Takuji Yamashita
Encyclopedia
Takuji Yamashita born in Yawatahama on Ehime, Shikoku
, Japan
, was a civil-rights campaigner. In spite of social and legal barriers, he directly challenged three major barriers against Asians in the United States
: citizenship, joining a profession, and owning land.
in the 1890s and, aided by a photographic memory, graduated from Tacoma High School in two years before entering University of Washington
law school's second graduating class. Yamashita graduated with a law degree from the University of Washington in 1902 and passed the state bar exam with distinction.
The Washington State Supreme Court, in processing his bar application, issued an order expressing "doubt whether a native of Japan is entitled under naturalization laws to admission to citizenship." Yamashita appealed the order, representing himself before the Washington Supreme Court. Despite Yamashita's 28-page brief having been described as being of "solid professional quality" and containing legal strategies that are "quite original,"
the Supreme Court's unanimous decision was that he was not eligible to be an American, and therefore could not practice law. This decision was overturned, posthumously, nearly 100 years later on March 1, 2001.
In 1922, Yamashita again entered legal waters when he appealed the Alien Land Law prohibiting Asians from owning property. Washington's attorney general maintained that in order for Japanese people to fit in, their "marked physical characteristics" would have to be destroyed, that "the Negro
, the Indian
and the Chinaman
" had already demonstrated assimilation was not possible for them. The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case Takuji Yamashita v. Hinkle, but Yamashita's case was denied. Washington's Alien Land Law would not be repealed until 1966.
Afterwards, Yamashita managed restaurants and hotels in Seattle and Bremerton and an oyster business in Silverdale. During World War II
, Yamashita and his wife were interned
, losing virtually everything they owned. With his family, he was incarcerated at Tule Lake
, Manzanar
, and Minidoka before returning to Seattle. In 1957, Yamashita returned to Japan where he died less than two years later.
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, was a civil-rights campaigner. In spite of social and legal barriers, he directly challenged three major barriers against Asians in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
: citizenship, joining a profession, and owning land.
Biography
Yamashita emigrated to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1890s and, aided by a photographic memory, graduated from Tacoma High School in two years before entering University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
law school's second graduating class. Yamashita graduated with a law degree from the University of Washington in 1902 and passed the state bar exam with distinction.
The Washington State Supreme Court, in processing his bar application, issued an order expressing "doubt whether a native of Japan is entitled under naturalization laws to admission to citizenship." Yamashita appealed the order, representing himself before the Washington Supreme Court. Despite Yamashita's 28-page brief having been described as being of "solid professional quality" and containing legal strategies that are "quite original,"
the Supreme Court's unanimous decision was that he was not eligible to be an American, and therefore could not practice law. This decision was overturned, posthumously, nearly 100 years later on March 1, 2001.
In 1922, Yamashita again entered legal waters when he appealed the Alien Land Law prohibiting Asians from owning property. Washington's attorney general maintained that in order for Japanese people to fit in, their "marked physical characteristics" would have to be destroyed, that "the Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
, the Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and the Chinaman
Chinaman
Chinaman is a contentious term referring to a Chinese person* whether of Han Chinese ethnicity* or a citizen of China, Chinese people.Or the term may also refer to:* A colloquial term for a square hay baler overhead feeding plunger...
" had already demonstrated assimilation was not possible for them. The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case Takuji Yamashita v. Hinkle, but Yamashita's case was denied. Washington's Alien Land Law would not be repealed until 1966.
Afterwards, Yamashita managed restaurants and hotels in Seattle and Bremerton and an oyster business in Silverdale. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Yamashita and his wife were interned
Japanese internment
Japanese internment is a term generally used to refer to one or both of the following events:*Japanese American internment, the internment of Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II...
, losing virtually everything they owned. With his family, he was incarcerated at Tule Lake
Tule Lake War Relocation Center
Tule Lake Segregation Center National Monument was an internment camp in the northern California town of Newell near Tule Lake. It was used in the Japanese American internment during World War II. It was the largest and most controversial of the camps, and did not close until after the war, in...
, Manzanar
Manzanar
Manzanar is most widely known as the site of one of ten camps where over 110,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II. Located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in California's Owens Valley between the towns of Lone Pine to the south and Independence to the north, it is...
, and Minidoka before returning to Seattle. In 1957, Yamashita returned to Japan where he died less than two years later.