Picture Bride, Yoshiko Uchida

In 1917 young Hana Omiya travels from her home in Japan to San Francisco to marry a man she has never met. She is one of several hundred young women whose photographs eventually led to arranged marriages in America, in her case to a shopkeeper named Taro Takeda. Together Hana, her husband, and friends in the Japanese-American community face hard work, prejudice, and difficult circumstances with courage and dignity. Later, when Japanese Americans are uprooted and "relocated" to internment camps, Hana's spirit and determination enable her to survive.

Related Readings

"Natsu Okuyama Ozawa—A Japanese Woman Remembers"—interview by June Namias

from Nisei Daughter—memoir by Monica Sone

"Topaz: City of Dust"—personal narrative by Yoshiko Uchida

"Sent from the Capital to Her Elder Daughter"—poem by Otomo No Sakanoe

"Rain Music"—short story by Longhang Nguyen

Study Guide (PDF)