Hanashi Oral History Program
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "Hanashi"
mean?
What is the mission of Hanashi?
How many interviews are currently in the Hanashi archive?
What is Hanashi's current goal?
Who is funding the oral history program?
What type of equipment is Hanashi using?
What will the interviews be used for?
What are your criteria for selecting interviewees?
How many volunteers are involved in an interview crew?
Will Hanashi continue to exist after the state of California grant is completed?
Q. What does “Hanashi” mean?
A. In Japanese, “Hanashi” means “talk” or “a story.”
Q. What is the mission of Hanashi?
A. To document the life histories of the Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) who served in the US military in the 100th Battalion (Bn), 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), Military Intelligence Service (MIS), and other units, with an emphasis on their military experience and its influence on following years.
Q. How many interviews are currently in the Hanashi archive?
A. Nearly 1,000 interviews have been completed as of December 2008.
Q. What is Hanashi’s current goal?
A. To interview as many Nisei veterans as possible in nine different regions throughout the United States (Southern California, Central California, Northern California, the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, Hawaii, East Coast, Midwest, and the South). At current, 700 of these interviews are viewable and keyword searchable on the Go For Broke National Education Center Web site, www.GoForBroke.org.
Q. Who is funding the oral history program?
A. Hanashi is one of the educational components of the Go For Broke National Education Center that is funded by private donations.
Q. What type of equipment is Hanashi using?
A. Hanashi uses professional broadcast-quality HDV video camera and equipment.
Q. What will the interviews be used for?
A. Sadly, when the Nisei veterans pass on, so will their rich stories. To ensure these stories are shared with the public, Hanashi’s interviews are accessible to the public via the Internet. The interviews are being used to educate the public through the creation of curriculum guides for classroom instruction, documentaries, CD-ROM/DVD-ROMs, etc., which are available to researchers, teachers, and especially students. In June 2002, Go For Broke premiered its documentary “A Tradition of Honor” created by Hanashi volunteers, Craig Yahata (director/co-producer) and David Yoneshige (co-producer). The documentary uses 40 of the Hanashi interviews, along with still photos and WWII archival footage, to tell the story of the Japanese American WWII veterans.
Q. What are your criteria for selecting interviewees?
A. Our first priority is to interview Japanese American veterans of World War II, particularly those that served in the 100th Bn, 442nd RCT, MIS, Women's Army Corps., and other units. Hanashi has also begun interviewing wives, WRA camp survivors, and other people who may have interacted with the Nisei during WWII, such as members of the Lost Battalion.
Q. How many volunteers are involved in an interview crew?
A. A crew is comprised of an interviewer, videographer, audio technician, and cataloger. On out-of-town shoots, a “bare-bones” crew can be made up of an interviewer, videographer, and audio technician/cataloger.
