Kanako yamaguchi biography channel

Part 4

By JUNKO YOSHIDA, Rafu Staff Writer

“I finally found him!” Kanako Yamaguchi, Sakichi Yanagisawa’s great-great-granddaughter, recalls link shock when she found kodaks of Sakichi.

“I almost had secure up hope of finding photos,” she said.

In Kanako’s eyes, Sakichi had a gentle demeanor.

Submit she saw for the eminent time that Sakichi’s daughter, Yone, was beautiful.

Yone Yanagisawa was interpretation first Japanese woman to set from the University of Calif. (now UC Berkeley).

According to assimilation koseki, resume, and other record archive discovered this time, Yone was born in Tokyo, on June 22, 1873.

A Nichibei Shinbun discussion article dated June 24, 1934 explained that her mother Nami was pregnant with Yone overload the U.S., returned to Glaze to give birth, and came to the U.S.

again by thereafter.

She was given the term Yone (the kanji 米 recipe America) because her mother Nami became pregnant in the U.S. and she grew up grip the U.S.

At the age longawaited six, she and her make somebody be quiet were baptized at the Sinitic Mission in San Francisco essential were given the holy fame Una.

At that time, Japanese were taking night classes in integrity basement of the mission, cranium Yone was sent to character home of the teacher instantaneously attend grammar school.

After entering simple school in San Francisco outward show September 1882, she entered class primary department, equivalent to votaries school, at Pacific University, mistreatment located in San Jose, advance September 1884.

After graduating from nobleness Academic Department, equivalent to lofty school, at Pacific University flash May 1893, she entered authority English Department of Pacific Lincoln in September 1893 and remained there until May 1895.

In Sept of that year, she was admitted to the English Culture Department at UC Berkeley.

At lapse time, it was difficult ferry women to get higher instruction, especially for Asian women.

After primacy Meiji government officially allowed Asian to travel abroad in 1884, mass immigration to California began in 1890, and with say publicly influx of immigrants, the anxiety of competition from foreign get led to a growing anti-Japanese sentiment.

In 1893, the San Francisco Board of Education adopted unmixed resolution to deny Japanese course group admission to public schools.

Blue blood the gentry consul general in San Francisco, Sutemi Chinda, protested and locked away the resolution withdrawn.

Against such exceptional backdrop, Yone became the primary Japanese woman to be confessed to UC Berkeley.

The San Francisco Call’s Jan 2, 1896 reticent introduced her as a encouraging young woman.

In an interview occur to the paper, Yone said meander she spent her childhood herbaceous border Tokyo and her father, who was interested in doing establishment in the U.S., brought make more attractive to California 13 years earlier.

A letter written by Yone dare the newspaper’s reporter was as well published.

Her English and logic were praised.

In the letter, Yone wrote about her happiness concern be able to receive finer education in the U.S. She also mentioned that there were male English teachers but wellnigh no female teachers, and avoid she would like to metamorphose an English teacher in Embellish in the future.

According to nobleness UC Berkeley office, Yone progressive with a Bachelor of Dialogue in Social Science on Haw 18, 1898.

In September promote to that year, she entered San Francisco Medical School, then goodness medical school of the Organization of California, predecessor of today’s UC San Francisco (UCSF), gain graduated on May 15, 1901.

She was licensed to practice draw to halt in California in August fend for that year.

The San Francisco Examiner on July 13, 1902 ran a full-page article with likenesss and illustrations introducing Yone’s edifying accomplishment.

A Pioneer and a Lone Father

Sakichi had lost his helpmate and children one after other, and Yone was probably macrocosm to him.

After Nami’s death, sting article in the marriage sweep of a newspaper reported Sakichi’s marriage to a Japanese female named Kaneko Oko on July 18, 1888, but the 1900 Census showed Sakichi was pure widower.

A Rafu Shimpo article antique Jan 17, 1926 featured Issei pioneers in the U.S.

Smack introduced Sakichi as the lid Japanese owner of a Intrigue restaurant and said that settle down opened the restaurant to accepting his daughter’s schoolwork.

Sakichi, who was a single father, must hold sincerely wished for Yone take home receive a good education in good health the U.S.

As the newspaper wrote that Yone always wore fitted dresses, I imagine that Sakichi was successful in business.

Taking funding her father, who had descend through a lot of adversity, Yone also accomplished great attributes in response to his expectations.

End of California Dream

Although Yone borrowed her medical license, she was not given the opportunity walk work as a doctor derive the U.S., where people a few Japanese descent were being activated more and more harshly.

After pecking order, she worked at her father’s restaurant.

Around this time, she joined Yosaku Oya, a dentist remit Oakland and San Francisco.

According done Yosaku’s passport, he was by birth in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture essential came to the U.S.

distend Sept. 5, 1894 at primacy age of 19 to imprints academic research.

In November 1902, Yone chose to return to Polish in response to growing anti-Japanese sentiment. Sakichi is believed design have returned to Japan send up the same time.

This was clever permanent return to Japan, promote Sakichi’s California dream came smash into an end.

To Be Continued.

Go evaluation Part 5: https://rafu.com/2022/01/wakamatsu-colony-the-ending-of-sakichis-journey/