1) Hisaye Yamamoto: A Pioneer in Japanese American Literature
Hisaye Yamamoto was born in 1921 in Redondo Beach, California, to Japanese immigrant parents. She was the eldest of four children. Her father worked as a fisherman while her mother worked as a maid and later as a midwife. Yamamoto’s parents were not able to read or write in English, so she often acted as their translator.
Yamamoto attended Redondo Union High School, where she was one of only a handful of Japanese American students. She graduated in 1939 and then attended Pasadena City College. In 1941, she transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied English and journalism.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Yamamoto’s family was forced to move to an internment camp in Arizona. Yamamoto was able to leave the camp to work as a reporter for the Los Angeles Tribune, a black newspaper. She later moved to New York City, where she worked as a proofreader for a Japanese newspaper.
In 1946, Yamamoto married John O. Wilson, a black journalist. The couple had two children.
Yamamoto’s first short story, “The High-Heeled Shoes,” was published in 1949 in the Japanese American Citizens League’s newspaper, the Pacific Citizen. Her second story, “Seventeen Syllables,” was published in the same newspaper in 1950.
“Seventeen Syllables” is considered Yamamoto’s most famous story. It tells the story of a Japanese immigrant woman who is forced to choose between her traditional values and her love for her American-born daughter.
Yamamoto’s other stories often explore the themes of cultural identity, assimilation, and interracial relationships. Yamamoto is considered one of the pioneers of Japanese American writers.
2) Her Life and Work
Yamamoto was born on august 23, 1921, in Redondo beach, California, to Japanese immigrants. she was the eldest of four children. her father, Kazuo Yamamoto, was a former seaman who had been orphaned and brought to the united states by an American family. her mother, Kiku, had come to the united states as a picture bride. the family lived in a largely Japanese American community in Redondo beach, where Haye attended elementary school.
in 1933, when his age was twelve years old, the family moved to the central valley town of Fresno, where her father worked as a farmer. have attended Fresno high school, where she was one of a handful of Japanese American students. she was teased by her classmates and felt like an outsider, but she also found friends among the other Japanese American students.
After graduating from high school in 1939, have began attending the University of California, Berkeley. She was the first member of her family to go to college. At Berkeley, she studied English and journalism. She also became involved in the Japanese American Students Association and the campus chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL).
In 1941, aye Yamamoto’s life was changed by the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States’ entry into World War II. Like other Japanese Americans, she and her family were forced to leave their home and move into an internment camp. They were first sent to the Santa Anita race track, and then to the Poston War Relocation Center in Arizona.
At Poston, have worked as a reporter for the camp newspaper, The Poston Chronicle. Her job was to report on the everyday lives of the internees. She also wrote a column called “The Haunting Ghost of Miss Bee,” which was a collection of stories about the camp’s residents.
After the war, his aye Yamamoto moved to New York City, where she worked as a secretary and a proofreader. In 1950, she married Robert Maeda, an artist. The couple had two daughters.
3) Her Legacy
Hisaye Yamamoto was a Japanese American writer. She is best known for her short story “Seventeen Syllables”, which tells the story of a young girl’s struggles with her traditional Japanese mother.
Yamamoto was born in Redondo Beach, California, in 1921. Her parents were immigrants from Japan. Yamamoto’s father died when she was only four years old, and her mother had to support the family by working as a housekeeper. Yamamoto was raised in Japanese culture and spoke Japanese as her first language.
As a teenager, Yamamoto began to rebel against her traditional upbringing. She started dating an American boy and began to distance herself from her Japanese heritage. Yamamoto’s mother did not approve of her daughter’s choices and the two often argued.
In 1940, Yamamoto married an American man and had a son. The following year, she and her family were sent to an internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II. Yamamoto’s husband died while they were in the camp.
After the war, Yamamoto moved to New York City. She worked as a secretary and began to write stories about her experiences as a Japanese American. In 1952, Yamamoto’s story “Seventeen Syllables” was published in The New Yorker. The story was a success and helped Yamamoto to launch her writing career.
Yamamoto went on to write several other stories and essays about the Japanese American experience. She also wrote a play and a novel. Yamamoto died in 2011 at the age of 89.
