PRESS
ANNOUNCEMENT
For
Immediate Release
Contact:
Lori Matoba, Director of Programs, lmatoba@jcccnc.org
Japanese
Cultural and Community Center of Northern California
1840 Sutter
Street - San Francisco, CA 94115
415.567.5505
- www.jcccnc.org
Issei, The Shadow Generation
Teaching
Japanese Culture In America
SAN FRANCISCO (December 1, 2006) – Through the unfolding of Japanese language and meaning, and his
personal observations of the Issei, the first Japanese immigrants, Tsukasa
Matsueda offers a window into the transmission of Japanese culture and
adaptation to life in America, in a new book entitled, Issei, The Shadow
Generation.
Issei, The Shadow Generation is the first book to ponder the
influence of Japanese culture on childrearing practices and offers a model and
philosophy for cultural balance. He
explains, “shitsuke” in Japanese, the word for childrearing, is composed of the
characters of “beautiful” and “being”. Ultimately,
the Issei believed in raising a “beautiful person who is physically, mentally
and spiritually able to cope with the realities of life”. Throughout the book, he distills how the
Issei reinforced Japanese culture to build strength of character and inner
beauty in their children, from childhood through adulthood, in spite of the
adversity of racism they faced in America.
Published by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of
Northern California, “Issei The Shadow Generation is a
well-deserved, long overdue, and timely tribute to the pioneers, especially as
we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of San Francisco’s Japantown and
the imprint the Issei have made in America”, states Paul Osaki, Executive
Director of the JCCCNC. “The message is powerful, especially to
Sansei and Yonsei, who may have only vague memories of their great
grandparents. It is because of the
Issei and their contributions that we celebrate our community and our lives
today.”
Matsueda’s “unique bilingual/bicultural ability has enabled
him to converse and interact extensively with the Issei” according to Bob
Suzuki, President Emeritus of California State Polytechnic University,
Pomona. Through this vantage, he
unveils a multi-layered understanding of Japanese terms and expressions and
perceptively relays its meaning and influence on future generations.
As we struggle with immigration issues today, Matsueda
suggests a need for sensitivity to language and culture that is critical to
understanding and embracing diversity, and perhaps that the Issei offer an
alternative to cultural coexisting. He
suggests the Issei cultural value of acceptance helped them to overcome
adversity in the face of racism, economic depression, and war. “Life is one of
continuous hardship. (Kuro no renzoku da.)” The Japanese view the world as interdependent “that people need
to support others and be supported by others (mochitsu motaretsu).” Thus, they encouraged the need to work
harmoniously “not only to survive but to succeed in life,” and created a strong
Japanese community to overcome hostility and discrimination, and to support
individuals to flourish and gain independence.
Matsueda suggests that the “model minority” stereotype based
on the assumption that the Japanese Americans succeeded by adopting the
American way of life and values, be revisited and examined. Matsueda asserts that the Nisei (second
generation) learned to emphasize worth of human life, practiced religious
tolerance and integration, encouraged their children to “study and work hard”,
and insisted on maintaining “a strong and unified community spirit. Matsueda further maintains that the Issei’s
teaching of cultural values and child rearing strategy offers a viable option
for the presently divisive world.
Through Issei, The Shadow Generation, Matsueda
invites the reader to bring the Issei out of the shadow, to formulate their own
image of the Issei, as they remember those they’ve known, those who have
influenced their life, or as they learn from his insights into the strength of
character and cultural teachings of the Japanese immigrants.
Issei, The Shadow Generation, scheduled for release on December 1, 2006, will
retail at $16.80, JCCCNC
Members are eligible for a discounted rate of $14.50 (tax included). Tsukasa Matsueda will be available at a
booksigning on Sunday, December 10, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00p.m. at
the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, 1840 Sutter
Street, San Francisco. For more
information, contact the JCCCNC at (415) 567-5505, or visit www.jcccnc.org
To arrange book presentations or readings with the author, contact
Jill Shiraki at jshiraki@sbcglobal.net or (510) 277-2164. In Southern California, the book will be
available for purchase at the Japanese American National Museum, 369 East First
Street, Los Angeles, (213) 625-0414.
About
the Author
Tsukasa Matsueda, Ed. D., an avid
educator, taught for 33 years at Sequoia Union High School in Redwood City,
CA. Selected as a Fullbright Exchange
Teacher to Japan, he taught for two years at the University of Niigata and the attached
Junior High School in Niigata City, Japan.
He later taught Japanese American Ethnic Studies classes at Stanford
University and San Jose State University.
He was born in Stockton, raised in San Mateo, and spent the war years in
Rowrer, Arkansas, and Tule Lake, California.
After his release, he was drafted and served in the 525th
Military Intelligence Service.
About the Publisher,
JCCCNC
Envisioned by the Japanese American community, JCCCNC will
be an everlasting foundation of our Japanese American ancestry, cultural
heritage, histories and traditions. The JCCCNC strives to meet the evolving
needs of the Japanese American community through programs, affordable services
and administrative support and facilities for other local service
organizations. The JCCCNC is a
501(c)(3) non-profit community center based in San Francisco.
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