George Hoshida

George Hoshida was a Japanese American artist who made drawings of his experience during his incarceration in three US internment camps and two Justice Department camps between 1942 and 1945.

Early years

Hoshida was born in Kumamoto, Japan in 1907. He and his family emigrated to Hilo, Territory of Hawaii in 1912.

After his graduation from junior high school, he started to work at Hilo Electric Company. He was an active Buddhist who worked at a Buddhist temple. Hoshida was president of a Hawaii Island Judo Federation.

Incarceration

After the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, many Japanese Americans were interned in camps. Hoshida initially was held in Kilauea Military Camp on Hawaii in 1942. During this period he drew his first picture Kilauea Military Detention Camp. Hoshida taught other internees the art of drawing.

In 1942 he was sent to a Justice Department Camp at Lordsburg, New Mexico, where he drew Lordsburg I.C. North-East View, My Bed at Ft. Sam Houston and Amateur.

In 1942 Hoshida was sent to another Justice Department Camp in Santafe, New Mexico, where between 1942 and 1943 he drew Funeral Service, Softball Game and Looking Towards.

In 1943 Hoshida was sent to Jerome War Relocation Center. In 1944 his wife and two children were also transferred to this camp, reuniting the family. In January 1944 Hoshida drew A Corner of Our Apartment and Mama's Daily War Clothes.

In June 1944 Jerome's Center was closed and his family was transferred to Gila River War Relocation Center, where he drew Looking at Center Picnic and another untitled picture.

Liberation

In 1945 Hoshida's family returned to Hawaii.

Death

Hoshida died in 1985; his family donated 263 of his works to the Japanese American National Museum for public display. They kept works on Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.

External links

• "George Hoshida Collection | Collections | Japanese American National Museum". Janm.org. Retrieved 2014-05-20.