Who is Hisaye Yamamoto?

Hisaye Yamamoto was a Japanese-American author who lived in the United States. She is best known for her short story book ‘Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories.’ In recognition of her devotion and service to society, Google created a Google Doodle in her honor. Her writings focus mostly on Japanese immigrants, their experiences in America, the generation gap between Japanese immigrants and their children, and the tough status of women in society at the time.

Her first career as a reporter and writer began at the camp’s newspaper, the ‘Poston Chronicle.’ In 1943, she published her first literary piece, a serialized mystery titled ‘Death Rides the Rails to Poston,’ as well as a short tale titled ‘Surely I Must Be Dreaming.’

Hisaye Yamamoto- Birth, Parents, Siblings & Education

Hisaye Yamamoto was born on August 23, 1921, in Redondo Beach, California. She was the daughter of Japanese immigrant strawberry farmers. Her brothers are two in number.

Yamamoto’s family traveled about as they grew up because they were immigrants and were not allowed to own land. Yamamoto attended both Japanese and American schools, including Excelsior Union High School.

Yamamoto found solace in reading and writing from an early age. She read as much as she wrote. She began submitting her work—letters and short articles—to the English sections of local Japanese American publications.

Following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the American government enacted the Japanese Relocation Order. Its purpose was essentially to pick up Japanese Americans and confine them in internment camps. Yamamoto and her family were transported to one of these camps in Poston, Arizona when she was 20 years old.

Net Worth of Hisaye Yamamoto? Salary, Earnings

She was instrumental in bringing to light challenges confronting Japanese immigrants, particularly in the United States.

In fact, she received a renowned prize from the outset of her profession and became well-known throughout the world. Although no exact figures about her fortune are available, it is clear that she made a good living from her successful career.

Hisaye Yamamoto- Relationship, Married Life, Boyfriend/ Girlfriend

Hisaye Yamamoto married Anthony DeSoto in 1955 and moved to Los Angeles.

In the early 1950s, she adopted a son and relocated to New York, where she volunteered in the Catholic worker movement. She had four more children after her marriage.

DeSoto, her husband, died in 2003. Yamamoto, who had been in bad health since suffering a stroke in 2012, died peacefully in her sleep on January 30, 2013.

Body Measurement- Height, Weight, Hair Colour

She is pretty and sweet. Also, he has a well-mannered disposition and a slim family body type.

She is about 4′ 10″ (about 148 cm).

Additionally, she weighs roughly 105 pounds. Her eyes are a shade of brown, and her hair is blonde.

Hisaye Yamamoto- Professional Career

Her first career as a reporter and writer began at the camp’s newspaper, the ‘Poston Chronicle.’

In 1943, she published her first literary piece, a serialized mystery titled ‘Death Rides the Rails to Poston,’ as well as a short tale titled ‘Surely I Must Be Dreaming.’

The US authorities launched another relocation while they were still in camp.

Yamamoto and one of her brothers were moved to Springfield, Massachusetts in 1944.

She worked as a cook for a wealthy widow there. However, they soon returned to Poston after her second brother Johnny, a US army man, was reported murdered.

The three years she spent at the camp changed her perspective on the world, on injustice, hatred, and differences. Her time there had a significant impact on her writing career.

The camps were closed when World War II ended in 1945. Yamamoto and her family were restored to their home in Los Angeles, California.

She started working for the ‘Los Angeles Tribune’ there, first as a columnist, then as an editor and a field reporter.

This was a weekly publication aimed at African Americans. Her stint at Tribune allowed her to investigate racial interactions and diversify her writing.

Her poems have been compared to the Japanese poetic form of haiku.

Her writing style is sensitive, emotional, and delicate, but also blunt and frugal, wonderfully capturing her Japanese roots while incorporating a modern twist.

Seventeen Syllables was originally published in 1988, and it comprises her works written since World War II’s end.

This collection contains her most important works, including “Yoneko’s Earthquake,” “The Legend of Miss Sasagawara,” and “The Brown House.”

These stories are about Issei (first-generation Japanese immigrants) and their Nisei offspring.

These stories also make mention of the Japanese detention camps during WWII.

Her stories, like ‘Seventeen Syllables’ and ‘Las Vegas Charley,’ have all dealt with the divide between first and second-generation immigrants.

She also created stories about women’s repression in Japanese and American societies, as evidenced by ‘The High Heeled Shoes.’

Her story ‘Yoneko’s Earthquake’ was chosen as one of the Best American Short Stories in 1952.

For her work, she received the ‘Before Columbus Foundation’s American Book Award for lifetime accomplishment in 1986.

She wrote for the ‘Los Angeles Times’ about a black family who suffered hostility because they were black inhabitants of an all-white area in California.

Their family was burned and slaughtered on December 16, 1945.

That incident bothered her and inspired her to join the struggle for racial equality.

Yamamoto left journalism after publishing ‘The High Heeled Shoes’ in 1948.

It focuses on the sexual harassment that women are regularly subjected to, and she also spoke out against sexism without fear.

Hisaye Yamamoto- Social Media Status

Her social media presence is unavailable.

Also Read: Meghan McCain,  David Faber,  Carmen Bryan

Quick Facts of Hisaye Yamamoto

• Hisaye Yamamoto was a Japanese-American author.
• She is the well-known author of the short story collection ‘Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories.
• Google placed a Google Doodle in honor of her dedication and contribution to society.
• The collection of Seventeen Syllables was first published in 1988, and it includes her works written since the end of World War II.
•  After World War II, she was one of the first Asian American writers to earn the literary distinction.