To view additional or related parts of this recording, see "Related materials"
Title
Oral History Interview Series with Ted Tetsuo Kobata
Created Date
June 28th, 1996
July 2nd, 1996
July 3rd, 1996
Description
Nisei male, born July 20, 1924 in Sacramento to a farm worker family. After migrating to several Northern California farms, the Kobatas settled in the Mayhew area of Sacramento. Land was bought in the name of the eldest Nisei child in 1941. Jim Fairbairn, a local Caucasian farmer, invited the Kobatas and other Japanese families to store household furnishings, farm equipment and cars in his Grange Hall without charge during the internment period. In 1942, his family was evacuated to Fresno, California, then to Poston, Arizona. The camp site was on Colorado River Indian Tribe lands. Thus, Poston was under both War Relocation Authority and Bureau of Indian Affairs. Ted did construction work then went to Preston, Idaho to work on a sugar beet farm. He returned to Poston briefly at the time of the loyalty oath issue. Through distant relatives he went to Ontario, Oregon for farm work from 1943 to 1945 and sponsored his family to leave camp for Oregon. After the war the Kobatas returned to their Mayhew farm. Ted details the farming of strawberries and grapes to a greater extent than other farm respondents. He then worked for a development company enabling him to enter the Carpenter's Union which was formerly closed to persons of color. He took evening classes in construction, business law and building codes, and obtained a contractor's license. As a contractor he built private homes and offices but his contributions to the history and culture of Japanese Americans are especially significant. His structures include the Florin Buddhist Church, Gedatsu Buddhist Church in Sacramento, the monument and kiosk at the site of Poston Camp, Heart Mountain barracks renovation which was transported from Wyoming to the National Japanese American Museum in Los Angeles. As part of the Sacramento area's annual Time of Remembrance programs he constructed a replica of a camp barracks. For over ten years it has been an integral exhibit item at the Elk Grove School District, Japanese American Archival Collection at the Library at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) and now on display as part of the permanent Japanese American exhibit at the California Museum of History, Women and the Arts. The appendix in the bound copy includes a letter from Jim Fairbairn in support of Ted Kobata to the WRA (1943), Ted's statement about Jim Fairbairn (1996), and many awards and acknowledgements.
Copyrighted. Rights are owned by Japanese American Citizens League, Florin Chapter and California State University, Sacramento. Copyright Holder has given Organization permission to provide access to the digitized work online. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.