Description
Kyutaro Abiko (1865-1936) was the longtime publisher of the
Nichibei Shimbun of San Francisco, the leading Japanese daily newspaper published from 1899-1942. He also organized the Central California
Land Company. In 1909, he married Yonako Abiko (1880-1944). After the death of Kyutaro in 1936, Yonako Abiko became publisher
of the
Nichibei Shimbun. During World War II, she was briefly interned at the Tanforan Assembly Center in San Bruno, California. The couple had a
son, Yasuo Abiko (1910-88). The collection consists of correspondence, diaries, photographs, and memorabilia related to the
Abiko family. Most of the material in the collection is in Japanese, but some is in English as well.
Background
Kyutaro Abiko (1865-1936) was an Issei pioneer who came to the U.S. in 1885; he was the longtime publisher of the Nichibei Shimbun of San Francisco, the leading Japanese daily newspaper published from 1899-1942; he also organized the Central California
Land Company; he married Yonako Abiko (1880-1944), in 1909, the same year she came to the U.S.; she graduated from a private
Methodist mission school and Tsuda College, a women's school in Japan which was established by her older sister, Tsuda Umeko;
after the death of her husband in 1936, Yonako Abiko became publisher of the Nichibei Shimbun; during World War II, she was briefly interned at the Tanforan Assembly Center in San Bruno, California, and she later died
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1944; the couple had a son, Yasuo Abiko (1910-88).[characters] indicates Japanese characters included in the print version of this online finding aid, available for consultation at the
UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections.The Abiko family was a very prominent Japanese immigrant family of San Francisco, California. A native of Niigata Prefecture,
Abiko Kyutaro [characters] (1865-1936) was an Issei pioneer who immigrated to the United States in 1885. He was born as Kobayashi
Kyutaro [characters], but assumed the family name of his maternal grandfather, Abiko Taido [characters], by whom he was raised.
A devout Christian throughout his life, Abiko was first exposed to Christianity through an English missionary who was active
in his home Prefecture. In 1882 he moved to Tokyo where he was baptized in 1883. As a young student in the capitol, he studied
English, French, and the Chinese classics at several private academies. After arriving in the United States, he continued
his education in San Francisco where he attended Lincoln Grammar School and graduated from Boys High School in 1891. In 1892
he matriculated into the University of California.
Restrictions
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library,
Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of
the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC
Regents do not hold the copyright.