Issei: A Shadow Generation Rooted in Japanese Values, Planted on American Soil

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Kaimuki, Hawaii
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Issei: A Shadow Generation Rooted in Japanese Values, Planted on American Soil
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Type: Book Signing
Date: Wednesday - 1/31/2007
Time: 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m
Location:
Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i
Gallery Theater, First Floor
2454 South Beretania Street
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96826
Ph: (808) 945-7633
Cost: Free Admission

Issei: A Shadow Generation
Rooted in Japanese Values, Planted on American Soil

Author Tsukasa Matsueda, Ed.D., offers a look into how the Issei (the first Japanese immigrants) passed on Japanese culture and adaptation to new surroundings in his new book, Issei: A Shadow Generation Rooted in Japanese Values, Planted on American Soil that will debut at a book signing event that shares the name of the book title, presented by the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i (JCCH) on Wednesday, January 31, 2007, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the JCCH Gallery Theater, first floor. Admission is free. Book cost: $15.60 for JCCH Members; $18.30 for non-members (tax included). For more information, call the JCCH at (808) 945-7633

Matsueda sheds light on the subtle cultural teachings the Issei instilled in their children through their everyday actions and expressions. With understanding of the Japanese language and years of conversation with these pioneers, Matsueda shares the way this first generation who--amidst struggle and adversity--merged Japanese culture and social context to thrive in America. Providing a detailed account of the Issei, the book delves into this Japanese American experience of a generation now gone, and possibly, will leave an imprint on succeeding generations by suggesting mottos relevant to today's society.

The book ponders the influence of Japanese culture on child rearing practices and offers a model and philosophy for cultural balance. Matsueda explained, shitsuke, the Japanese word for child rearing--which, when written in Japanese, are composed of the characters "beautiful" and "being." Throughout the book, Matsueda writes how the Issei reinforced Japanese culture to build strength of character and inner beauty in their children, from childhood through adulthood, despite the adversity of racism they faced in America, their new homes.

Matsueda also suggests that the "model minority" stereotype, based on the assumption that the Japanese Americans succeeded by adopting the American way of life and values, be revisited and examined. Matsueda asserts that the Nisei (second generation) learned to emphasize worth of human life, practiced religious tolerance and integration, encouraged their children to "study and work hard" and insisted on maintaining a "strong and unified community spirit."

Throughout the book, which was published by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, Matsueda invites the reader to bring this generation out of the shadows by formulating their own image of the Issei--as they remember those who have influenced their lives or as they learn about this generation from his insights.

Matsueda, who after retiring from teaching, served as a case manager for the Japanese speaking clientele of Yu-Ai Kai, a Japanese American community senior service in San Jose, California. Born in Stockton and raised in San Mateo, California, Matsueda, at the age of 16, was incarcerated at the Stockton Assembly Center and concentration camps in Rohwer, Arkansas and Tule Lake, California during World War II.

The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i (JCCH), a non-profit organization, strives to share the history, heritage and culture of the evolving Japanese American experience in Hawai'i. Located in Mo¯'ili'ili, the Center features a Community and Historical Gallery, Resource Center, Kenshikan martial arts do¯jo¯, Seiko¯an Japanese teahouse and Gift Shop. For more information call (808) 945-7633, email info@jcch.com or visit the website at www.jcch.com.

Praise for Tsukasa Matsueda,
Author of Issei, the Shadow Generation

"Matsueda's book is a refreshingly personal and insightful account of the Issei and their unheralded contribution to the Japanese American story. By shifting focus to the Issei parents and examining their childrearing practices, Matsueda argues that the Nisei's particular capacity to endure hardship and succeed in this country is a direct result of the Issei's parenting approach and instilling of transplanted Japanese cultural values. Matsueda's book is a refreshing insider's take on the Issei and the Japanese American experience."

Philip Kan Gotanda, Playwright/Filmmaker

"This short book elegantly recaptures the rich cultural world of the Issei through the lens of key Japanese expressions used in everyday language of the early immigrants. The context and the meaning of these expressions -- richly evocative of a world now gone -- are carefully woven into Matsueda's meditations on the Issei's long struggle to survive in America. Out of a deep reverence and respect for a generation now gone, Matsueda has produced from many years of talking to them, collecting and studying their expressions, a concise and enjoyable account of the world view and earthy wisdom of the Issei."Ben Kobashigawa, San Francisco State University

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Kaimuki, Hawaii Event Calendar Item

Kaimuki, Hawaii
Event Calendar Item