Collections Corner

Kokaido

By Shannon Advincula, Eastside Heritage Center Intern

The Japanese characters written on the back of these wooden slatted folding chairs indicate that they had been used at the “Bellevue Japanese People’s Clubhouse (ベルビュウ日[本]人会).” Kokaido, the Bellevue Japanese Community Clubhouse (or Community Hall), had been established at 101st Avenue NE and NE 11th Street in 1932, and served as a hub for the Japanese American community on the Eastside.[1]

2008.014.001

Kokaido Chairs, donated to the Eastside Heritage Center by Sumie Akizuki.

Kokaido hosted a plethora of community activities, such as business meetings, Buddhist and Christian church services, flower arranging classes, movies, Japanese language classes, shibais (plays), various sports, and picnics. An article published in the Japanese-American Courier in 1933 describes how the Japanese American community in Bellevue used the space almost daily: “On Saturdays it housed the Japanese Language School. On Sundays it housed church groups. And the rest of the days of the week are filled with activities such as judo, basketball and meetings of all organizations. Occasionally parties and movies are held."[2]

Image: L 89.029.002.

Photograph of the dedication of Kokaido, the Bellevue Japanese Community Clubhouse. Community members stand in front of the clubhouse building which had stood at 101st Avenue NE and NE 11th Street.

Prior to World War II, the Japanese American population in Bellevue numbered over 60 families and over 300 people, comprising 15% of the general population and 90% of the agricultural workforce.[3] The Bellevue Japanese American community pooled together donations to purchase two acres in what is now downtown Bellevue and built Kokaido in 1930.[4] The dedication gathering in 1932 was attended by an estimated 500 people, including Bellevue's leading citizens. Later, in 1937, a second building was added, providing more room for community space and a worship center.

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Women's basketball team, c. 1930’s. Photograph taken at the Japanese Community Clubhouse in Bellevue.

At the time of the clubhouse’s construction, Tom Matsuoka and the Seinenkai, a club of Japanese American youths comprised of Bellevue Nisei (second-generation Americans of Japanese ancestry born in the U.S.), advocated for the building to be built 60 feet high in order to accommodate indoor basketball activities.[5] Both men and women participated in indoor and outdoor sports and recreational activities that centered around Kokaido, forming Japanese American Bellevue teams and participating in regional tournaments for various sports including basketball, baseball, and the Japanese martial arts of  judo and kendo.

By January 1932, the Bellevue Dojo which hosted judo activities had about thirty-five members, which was about half of the total membership of the Bellevue Seinenkai. The judo club even organized its own events, including taffy pulls, roller skating and Halloween parties, Japanese movie nights, picnics, and demonstrations at the local high school and Bellevue’s annual strawberry festival.[6] The venue for many of these activities and tournaments was the Japanese Community Hall in Bellevue.

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Photograph of the championship Bellevue baseball team at an annual three day tournament for the Puget Sound Area Japanese teams, held in Seattle c. 1930’s. Tokio Hirotaka was the team coach, and is standing on the right in the back row.

But the bustling daily life of Japanese Americans would ultimately be suddenly disrupted and irrevocably altered. On the evening of December 7, 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the FBI started arresting Japanese American community leaders in Bellevue: the schoolmaster of the Japanese language school, the head of the Japanese businessmen’s association, and Tom Matsuoka, who was president of the Bellevue Vegetable Growers Association. The Seattle Times wrote in a 1997 investigative article that, “[Their] arrest was one of many mistakes the FBI made in those sweeps… It was clear that the three were targeted mainly to decapitate, as it were, the Nikkei community, not because of any actual threat they might pose.”[7]

443 Eastside men, women and children, including 300 of them from Bellevue, were forced into incarceration camps until the end of the war. They were forced to vacate their personal properties, and Kokaido was left abandoned without its community. After the war, many Japanese American families did not return to Bellevue, and the approximately 20 families of the original 70 that did had a difficult time rebuilding their land, businesses, and community.[8]

In 1950, the clubhouse building was sold by the Bellevue Nisei Club, Inc. to the Board of Missions of the Augustana Lutheran Church for $11,000. Pastor Olson of the Lutheran congregation recorded that, “the Japanese-American group had others who wanted to purchase the property, but declined all the offers because they were from businessmen who wanted it for commercial purposes. They were happy to know this sacred property would be used for a church.” Through the purchase agreement, a Japanese American community member named H. Kizu was also provided living quarters at the church and employed. Ultimately, the building was sold again in 1964, and eventually demolished.[9]

Asaichi Tsushima, in his memoir Pre-WWII History of Japanese Pioneers in the Clearing and Development of Land in Bellevue, wrote of the closure of Kokaido, saying, “One of the changes at the end of WWII that saddened and disappointed me was the sale of the Japanese Community Clubhouse and property where so much of our lives had been centered.”[10]

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Photo of "Dedication: A Play,” possibly from the Kokiado. Copied from Asaichi Tsushima, "Pre World War II HIstory of Japanese Pioneers in the Clearing and Development of Land in Bellevue," 1939.

The economic, social, and cultural life of the Japanese American community in Bellevue was sustained and enriched in part by everyday community and recreational activities such as those hosted by Kokaido. These chairs and photographs are a reminder of the large and vibrant Japanese community of farmers, businessmen, and families that helped to establish and shape Bellevue; a community which almost disappeared and was never the same after WWII incarceration.

Footnotes:

[1] Asaichi Tsushima, Pre-WWII History of Japanese Pioneers in the Clearing and Development of Land in Bellevue (1952).

[2] Japanese-American Courier, 1 Jan 1933.

[3] Publication of the Seattle Times: A Hidden Past. c. 2000

[4] Bomgren, Marilyn, “The Bellevue Japanese American Clubhouse: My Story of Life in the Bellevue Japanese American Clubhouse,” 2008.

[5] Matsuoka, Tom. “Tom Matsuoka Interview.” Courtesy of Densho, 1998. https://ddr.densho.org/interviews/ddr-densho-1000-47-16/?tableft=segments

[6] Svinth, Joseph R., Letter to the Marymoor Museum, 1998.

[7] Keiko Morris, Seattle Times Eastside bureau 8/20/97

[8] The Seattle Times, “A Hidden Past: An Exploration of Eastside History”. 12/1997 - 1/2000.

[9] Bomgren, “The Bellevue Japanese American Clubhouse,” 2008.

[10] Asaichi Tsushima, Pre-WWII History of Japanese Pioneers in the Clearing and Development of Land in Bellevue (1952).

Recorded Sound

The French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville created the first sound recording in history in 1857. It was a rendition of the folksong "Au clair de la lune," captured by Scott's trademark invention—the phonautograph. Recordings made with the phonautograph were intended to be visual representations of the sound.

Thomas Edison's phonograph was the first to invent a device that could both record and reproduce sound. Edison's early phonographs recorded onto a thin sheet of metal which was temporarily wrapped around a  grooved cylinder.

The use of a flat recording surface instead of a cylindrical one was an obvious alternative and the oldest surviving example is a copper electrotype of a recording cut into a wax disc in 1881. In 1931, RCA Victor launched the first commercially available vinyl long-playing record.

Below you’ll find some examples from our collection.

 

Edison Blue Amberol Record Cylinder. (2014.005.078.A-F)

The Blue Amberol was introduced in 1912 and would be the last incarnation of the cylinder line for the Edison Company. Edison Blue Amberols had a playing time of around four minutes and were marketed as a more durable alternative to wax.

The cylinders featured everything from popular music and band selections to concert and operatic music. This cylinder contains lessons on dictation elocution.

 

 Bubble Book (97.8.37)

Created in 1917,” the “Bubble Book” was one of the first products to combine the world of book publishing with the new recording industry.

Three of the book’s pages doubled as record sleeves and each of these sleeves contained a miniaturized record, which sang aloud the printed nursery rhymes.


Resources

Eastside Heritage Center Archives

Dumas, Pierre Stephane. “A Brief History of Recorded Music - Part 1.” Medium, The Serenader Project, 8 Jan. 2022, https://medium.com/the-serenader-project/a-brief-history-of-recorded-music-c1b782daac79.

O'Dell, Cary. The First “Bubble Book” (1917) - Library of Congress. 2003, https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/BUBBLE%20BOOK.pdf.

“Phonograph.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Dec. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph.

University of California, Santa Barbara. Library. Department of Special Collections. “Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project.” Index, University of California, Santa Barbara. Library. Department of Special Collections., 16 Nov. 2005, https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/history-blueamberol.php.

Younger’s Mints

2002.125.008 - Youngers Mint recipe signed by Charlie Younger, 1929.

Mints

8 pounds Sugar

1 teaspoon Salt

1 ounce Syrup

2 ½ pints Boiling Water

When candy starts boiling, put in 1 ounce Butter. When cooks to 240° put in 2 ounces more.

Cook to 268° in cold weather and about 274° in hot weather.

Pour on slab and cool - pull & cut. Flavor 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon mint oil or less mint if too strong.


Too much butter in the Younger family taffy recipe resulted in the famous "melt in your mouth" Younger's mints. Started as a small operation in the basement of the Younger home in 1926, the business soon grew to the point where it was necessary to open a retail store in the original McKee building on Main Street. Not long afterwards the store moved to a building on 104th Avenue equipped with a kitchen for making the candy. In search of a better retail location, the business moved to Kirkland in 1938, as it was a larger town at that time. The candy was again made in the Younger home. In the meantime the candies were being shipped all over the world and a local reputation had been established. With the rationing of sugar during World War II the business was sold to the Anderson family in 1947.

2002.125.004 - Addie Hurley behind counter in Charley Younger's Candy Shop, Kirkland. Circa 1942.


Resources

Culinary History of a Pacific Northwest Town: Bellevue, Washington by Suzanne Knauss.

Eastside Heritage Center Archives

Fifties Sewing Patterns

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For most of human history, people have made their own clothing. William and Ellen Demorest began selling patterns through their magazine, The Mirror of Fashion, in 1860. These patterns were one size and cut to shape. They did not come with any instruction, but customers could buy them “made up” which meant the pattern would come pieced together.

Ebenezer Butterick is credited with creating the first graded (or sized) paper pattern in 1863. Tissue was used to reduce cost and increase mass production of these patterns. Butterick Publishing Co. is also credited with introducing detailed instructions sheets, called a “Deltor”, included with their patterns. These advancements allowed customers to spend less time making adjustments to their measurements and fussing over the steps for each piece.

In the early days of tissue patterns, important markings were made by perforations in the paper. Notches or holes in the blank tissue would indicate where customers should add darts, buttonholes, or pleats. Printed paper patterns were introduced in the late 1940s and were readily adopted by most pattern companies. Today patterns are printed with instructions, markings, and even multiple sizes all on the same tissue paper.


This Simplicity Pattern Fashion Preview is a small pamphlet showcasing new trends for September 1951. Included with the fashion illustrations are the pattern numbers for ordering from Simplicity. One page features school outfits for children and gives short descriptions like “Jane studies history in her ‘grown-up’ suit” and “Kitty plays at recess in her gay calico”.

Simplicity Pattern Co. started in 1927 and sought to create simple, easy-to-follow sewing patterns at a lower price point. They sold unprinted patterns until 1946, when they made the switch to printing.


This men’s shirt pattern is Butterick pattern 6319, also from the 1950s. Ours is sized for a 14½ inch neck and 36 inch sleeve measurements. The pattern description reads: “Collars and cuffs make the difference. A: Regulation collar tops off shirt that sports popular French cuffs, single pocket. B: Spread collar, single button cuffed sleeves. C: Tab collar, button cuff. D: Button down collar.” This pattern cost 35 cents.

76.113B Front

76.113B Front

76.113B Back

76.113B Back


Here we have a women’s dress pattern from 1959, Advance 9235. This pattern is in a size 16 for 36 inch bust and 28 inch waist measurements. The pattern description reads: “One-piece dress loves many kinds of fabrics ... but because of the graceful kimono sleeves, it looks loveliest if the fabric is one that drapes well. And if a lacy or sheer fabric is used, the dress shoulder completely lined.” This pattern cost 65 cents.

Advance patterns, started in 1933, were sold exclusively at J. C. Penney and were one of a few companies allowed to make Barbie clothing patterns by Mattel. The company was sold in 1966 to Puritan Fashions.

76.113A Front

76.113A Front

76.113A Back

76.113A Back

Resources

Eastside Heritage Center archives

Admin. (2013, July 22). Vintage patterns. Vintage Fashion Guild. https://vintagefashionguild.org/fashion-history/vintage-patterns/#:~:text=The%20first%20paper%20patterns%20were,graded%20sewing%20pattern%20in%201863.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2020, July 7). History of sewing patterns. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_sewing_patterns.

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour

Farrell’s was an ice cream parlor, established first in Oregon in 1963 by Bob Farrell and Ken McCarthy. It had an early 1900s aesthetic, with wait staff wearing period dress and boater hats. A player piano provided entertainment and children received a free sundae on their birthday. By 1970 there were 58 locations and after Marriott purchased the business it grew to 130 locations nationwide.

The Bellevue location, near NE 8th and 102nd, was a popular destination for families. It served as a part-time job for local high school students and a common stop following little league baseball games.

L 96.14.1 - Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor, joke diet menu.

1998.25.11 - Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour Restaurant. North of NE 8th off of 102nd, 1969.

2019.004.001/002 Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour hat.

 

Farrell’s carried classics like pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs, but the thing they’re remembered for is their colossal ice cream sundaes. The Zoo Party sundae featured “5 ice creams, 3 sherbets, 5 toppings, whipped cream, nuts, cherries, and bananas.” This party also included balloons, party hats, lunch, and a certificate for the guest of honor. The showstopper of the Farrell’s sundae lineup was the Hot Fudge Volcano. Running about $17 and recommended to serve 10, this sundae boasted 30 scoops of vanilla ice cream (plus all the usual toppings).

 
I love Hot Fudge Sundaes; I could die for Hot Fudge Sundaes.
— Bob Farrell
 

In 1975 Farrell’s attempted to set a new Guinness World Record for largest ice cream sundae. They ultimately failed when their mountain of 1,675 pounds of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream collapsed. They never got to add the 100 pounds of toppings.

Over the decades, legal battles and debt lead to the closure of many Farrell’s locations. The last Farrell’s closed its’ doors in 2019 in Brea, California.

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Resources

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour Menu. The Seattle Public Library, Special Collections Online. (n.d.). https://spl.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16118coll5/id/1192.

Fischer, A., & Bowder, M. (2015, August 14). Founder of popular Farrell's Ice Cream Parlours chain dies at 87. The Columbian. https://www.columbian.com/news/2015/aug/15/founder-popular-farrells-ice-cream-parlours-chain-/.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, July 1). Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrell%27s_Ice_Cream_Parlour.

The Telegraph. (1974, March 28). Avalanche Hits Large Sundae. Google News Archive Search. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2209&dat=19740328&id=gKArAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YPwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2520%2C4417970.