Ohtohiko Koura Farm circa 1925

Bainbridge is a small island located in Puget Sound, a short 35–minute ferry ride to Seattle. With 53 miles of shoreline, the island is approximately five miles wide and ten miles long, and is one of the larger islands in Puget Sound.

The following pages illustrate the history of Bainbridge Island, highlighting that of the Japanese American community, beginning with the arrival of the Issei (first generation) immigrants. The descriptions, images, and clips from our oral history collection show how these hard working immigrants started families, built businesses, and made connections on this island. This was a well–established community that called Bainbridge Island home and was suddenly forced to endure extraordinary circumstances following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.