{"id":226545,"date":"2025-12-05T14:27:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T00:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=226545"},"modified":"2025-12-05T14:27:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T00:27:18","slug":"milton-murayama-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/12\/05\/milton-murayama-collection\/","title":{"rendered":"Murayama collection captures Hawai\u02bbi Nisei experience"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"book
Novels by Milton Murayama<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa Hamilton Library<\/a> is giving readers and researchers a window into Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s Nisei experience by acquiring the archives of Milton Murayama (1923–2016). Murayama, a Maui-born Nisei author, playwright and MIS<\/abbr> veteran, captured the struggles and triumphs of Japanese American families through his novels and plays.<\/p>\n

The Milton Murayama Papers Collection<\/a>, available in the library and online, includes drafts of novels, short stories and plays, unpublished works, correspondence, photos and other materials.<\/p>\n

\"Milton
Milton Murayama at a book signing (circa 1975).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Murayama is best known for his novel tetralogy All I Asking for Is My Body<\/em> (1975), Five Years on a Rock<\/em> (1994), Plantation Boy<\/em> (1998) and Dying in a Strange Land<\/em> (2008), which fictionalize his family\u2019s emigration from Japan and life on a Maui sugar plantation.<\/p>\n

“We were honored to partner with Dawn Murayama [the author\u2019s wife] in preserving Milton Murayama\u2019s tremendous legacy, which will enrich the social, intellectual and cultural fabric of our community for generations to come,” said Leilani Dawson, manuscript collections archivist.<\/p>\n

Dawn Murayama donated his papers along with a gift to support the archive\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

“My late aunt dedicated her life to her husband\u2019s work. She wanted to be sure it was preserved and made accessible to future writers and researchers,” said grand-nephew David Wakukawa. “It\u2019s important because it brings to life the Japanese American immigration experience of coming to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.”<\/p>\n

Project archivist Tiffany Zarriello spent months processing, digitizing and organizing the collection. “Throughout this project, it has been an absolute joy and privilege to get to know Milton Murayama through the documents he\u2019s left behind,” she said. (Read more about her experience<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

The collection is now available online, with some materials requiring library access. Contact archives@hawaii.edu<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n

Read more at Hamilton Library<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Milton Murayama\u2019s archives offer insight into the Nisei experience and Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> plantation life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":226547,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[813,225,1022,1463,128,1363,158,9],"class_list":["post-226545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-american-studies","tag-history","tag-japanese","tag-japanese-studies","tag-manoa-library","tag-manoa-research","tag-publication","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t