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Download Additional Public Commons Photos and Video Through the Internet Moving Images UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Typhoon of Steel Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8367z8k9 Author Hamamoto, Gena Publication Date 2012 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Typhoon of Steel, a Documentary Film A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Asian American Studies by Gena Sayoko Hamamoto 2012 ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS Typhoon of Steel A Documentary Film by Gena Sayoko Hamamoto Master of Arts in Asian American Studies University of California, Los Angeles, 2012 Professor Robert A. Nakamura, Chair Typhoon of Steel is a short community-based documentary film that explores the lives of two Okinawan American Kibei Nisei who served in the U.S. military as linguists in the Battle of Okinawa during World War II. While Japanese Americans on the West Coast were incarcerated in camps, these men risked their lives to prove their loyalty to America. Born in the U.S. and raised in Okinawa, their cultural and linguistic skills were a tactical asset to the military. But emotions ran high as they saved their own families, and witnessed civilian casualties and the devastation of the island they once called home. Supporting the film is a written analysis of the historical background, method, and creative approach that provides a “behind the scenes” look into the making of the film. ii The thesis of Gena Sayoko Hamamoto is approved. Lane Hirabayashi Valerie Matsumoto Robert A. Nakamura, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2012 iii DEDICATION Typhoon of Steel is dedicated to the worldwide Uchinanchu community and to those who embrace the Okinawa no kokoro. This is also for my mom, my dad, and my loving husband, Chuong. Thank you always for your support and encouragement. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. vi SYNOPSIS OF TYPHOON OF STEEL ........................................................................................ 1 INTRODUCTION: UNDERCOVER FOREIGNER ..................................................................... 2 GOALS AND CONTRIBUTIONS ................................................................................................ 5 AUDIENCE .................................................................................................................................... 7 ACCESS ......................................................................................................................................... 8 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................................................... 8 CREATIVE PROCESS ................................................................................................................ 19 APPENDIX A: Takejiro Higa Interview Transcript ..................................................................... 35 APPENDIX B: Frank Higashi Interview Transcript .................................................................... 59 APPENDIX C: Hiroshi Kobashigawa Interview Transcript ........................................................ 83 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 105 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Filmmaking is never a solitary endeavor. Typhoon of Steel is a community-based documentary and, as implied by the genre, at the foundation of the film are the many academic, creative, and cultural communities that have contributed to the project. First and foremost, I extend my deepest gratitude to the men who generously shared their stories with me—Hiroshi Kobashigawa, Frank Seiyu Higashi, Takejiro Higa, Herbert Matsumoto and Mike Miyashiro. Beyond their participation in the film, I appreciate the lessons I learned from them about humility, loyalty, and my own history. It is an honor to be able to share their stories. I am thankful for the guidance and input of my committee, Professor Robert A. Nakamura, Professor Lane Hirabayashi, and Professor Valerie Matsumoto, who have generously given me their time and guidance, challenging me to grow as a filmmaker, writer, and critical thinker. The UCLA Asian American Studies Center and Asian American Studies Department staff have been an invaluable source of support. Visual Communications and the UCLA Center for EthnoCommunications have helped shape my creative and political perspective over the years and have given me many opportunities to expand my work as a filmmaker, for which I am truly grateful. Special thanks are due to the numerous organizations, such as the Frank Watase Media Arts Center of the Japanese American National Museum, the Go For Broke National Education Center, and the Hawaii United Okinawa Association, that provided me with encouragement and invaluable resources. The generation of young Okinawan American artists, scholars, and activists who I met along this journey, like Wesley Ueunten, Yuko Yamauchi, Allyson Nakamoto, Joseph Kamiya, and Ryan Yokota, have been a valuable source of inspiration and support. I admire and aspire to reach their level of dedication to the Uchinanchu community. To them, I offer my thanks. I would also like to recognize my fellow Asian vi American Studies MA Program classmates, in particular the class of 2007, JP deGuzman, Mark Villegas, Paul Nadal, Satish Kunisi, and Preeti Sharma. Last but not least, my loving family must be recognized. I am forever grateful to my mother, June Kurata, for her guidance, support and love, through thick and thin. Special thanks go to my father, Darrell Y. Hamamoto, who never hid the truth about the world from me. To my husband, Chuong Bui, I offer my deepest appreciation for his love, patience, support and commitment, and for making me laugh and keeping me sane. And of course, I thank my dogs Pocky and Wally for keeping me company for many hours while I wrote and edited. vii SYNOPSIS OF TYPHOON OF STEEL Typhoon of Steel tells the compelling story of two Nisei (second-generation) Okinawan American men who served as linguists in the U.S. Military Intelligence Service (MIS) during World War II. Takejiro Higa and Frank Higashi bravely embarked on a journey back to Okinawa, where they were raised, to translate intercepted Japanese military documents, read maps, and provide crucial cultural insight into Okinawan culture. As soldiers on the opposing side, these men encountered their Okinawan families, friends, and former teachers along the way. Their decision to join the U.S. military came at a crucial time for Japanese Americans. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, sparked the U.S. involvement in World War II and, in turn, the incarceration of approximately 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans.1, 2 In light of the incarceration of their families, friends, and Japanese American brethren, these men hoped to prove their loyalty to America by joining the U.S. military. Eventually, the participation of MIS Nisei soldiers was credited with “shorten[ing] the war by two years” by General Willoughby, General McArthur’s Intelligence Chief.3 While revealing the complex lives of these two men, Typhoon of Steel explores the themes of patriotism, race, family, and home. It speaks to the experiences of countless other Asian Americans who negotiated their place in America, their struggles, hopes, joys, and disappointments. 1 Sucheng Chan, Asian Americans: An Interpretive History (Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1991), 45. 2 This is the estimated figure by the end of World War II and includes live births, internees from the U.S. West Coast, Hawai‘i, Alaska, and Latin America, 3 Go For Broke Monument, Los Angeles CA. 1 INTRODUCTION: UNDERCOVER FOREIGNER “Where are you from?” is what I call the perpetual foreigner question. As a young child, when people asked me the dreaded question, I proudly answered that I am three-quarters Japanese and one-quarter Okinawan. It would be a few years until I understood fractions and about twenty years until I began my journey to discover what that racial ratio means to me. After college, I moved to a small town near Nagoya, Japan, to teach English. It was a big step for me but I was looking for adventure and wanted to connect with my Japanese roots. In the first year, I struggled with the language, homesickness, and culture shock. By the second year, life in Japan started to feel real. I was able to converse in Japanese with people and develop meaningful relationships with them. I stopped myself from imposing my perspective on cultural differences and I settled in to life as an ex-pat. Just as I was beginning to feel at home, my teaching contract expired and it was time to return to California. I decided to make a little detour and take a month-long trip to Okinawa, where my father was a visiting scholar at The University of the Ryukyus. Before my trip, I never gave much thought to Okinawa or what it means to be Okinawan. I knew that my Okinawan grandmother swooned over me, proudly saying that I looked like a Japanese princess, implying her relief that I didn’t look Okinawan. I knew the stereotypes that Okinawans are short, dark, and stocky, and that they have hairy arms. I knew that Okinawans are somehow different from the Japanese. I wanted to go to Okinawa to find out why. I checked in to an extended stay hotel off Kokusai Dori, the epicenter of Naha, the capital city of Okinawa.
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