Tens of thousands of Japanese women came to the United States as wives of U.S. servicemen from 1947 through the 1950s. They were the first and largest group of Asian immigrants since 1924, settling into scattered communities across the country with their American husbands. We are three journalists -- and first born daughters of Japanese war brides -- who are telling that history.
Our multimedia project includes:
We are currently working to:
A bit of history ....
This war bride project began with our own attempt to understand our mothers’ experience. Working with the media company Blue Chalk, with funds raised through a Kickstarter campaign, we created the 26-minute film about our mothers, Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Japanese War Brides. Released in August 2015, it was premiered on BBC World Television and won numerous awards at film festivals around the country.
Through the Kickstarter campaign and as a result of this film, we became connected to Japanese war bride families across the country who wanted their stories told. Funded by a grant from Vassar College, Kathryn Tolbert spent a year traveling and recording an oral history and photographic archive. Her Washington Post article in September 2016 about these women attracted wide readership and introduced us to many more war bride families. Readers responded about the universal appeal of these stories.
With funds from distribution of our short film, Karen Kasmauski made several trips to photograph these women in their homes as they talked about their lives and celebrated events with their families.
Using a grant from the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, Lucy Craft spearheaded filming three families in 2018 for the longer film and produced a trailer. vimeo.com/362948164
Instagram provided yet another platform for sharing these stories, now with over 1500 followers.
Each of our efforts had led to more stories, including how Bruce Hollywood re-united with his mother, with the assistance of Admiral Harry Harris, himself the son of a Japanese war bride. The articles are here and here.
Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Japanese War Brides co-directors Lucy Craft, Karen Kasmauski and Kathryn Tolbert are the founders of the non-profit organization The War Bride Experience, Inc.
Our multimedia project includes:
- A 26-minute film, Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Japanese War Brides.
- An oral history archive at www.warbrideproject.com
- A teachers guide for the film and curriculum unit for the oral history developed by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education, available as a free download here.
We are currently working to:
- Complete an hour-long documentary film
- Develop a traveling exhibition
- Place all materials we have gathered in a public archive for future generations of students and researchers
A bit of history ....
This war bride project began with our own attempt to understand our mothers’ experience. Working with the media company Blue Chalk, with funds raised through a Kickstarter campaign, we created the 26-minute film about our mothers, Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Japanese War Brides. Released in August 2015, it was premiered on BBC World Television and won numerous awards at film festivals around the country.
Through the Kickstarter campaign and as a result of this film, we became connected to Japanese war bride families across the country who wanted their stories told. Funded by a grant from Vassar College, Kathryn Tolbert spent a year traveling and recording an oral history and photographic archive. Her Washington Post article in September 2016 about these women attracted wide readership and introduced us to many more war bride families. Readers responded about the universal appeal of these stories.
With funds from distribution of our short film, Karen Kasmauski made several trips to photograph these women in their homes as they talked about their lives and celebrated events with their families.
Using a grant from the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, Lucy Craft spearheaded filming three families in 2018 for the longer film and produced a trailer. vimeo.com/362948164
Instagram provided yet another platform for sharing these stories, now with over 1500 followers.
Each of our efforts had led to more stories, including how Bruce Hollywood re-united with his mother, with the assistance of Admiral Harry Harris, himself the son of a Japanese war bride. The articles are here and here.
Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Japanese War Brides co-directors Lucy Craft, Karen Kasmauski and Kathryn Tolbert are the founders of the non-profit organization The War Bride Experience, Inc.