Kaori 種子島 Tanegashima, “Daughter of a Gun”, 2008.

On the 24 October 2009 at the Little Tokyo Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library: Kaori 種子島 Tanegashima was the “annual author recognition” recipient for her autobiography “Daughter of a Gun”, 2008.  I attended that 23rd annual author luncheon in the Little Tokyo Branch Library.

“Daughter of a Gun” is a autobiography; and, Kaori 種子島 Tanegashima was born in Beijing, China to Japanese parents.  Her parents expected a boy, but got a daughter instead.  

Tanegashima 種子島 in Japanese is means “firearm” (Tokitaka Tanegaashima 1528-1579, was a firearms maker).   Thus, the title of the autobiography “Daughter of a Gun”.  Kaori  and her parents were expelled from China and repatriated to Sasebo, Nagasaki in Japan.   During World War II, the daughter Kaori tells getting the family food (she was nine-years old).  A child in Nagasaki looking for  “potatoes”, “rice”, or anything to eat during the war.  Then, at age 19 years-old Kaori has escaped to America.  University education and Kaori Tanegashima becomes the first professor of Asian Studies in Los Angeles Community College.

Kaori 種子島 Tanegashima, “Daughter of a Gun”, 2008 was an autobiography. This book was a fascinating story of World War II Japanese-American.  In person, the author told of the need for her story (and others like her) to be told.