Muramoto, Walter Wataru, 1914-1984

Biography

Walter Wataru Muramoto (1915-1984) was an amateur photographer from Redondo Beach, California. Muramoto, a nisei, learned about taking pictures from his father, a photographer who specialized in school photos in Japan. While incarcerated at Rohwer concentration camp with his family from 1942 to 1945, Muramoto became known as the unofficial camp photographer. He was often asked to photograph events and people in camp with the camera he had borrowed from a Buddhist reverend. The collection consists of over 300 loose prints that document daily life at the Arkansas camp.

From the guide to the Walter Muramoto Collection, 1942-1945, (Japanese American National Museum)

Muramoto was an amateur photographer from Redondo Beach, Calif. A Nisei, he learned about taking pictures from his father, a photographer who specialized in school photos in Japan. While incarcerated at Rohwer internment camp with his family from 1942 to 1945, Muramoto became known as the unofficial camp photographer. He was often asked to photograph events and people in camp with the camera he had borrowed from a Buddhist reverend.

From the description of Walter Muramoto collection, 1942-1945. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71174533