Sumiko Higaki still remembers being 12-years-old and looking out the back window of the car at her childhood dog Poochie standing in the middle of the country road, her usual wagging tail still and sad, as she and her family drove away from their home in Winters.
It was 1942 and the president had just signed Executive Order 9066.
Allowed to take only what they could carry, Higaki, her siblings and parents were forced to put their entire lives into one suitcase each. The rest of their belongings were left behind or sold. While some were honest and generous, many took advantage of Higaki’s family and the rest of the Japanese community’s forced flight.
“One Japanese lady in town was so outraged by the paltry amount offered for her beautiful set of expensive china that rather then selling at that price, she stood there in front of the potential buyer and threw each piece on the pavement, shattering the whole set,” shared Higaki’s granddaughter Kristen Yasukawa from an essay Higaki wrote.
Higaki and her family were sent to an incarceration camp in Arizona along with several other members of the Japanese community in Winters.
“As young as I was and even though daddy had tried to protect us from fearing the forced removal, I knew as he did that we were leaving the security of our home, our friends and our comfortable life,” read Yasukawa. “We did not know what lay ahead. I sensed his heavy heart and that he was also mourning the loss of everything he and mama had accomplished over years of work from nothing except faith in themselves and determination to succeed.”
Higaki, who will be 95 in a few weeks, was just one of over 100 that was in attendance Saturday at the Historical Society of Winter’s monument dedication. Generations of Japanese descendents whose ancestors once lived in Winters gathered at the community center to commemorate the lost Japanese community and Japantown, honoring their contributions to Winters and ensuring their story was not lost to history.
“This dedication is long overdue,” said Woody Fridae, president of the Historical Society of Winters. “No apologies will ever make up for the indignity of false accusations, loss of belongings, loss of freedom and the loss of community that the Japanese suffered, but let this event mark a new beginning.”
The first Japanese immigrants came to Winters in 1888 looking to provide a better life for their families. This first generation, the Issei, mainly worked as farmers, laborers and horticulturists with many families living on farms just outside Winters.
Within the city limits, Japanese families were only allowed to live or have businesses within “Block 4” which eventually led to the growth of Japantown, located northeast of the prominent railroad bridge in Winters.
By the 1930s, Japantown was home to a thriving community of 300 residents which included the Issei and the U.S.-born Nisei generation.
However, the vibrant community was cruelly torn apart following the onset of WWII and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. With the issuance of Executive Order 9066, the federal government sent all persons of Japanese ancestry to incarceration camps. Those in the Winters area were sent to camps in Gila River, Arizona and Amache, Colorado.
Following V-J Day in 1945, anti-Japanese sentiments were at an all-time high and the Japantown of Winters was torched to the ground in a “suspicious fire.” Feeling unwelcome, many Japanese families chose not to come home to Winters. Less than 15% of the pre-war population returned.
“It sent out this negative feeling that it would be dangerous to come back to Winters and maybe we wouldn’t be welcomed there,” explained Floyd Shimomura, whose family was part of the original Japantown. “We can think about the negative but 15% did come back because there were some good people here in Winters who went against public opinion and invited the Japanese back. That’s why people like myself and others did come back.”
Exactly 100 years after the first Japanese immigrants arrived in Winters, the federal government apologized and granted reparations to those who were unjustly incarcerated under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
Decades later, the city of Winters continued to honor the Japanese community with The Lost Japanese Community of Winters exhibit at the Winters Museum and the memorial dedication for Japantown.
The dedication began with a performance from the drummers of the Sacramento Taiko Dan. Taiko drumming
has been used for centuries in Japan for communication, religious ceremonies, festivals and military action.
The event featured several speakers and elected officials including Winters Mayor Bill Biasi, Yolo County Supervisor Lucas Frerichs, a representative from Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry’s office and Consul General of Japan Yo Osumi.
“I think it’s so important to recognize a number of these really tragic mistakes of the past, especially considering that some of the same themes that were occurring in the 1940s are again occurring today,” Frerichs stressed.
Community members and leaders, many of whom were heavily involved in the museum exhibit and monument creation, also shared anecdotes and stories about the Japanese community. Shimomura shared the history of the lost Japanese community in Winters, Dennis Hiramatsu spoke about the Japanese Americans’ contributions in the military during the war, Howard Kato shared his gratitude and Rev. Matt Hamasaki from the Sacramento Buddhist Church led the audience in a benediction.
“Based on its size and length of service, the 442nd was the most decorated unit in U.S. military history,” Hiramatsu said. “The military intelligence service is credited with saving countless American lives and shortening the war by collecting valuable intelligence through the interrogation of captured Japanese soldiers and the translation of intercepted war documents.
“Many of our fathers and uncles served in the 442nd and many of them were decorated for their valor in loyalty and sacrifice. On their behalf, thank you very much for this memorial.”
At the end of the program and with a lucky break in the relentless rain, the large crowd migrated outside for the unveiling of the monument in Rotary Park under sunny, blue skies.
“This monument is one step towards reconciliation and healing of past discrimination in this city and our country,” Biasi said. “Recognizing this once vibrant Japanese community was a part of ours will hopefully further that reconciliation forward to the next generation.”
