Issei Memorial Building

Location

Narration

Narrated by: Emi & Kaylee

Images

Audio Transcript

Hi this is Emi and Kaylee.

You are standing in front of the Issei Memorial building. Did you know that in the early days, from 1910 - 1933 the Issei Memorial Building served as a hospital? It was called The Kuwabara Hospital named after Dr. Taisuke Kuwabara. It was a smaller hospital consisting only of a few beds. The Japanese felt comfortable around other Japanese so they went there. Patients who came to the hospital had minor injuries such as bruises, fractures, cuts, stomach aches, or tonsil removal. The hospital also delivered babies. Renovation: The San Jose JACL funded the remodel of the Issei Memorial in 1980. Present Day: Currently the Issei Memorial building is used for JACL, Contemporary Asian Theater Scene, Japanese Community Congress of San Jose (JCCsj) and San Jose Taiko. Many events and meetings are held in the building. Also in 2012, Counsel General of Japan, San Francisco Consulate, Hiroshi Inomata, donated a cherry blossom tree to symbolize the friendship between the US and Japan. Conclusion: The Issei Memorial Building symbolizes the struggles of the Japanese Americans. It has served many purposes from 1910 to today! It is important for us to preserve these landmarks because they are a part of our history and culture. Thank you, please have a good day!

Fun Facts

• Gentaro and Shinzaburo Nishiura (brothers) built the building in 1910.
• In 1937, Dr. Tokio Ishikawa established his practiced. He was also considered the first SJ Japantown historian. He gave talks and led walking tours.