Uchida, Yoshiko

Yoshiko Uchida was born in Alameda, California in 1921. She was an educator, secretary, and author of acclaimed children's books that deal with the Japanese-American experience and are noted for their elaborate plots and fleshed-out characters. She taught schoolchildren when she and her family were interned in Utah during World War II and later she worked as a secretary in order to have time to do her writing after work. She died in 1992. Biographical Source: Something About the Author, vol. 53 and 72.

Yoshiko Uchida was born November 24, 1921 to Dwight and Iku Uchida in Alameda, California. Her parents immigrated from Japan in 1903. Dwight and Iku Uchida's love of learning influenced both of their daughters to pursue careers in education and writing. Yoskiko began writing stories at age ten. The Japanese rituals and customs of her Issei parents heavily influenced her and she cultivated a love for Japanese folk tales. Her books emphasize common bonds that transcend ethnic and cultural differences, while remaining deeply rooted in a Japanese folk tradition. When Uchida was a senior at the University of California at Berkeley her family was forced to move first to the Tanforan Racetrack Relocation Center in California, and then to Topaz in Utah. The experience of imposed exile and cultural isolation became dominant themes in Uchida's later works. Uchida graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English, Philosophy, and History in 1942. She received her diploma through the mail because of her internment. She later graduated from Smith College with a Masters of Education degree and taught first and second grades at a Quaker school in Philadelphia. Her teaching left her little time for writing so Uchida moved to New York City where she took a secretarial position so that she could write in the evenings. Her first book, The Dancing kettle was published in 1949. In 1952 she received a fellowship and studied for two years in Japan, exploring Japanese culture, customs, and folk tales. Uchida won many awards for her books, including the New York Herald Tribune's Spring Book Festival Award in 1955 for her book Magic listening cap. Yoshiko Uchida died June 21, 1992, after several years of poor health.

Biography

Yoshiko Uchida was born in Alameda, California in 1921, the second daughter of Takashi ("Dwight") and Iku Umegaki Uchida. Dwight Uchida immigrated to the United States from Japan in 1903 and worked for the San Francisco offices of Mitsui and Company, where he eventually became a manager. Iku Umegaki, the eldest daughter of a prefectural governor of Japan, immigrated to the U.S. in 1916 to marry Dwight Uchida. Both were graduates of Doshisha University, one of the early Christian universities of Japan, and were early and active members of the Sycamore Congregational Church in El Cerrito, Calif.

Uchida and her older sister, Keiko ("Kay"), grew up in Berkeley, Calif. By Uchida's own account, her family was close-knit and supportive. The written word was very important to Uchida's parents: her mother wrote poetry, the thirty-one syllable Japanese tanka, and her father was a prolific correspondent. Uchida's own interest in writing began early. At the age of ten, she wrote stories such as "Jimmy Chipmunk and His Friends" and "Willie the Squirrel" on brown wrapping paper. Uchida attended Longfellow School in Berkeley and University High School in Oakland. She graduated with honors from the University of California in 1942, with a B.A. in English, Philosophy, and History.

Uchida, however, was unable to attend her graduation ceremonies. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the United States entered World War II, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, forcing the removal of all persons of Japanese descent (both American citizens and non-citizens) living on the western coast of the United States into centralized detention camps. Dwight Uchida was arrested, detained, and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Missoula, Montana. Uchida and her mother and sister had only ten days to pack all their possessions and vacate the house where they had lived for fifteen years. In May 1942, they were removed to the Tanforan Racetrack Relocation Center, where Yoshiko received her university diploma in the horse stall that served as temporary barracks for the evacuees.

Eventually, Dwight Uchida was allowed to join his family at Tanforan, and in September 1942, the Uchida family was transferred to the Topaz Relocation Camp in the Utah desert. In May 1943, both Yoshiko and Kay were able to leave the relocation camp. Kay, who had a degree in child development, left to work in the nursery school of the Department of Education of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Yoshiko, with the help of the National Student Relocation Council, left to attend Smith College in Northampton, Mass., where she was awarded a graduate fellowship and received a Masters in Education. Dwight and Iku Uchida were eventually sponsored to leave Topaz for Salt Lake City, and finally settled in Philadelphia before the end of the war.

After graduation from Smith College, Uchida taught elementary school at a small Quaker school on the outskirts of Philadelphia. She soon found that she had no time to devote to writing and also became ill with mononucleosis. She moved to New York City, where her sister was teaching in a private school, and worked as a secretary during the day to keep her evenings free for writing. Uchida wrote short stories and submitted them to magazines, but met with little success until she discovered her niche as a children's author. In 1949, her first book, The Dancing Kettle, was published, followed in 1951 by New Friends for Susan.

In 1952, Uchida was awarded a Ford Foundation Foreign Study and Research Fellowship to Japan. While there, Uchida learned about Japanese folk art from the three prominent men who founded the Japanese Folk Art Movement: the philosopher, Soetsu Yanagi, and master potters, Shoji Hamada and Kanjiro Kawai. Uchida wrote a series of feature articles about the Folk Art Movement for the Nippon Times, as well as a monograph about Kanjiro Kawai. On her return to the U.S., she served as the west coast correspondent for Craft Horizons magazine.

After Uchida returned from Japan, she settled in Oakland, Calif., to care for her parents, who were both in poor health. Iku Uchida died in 1966, and Dwight Uchida followed in 1971. After her father's death, Uchida moved into her own apartment in Berkeley, where she lived and worked for the remainder of her life.

Over the course of her career, Uchida wrote more than forty published works. Her books include Journey to Topaz, Journey Home, and Desert Exile, which draw on her experiences during World War II; The Dancing Kettle, The Magic Listening Cap, and The Sea of Gold, which are compilations of folktales that she collected as a child and while in Japan; an autobiography, The Invisible Thread; and the adult novel, Picture Bride. In addition to writing, Uchida made personal appearances, gave talks and speeches, and answered the many letters from her fans.

Uchida was honored with many awards, including the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award, two Commonwealth Club of California Juvenile Book Award Medals, the University of Oregon Distinguished Service Award, the California Japanese Alumni Association Award, the California Reading Association Award, the Japanese American of the Biennium Award, the Japanese American Citizen's League Award, the Nikkei in Education Award, and the Morris S. Rosenblatt Award from the Utah State Historical Society.

Uchida suffered from ill health during the later years of her life, which curtailed her writing and her public appearances. She died in Berkeley on June 21, 1992.

Biography

Yoshiko Uchida was born in Alameda, California in 1921, the second daughter of Takashi ("Dwight") and Iku Umegaki Uchida. Dwight Uchida immigrated to the United States from Japan in 1903 and worked for the San Francisco offices of Mitsui and Company, where he eventually became a manager. Iku Umegaki, the eldest daughter of a prefectural governor of Japan, immigrated to the U.S. in 1916 to marry Dwight Uchida. Both were graduates of Doshisha University, one of the early Christian universities of Japan, and were early and active members of the Sycamore Congregational Church in El Cerrito, Calif.

Uchida and her older sister, Keiko ("Kay"), grew up in Berkeley, Calif. By Uchida's own account, her family was close-knit and supportive. The written word was very important to Uchida's parents: her mother wrote poetry, the thirty-one syllable Japanese tanka, and her father was a prolific correspondent. Uchida's own interest in writing began early. At the age of ten, she wrote stories such as "Jimmy Chipmunk and His Friends" and "Willie the Squirrel" on brown wrapping paper. Uchida attended Longfellow School in Berkeley and University High School in Oakland. She graduated with honors from the University of California in 1942, with a B.A. in English, Philosophy, and History.

Uchida, however, was unable to attend her graduation ceremonies. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the United States entered World War II, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, forcing the removal of all persons of Japanese descent (both American citizens and non-citizens) living on the western coast of the United States into centralized detention camps. Dwight Uchida was arrested, detained, and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Missoula, Montana. Uchida and her mother and sister had only ten days to pack all their possessions and vacate the house where they had lived for fifteen years. In May 1942, they were removed to the Tanforan Racetrack Relocation Center, where Yoshiko received her university diploma in the horse stall that served as temporary barracks for the evacuees.

Eventually, Dwight Uchida was allowed to join his family at Tanforan, and in September 1942, the Uchida family was transferred to the Topaz Relocation Camp in the Utah desert. In May 1943, both Yoshiko and Kay were able to leave the relocation camp. Kay, who had a degree in child development, left to work in the nursery school of the Department of Education of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Yoshiko, with the help of the National Student Relocation Council, left to attend Smith College in Northampton, Mass., where she was awarded a graduate fellowship and received a Masters in Education. Dwight and Iku Uchida were eventually sponsored to leave Topaz for Salt Lake City, and finally settled in Philadelphia before the end of the war.

After graduation from Smith College, Uchida taught elementary school at a small Quaker school on the outskirts of Philadelphia. She soon found that she had no time to devote to writing and also became ill with mononucleosis. She moved to New York City, where her sister was teaching in a private school, and worked as a secretary during the day to keep her evenings free for writing. Uchida wrote short stories and submitted them to magazines, but met with little success until she discovered her niche as a children's author. In 1949, her first book, The Dancing Kettle, was published, followed in 1951 by New Friends for Susan.

In 1952, Uchida was awarded a Ford Foundation Foreign Study and Research Fellowship to Japan. While there, Uchida learned about Japanese folk art from the three prominent men who founded the Japanese Folk Art Movement: the philosopher, Soetsu Yanagi, and master potters, Shoji Hamada and Kanjiro Kawai. Uchida wrote a series of feature articles about the Folk Art Movement for the Nippon Times, as well as a monograph about Kanjiro Kawai. On her return to the U.S., she served as the west coast correspondent for Craft Horizons magazine.

After Uchida returned from Japan, she settled in Oakland, Calif., to care for her parents, who were both in poor health. Iku Uchida died in 1966, and Dwight Uchida followed in 1971. After her father's death, Uchida moved into her own apartment in Berkeley, where she lived and worked for the remainder of her life.

Over the course of her career, Uchida wrote more than forty published works. Her books include Journey to Topaz, Journey Home, and Desert Exile, which draw on her experiences during World War II; The Dancing Kettle, The Magic Listening Cap, and The Sea of Gold, which are compilations of folktales that she collected as a child and while in Japan; an autobiography, The Invisible Thread; and the adult novel, Picture Bride. In addition to writing, Uchida made personal appearances, gave talks and speeches, and answered the many letters from her fans.

Uchida was honored with many awards, including the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award, two Commonwealth Club of California Juvenile Book Award Medals, the University of Oregon Distinguished Service Award, the California Japanese Alumni Association Award, the California Reading Association Award, the Japanese American of the Biennium Award, the Japanese American Citizen's League Award, the Nikkei in Education Award, and the Morris S. Rosenblatt Award from the Utah State Historical Society.

Uchida suffered from ill health during the later years of her life, which curtailed her writing and her public appearances. She died in Berkeley on June 21, 1992.

Yoshiko Uchida was born on 24 November 1921 to Dwight and Iku Uchida in Alameda, California. Dwight Uchida immigrated to the United States in 1903 where he became a prominent member of the community and an active member in the Sycamore Congregational Church in El Cerrito, California. Dwight and Iku Uchida had graduated from Doshisha University, a Christian university, in Japan before immigrating to the United States.

Dwight and Iku Uchida's love of learning influenced both of their daughters, Yoshiko and Keiko ("Kay"), to pursue careers in education and writing. Yoshiko Uchida began writing stories at age ten. The Japanese rituals and customs of her Issei (first-generation) parents heavily influenced her formative years as she cultivated a love for Japanese folk tales. She has stressed that her childhood contained a balance of uniquely Japanese customs and a sense of curiosity and playfulness common to all children. Her books emphasize common bonds that transcend ethnic and cultural differences while remaining deeply rooted in a Japanese folk tradition.

The decision of the United States government to intern citizen and non-citizen Japanese-Americans in "relocation" camps, Executive Order 9066, profoundly altered Uchida's life. When she was in her senior year at the University of California at Berkeley, her family had to move, first to Tanforan Racetrack Relocation Center in California, then to Topaz in Utah. At Topaz, Uchida taught second grade children and recalls, "snakes and scorpions sometimes came to share the room with us."

Uchida graduated cum laude with a Bachelors of Arts in English, Philosophy, and History from the University of California at Berkeley in 1942, and received her diploma through the mail at Topaz because of her internment. Upon her admission to the Masters of Education program at Smith College, Uchida moved to Northhampton, Massachusetts. Following her graduation from Smith College, she taught first and second grades at a Quaker school in Philadelphia. Because of her dedication to teaching, Uchida had little time left for writing. Thus, she decided to move to New York City, take a secretarial position, and write in the evenings. The result of this move was her first book, The Dancing Kettle (1949). Shortly after its publication, Uchida received a Ford Foundation Fellowship in 1952 to study for two years in Japan where she explored Japanese culture, customs and folktales with the founders of the Japanese Folk Art Movement, philosopher Soetsu Yanagi, and master potters Shoji Hamada and Kanjiro Kawai.

The experience of imposed exile and cultural isolation became dominant themes in Uchida's later works. Uchida has described her father's disappointment and surprise when close Caucasian friends asked him if he had known in advance about the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Uchida family's experience of forced internment probably explains Yoshiko Uchida's deep commitment to exploring Japanese culture and arts throughout her career. Following her studies in Japan, she wrote a series of articles about the Folk Art Movement for the Nippon Times and, upon her return to the United States, she served as the west coast correspondent for Craft Horizons magazine.

Uchida's books include: The Dancing Kettle and Other Japanese Folk Tales (1949), New Friends for Susan (1951), The Magic Listening Cap (1955), The Full Circle (1957), Takao and Grandfather's Sword (1958), The Promised Year (1959), Mik and the Prowler (1960), Rokubei and the Thousand Rice Bowls (1962), The Forever Christmas Tree (1963), Sumi's Prize (1964), The Sea of Gold and Other Tales from Japan (1965), In-Between Maya (1967), Hisako's Mysteries (1969), Sumi and the Goat and the Tokyo Express (1969), Makoto, The Smallest Boy (1970), Journey to Topaz: A Story of the Japanese American Evacuation (1971), Samurai of Gold Hill (1972), The Birthday Visitor" (1975), The Rooster who Understood Japanese (1976), The Bracelet (1976), originally published as a short story, Journey Home (1978), Jar of Dreams (1981), Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family (1982), Best Bad Thing (1983), Picture Bride (1987), Invisible Thread: An Autobiography (1991), and Magic Purse (1993).

Uchida won the New York Herald Tribune 's Spring Book Festival Award in 1955 for her book Magic Listening Cap . Other honors for Uchdia's books included citations from the National Council of Teachers of English, the American Library Association, the California Association of Teachers of English, a chapter of the Japanese American Citizen League, the International Reading Association, the National Council for Social Sciences, and the Children's Book Council. She also received the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award, two Commonwealth Club of California Juvenile Book Award Medals, the University of Oregon Distinguished Service Award, the California Japanese Alumni Association Award, the California Reading Association Award, the Japanese American of the Biennium Award, the Japanese American Citizen's League Award, the Nikkei in Education Award, and the Morris S. Rosenblatt Award from the Utah State Historical Society.

Uchida cared for her parents until their deaths in 1966 (Iku Uchida) and 1971 (Dwight Uchida). Yoshiko Uchida died on June 21, 1992 after several years of poor health. She left behind a prodigious collection of folktales and stories.

Yoshiko Uchida was born in Alameda, California in 1921. She was an educator, secretary, and author of acclaimed children's books that deal with the Japanese-American experience and are noted for their elaborate plots and fleshed-out characters. She taught schoolchildren when she and her family were interned in Utah during World War II and later she worked as a secretary in order to have time to do her writing after work. She died in 1992.

Biographical Source: Something About the Author, vol. 53 and 72.