David Hisato and Tamaki Tsubokura Yamate
Both David and Tamaki were born in San Francisco but likely didn't meet before both of their families were incarcerated in Topaz from 1942-1945. It was within the barbed wire fence in Utah's desert that the two teenages began their romance. As their correspondence doesn't begin until after David leaves Topaz and very little is known about their personal life, we cannot say for certain how the two met, but considering their age and the time they spent within Topaz its very likely they were both students in the one-room high school. [1]
Both David and Tamaki were about 18 years old when David was granted permission to leave Topaz on a work permit. By this point they had been seeing each other for several months, attending several high school dances together, and were "going steady". Before long their correspondence mentioned getting engaged, but the stress of being apart for months at a time with only the occasional letter put a strain on their relationship. Often either David or Tamaki would mention insecurities, wondering if the other was seeing someone else while they were so far away. [2]
David would often leave the camp to go and work. Although it was still illegal for incarcerated Japanese Americans to work on the West Coast until 1945, David traveled and worked in many places in the region. [3] He worked throughout Utah, spending time in Roy, Milford, Salt Lake City, and Provo. He worked in a cannery, a laundry, a grocery store, a hotel, and on a farm. At one point in 1944 he traveled to Boston, Massachusetts to work with other Japanese Americans at a hotel and ice cream parlor. [2]
While David was able to get permission to leave camp for work, Tamaki wasn't so lucky. She worked in the hospital and later in the welfare office as a way to earn extra money and offset the boredom. David was able to come back to Topaz every few months, but the strain of the situation caused the couple to break up and get back together several times.ut it was difficult causing increasing strain for the couple sometimes breaking up then getting back together. [2]
Tamaki Yamate
Photograph of Tamaki Yamate, her parents Katsuji and Yoshi Tsubokura, and her niece Joyce Ann, who was born in Topaz, June 1944.
Near the end of the war David and his sister Lorraine also had the opportunity to attend Brigham Young University, where David was on the tennis team. [1]
On December 18th, 1944, President Roosevelt announced the closing of the incarceration camps, with the mass exclusion order being lifted on On 2 January 1945. This announcement brought about a worried anticipation to Topaz as people began to prepare to leave and return to their homes on the West Coast, unsure if they would find their belongings still intact or how to find work in a society that so recently saw them as enemies. The Tsubokura family left the Central Utah Relocation Center on July 2nd 1945, returning to San Mateo, California. In the years that followed Tamaki started to work for the United States Navy as a secretary. [1]
David Yamate
Photograph of David Yamate in his US Army uniform while he served in Japan post-WWII, photo taken approximately October 11, 1946
The Yamate family left soon after the Tsubokuras, however David remained in Salt Lake City, Utah. He did this so he could earn money for his family and save enough so that he could go back to California. By October of 1945 he had saved enough and returned to San Francisco, California and reunited with Tamaki. However, it wasn't long before he left home again, this time to work on the farms in San Clara, California. [1]
There was a great incentive for young men to enlist during World War II, especially Japanese American men as it demonstrated their dedication to the US. David resisted joining the military at first, but he decided to enlist in 1946. During his military career, he was station at Camp Beale, Marysville, California; Camp Polk, Leesville, Louisiana; Camp Stoneman, California; and in Yokohama, Japan. David and Tamaki were married before he left to serve in Japan on December 3rd, 1946. David returned home from Japan on January 3rd 1947 and started an import business with another member of his family using the connections he built during his time in Japan, eventually becoming fairly successful. David and Tamaki had one daughter, Diane. [1]
David Hisato and Tamaki Tsubokura Yamate papers archival finding aid
David Hisato and Tamaki Tsubokura Yamate photograph collection finding aid
[1] David Hisato and Tamaki Tsubokura Yamate papers - Archives West. (2018). Orbiscascade.org. https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv21475
[2] David Hisato and Tamaki Tsubokura Yamate papers, MS 0680. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah
[3] Taylor, S. C. (1993). Jewel of the desert: Japanese American internment at Topaz.