DIARY of the Incarceration of a U.S. Citizen of japanese descent

The incarceration of U.S. citizens of Japanese descent during WWII applied to men, women, children, grandparents, babies, and anyone that looked Japanese. The incarcerated lost their businesses, farms, homes, and even their pets. Families were shipped via train and forced to live in horse stalls and remote prison camps where they spent up to 5 years. Most of these people had never been to Japan before and whose families lived in this country for over 50 years.

The Butsuda Diary (1942-1943) is the daily diary of Yoshinori “Yosh” Butsuda, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen of Japanese descent born in a multicultural working-class neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington, who documents the transition to prison life he underwent with his family. The Butsuda Diary also includes memoir pieces and original photography by the diarist, as well as extensively researched annotations by the diarist’s daughter, and will be published in 2024.