H73.222.3

Wood block. Description: Wood block, in the form of a suitcase with leather handle, 3" x 2", with inscription Ibuki Hibi 5 yrs. old 21474 Hayward made by Matsusaburo Hibi (husband of Hisako Hibi) for his daughter, Ibuki, at the time of the evacuation, May 1942. From the History Information Station: Object: Suitcase made of carved wood with inscription--Ibuki Hibi/5 years old/21474/Hayward. This suitcase was made in 1942 by Ibuki's father Matsusaburo Hibi so that his daughter would have something of her own to carry when the family was being relocated from their home in the San Francisco Bay Area to Topaz, Utah. History: Ibuki was a grown woman with a family of her own at the time of the suitcase's donation to the Museum in 1973. "Those camp days were long days into the unknown future." She wrote. "Your interest has helped stir my latent pride in the positive qualities of the Japanese experience." Topaz was one of ten permanent detention camps where 120,000 individuals of Japanese descent were interned during World War II. 11,212 Japanese Americans from the San Francisco Bay Area were interned at Topaz. Gift of Hisako Hibi

Used: Ibuki Hibi | Child | Japanese American internment | Topaz, Utah