The Yasui Brothers records primarily document the business, personal, and community-related activities of the Yasui family in Hood River, Oregon, from the start of the 20th century until World War II, when they were among the more than 120,000 Japanese Americans incarcerated by the U.S. government.

The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence and records relating to the business activities of Masuo Yasui (1886-1957). These include the general store, Yasui Bros., that he ran with his brother Renichi Fujimoto; and orchards in the Hood River Valley and surrounding areas that the firm operated. Store records include a variety of advertising materials, while farming records include packing lists, crop reports, and records of local farming associations Masuo Yasui was involved with. The collection also reflects Yasui’s involvement in the local community, including his work assisting other Japanese immigrants to the United States. A small quantity of materials relates to the Yasui Bros. store’s forced closure and the management of the family’s property and assets while they were incarcerated during World War II.

The collection also includes personal papers of Masuo Yasui; his wife, Shidzuyo Yasui; his brother Renichi Fujimoto; and his children. These consist of correspondence, ephemera, and a personal history that Masuo Yasui wrote at the request of the Japanese consulate. Other materials in the collection include records from the 1970s and 1980s of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), in which Masuo Yasui’s son Homer Yasui and his wife, Miyuki Yasui, were active, and magazines and newspapers the family received in both Japanese and English.

A substantial amount of this collection is in a pre-World War II Japanese script that is distinct from modern Japanese. Some of these materials, particularly those in Series 1 (Business correspondence and related materials) and Series 6 (Personal papers) have been reviewed and summarized by translators. Selected documents have been translated into English and modern Japanese.

A greeting card from Masuo Yasui in Hood River, Oregon to Shidzuyo Miyake in Japan, dated April 7, 1911. In the card, which is written in both English and Japanese, Masuo writes that he accepts Shidzuyo's love and promises that they will be united and live the rest of their lives together. Translation Note: This document has been translated into modern Japanese and English.

A letter from Fumiko to Shidzuyo Yasui, dated August 10 and postmarked 1936. In the letter Fumiko expresses her pleasure at having had the opportunity to attend a religious gathering, presumably in Hood River. She thanks Shidzuyo for her hospitality and invites her to visit Portland.
Translation Note: This document has been translated into modern Japanese and English.

Digitized selections from a larger collection that documents the lives and activities of three generations of the Yasui family, particularly the first generation (the Issei) who immigrated from Japan to Oregon in the early 1900s, and the second generation, the Nisei. Major topics represented the collection overall include the experience of the Issei -- Masuo Yasui, Shidzuyo (Miyake) Yasui, and Renichi Fujimoto -- as immigrants to the United States; the family's business and community activities in Hood River, Oregon, through 1942; family members' experiences of forced removal and incarceration during World War II; the Nisei's advocacy for redress after the war; and extensive research on family and Japanese American history. The 150 digitized items that are viewable in OHS Digital Collections consist of diary entries by Masuo Yasui and Renichi Fujimoto, and correspondence among various family members, as well as to and from other correspondents outside the family. Some of these materials were written in English, and others in a pre-World War II script that is distinct from modern Japanese. Each digitized item is accompanied by translations into English, modern Japanese, or both.

The 150 digitized selections are a small portion of the overall collection, which consists of just under 20 cubic feet of material, and is available for use onsite at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library. A guide to the full collection is viewable in Archives West.

Most of the materials in the collection overall date from 1910-1995, and consist of correspondence, personal papers, extensive historical research, and photographs. Approximately 20 percent of the material is written in pre-World War II Japanese script. Correspondence in the collection includes letters of the Issei generation, but predominantly consists of material to or from the Nisei -- siblings Kay, Ray (Tsuyoshi), Minoru, Michi, Roku, Shu, Homer, and Yuka -- from youth through late adulthood, depending on the individual. The correspondence contains many letters exchanged among the family members, including incarceration-era correspondence. It also includes occasional letters from family members in Japan, and business correspondence of the Yasui Bros. stores operated by Masuo Yasui and Renichi Fujimoto. Personal papers in the collection consist of diaries and notebooks; immigration and identification papers; documents relating to day-to-day life, finances, and family members' education; materials related to the Yasui Bros. stores; poetry, essays, and articles by family members; and ephemera. Photographs include early images relating to the family's life and business operations in Hood River, as well as later images of the Nisei in their adult lives, but primarily depict travel and events related to advocacy work by Homer Yasui and his wife, Miki (Yabe) Yasui, in the latter 20th century.

A substantial portion of this collection consists of extensive research materials compiled or written by Homer Yasui and other family members about topics including Yasui family history, other Japanese Americans in Oregon, government incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, and Japanese American history broadly. These materials include translations and annotations of family documents; correspondence and news clippings; biographical notes and recollections; census extracts and other data on Japanese Americans in Oregon; copies of incarceration-era government files on Masuo Yasui and other family members; and essays, articles, newsletters, editorials, and press releases. The collection also includes a significant quantity of material related to Homer Yasui and Miki (Yabe) Yasui's advocacy and educational work, and their pilgrimages to incarceration camp sites.

Diary written by Masuo Yasui from 1912, with daily entries. The diary was pre-printed with space for one day per page, entries are written in Japanese. Topics covered include his day to day business, his work facilitating employment for other Japanese immigrants, his courtship of Shidzuyo Miyake (later Yasui) and arrangement of her immigration to the United States from Japan, and his dealings with her brothers. Selected entries have been translated into modern Japanese and English.

Diary written by Renichi Fujimoto from 1913, with daily entries. The diary was pre-printed for the year 1911, with space for one day per page but not written in until 1913. Entries are written in Japanese, and some entries have additional pages glued in. Topics covered include his support of his brother Masuo Yasui and his wife Shidzuyo, the business operations of the Yasui Brothers Company, the establishment of the Japanese Savings Association of Hood River, and his reflections on personal struggles and current events. Selected entries have been translated into modern Japanese and English.

Letter from Renichi Fujimoto to Shidzuyo Yasui, dated August 14, 1930. In the letter Renichi remarks upon the construction of a new Yasui Building in Hood River and the recovery of Shidzuyo's husband, Masuo, from a life-threatening illness. Renichi shares news of many people in Japan, and writes about business affairs and the negative effect that the recession is having on the Japanese economy. He writes of the nine months he has spent in Japan and his desire to return to the U.S. soon.
Translation Note: This document has been translated into modern Japanese and English.