Vol. VII, No. 3 (11/11/42). These papers have survived very well considering the egregious newsprint paper they used (no chips, etc). They are what one would expect; a hodgepodge of important announcements (wages paid to internees working farmer's fields, the availability of medical care, and "Evacuees to Receive Old Age Pension" [i.e. social security]) and camp gossip, sports results, party announcements, etc. The aridity of the desert was helpful in keeping these in decent condition.Next we have one issue of "The Poston Chronicle." Vol. XXII, No. 21. This is similar to the above but with one crucial difference; it was not published by the Japanese-Americans interned at Poston but by the employees of the War Relocation Authority. It is a single sheet printed on both sides and measures 8 x 14 inches. This is a strictly information only paper. For example; "Ruth Greene arrived here February 29 from Washington to be the new community activities supervisor"; "100 Indicted for Failure to Report for Induction and Physical Examination"; etc. The news the. Seller Inventory # 75703
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