Henry Fujita, A Man Running His Family

Biography

Henry Katsumi Fujita was a Japanese American born in 1908 in Salinas, California. He grew up in Pentaluma, Sonoma County, where his family owned a farm and an egg ranch. Henry was the oldest among his four siblings; he had already married his wife, Ann, and had children together before the war started. Henry and his family were relocated to Merced Assembly Center in early 1942, a camp specifically for the incarceration of Japanese Americans during wartimes. He worked as a carpenter and later a foreman in the camp warehouse at Merced. They were later transferred to Camp Amache in Colorado in September 1942. The Fujitas returned to Sonoma County after the war. 

Letter from Henry [Katsumi] Fujita to Mr. H. A. Strong, Electrolux Corporation, August 9, 1942

One of the Japanese Americans that were put into incarceration camps was Henry Fujita and his family. Henry Fujita wrote a letter to Mr. H.A Strong explaining the conditions of the camp, the layout, and the population in the Merced assembly center. H.A Strong was a co-worker with Henry Fujita at the Electrolux Corporation, who was a vacuum cleaner salesman. 

Purpose:

Henry wanted to continue his relationship with H.A Strong, and thanked him for looking out for the business since Henry was stuck in the Merced assembly center. H.A Strong was not Japanese, therefore he did not get transported to an incarceration camp. Henry Fujita wanted to let H.A Strong know something about the camp.

Letter from Henry [Katsumi] Fujita to Mr. and Mrs. Davis, October 5, 1942

Henry Fujita also wrote another letter, but this time to a Mr. and Mrs. Davis. Henry and family were getting transported from Merced to Camp Amache by train, he logged their daily activities within the letter. When he arrived at Camp Amache, he described the openness and compared it to the Merced assmebly center. He goes on to talk about the conditions and furniture in the camp.

Purpose:

Mr. and Mrs. Davis are unknown people who had a relationship with Henry. However, he intended to write this letter to explain the whole operation of the Japanese camps. He is also expecting Mr. and Mrs. Davis to respond about his trailer, something that he cannot access.

Literacy:

Henry Fujita used his prior knowledge of reading and writing skills from his past education to write the letters. They demonstrate Henry as a caring man and a responsible family member. Despite being a victim of wartime civilian control, he accepted the reality of incarceration and did his best to support his family. Readers gets to experience a husband/father's perspective during that unusual period. 

Notice that in the primary artifact, Henry wrote to his former employer at Electrolux Company. The connection between the two allows Henry to ask Strong for a favor without sounding abrupt. It sets the overall tone of his letter, also shows Henry's positive attitude towards the situation.