Yoshio Kishi Papers
Call Number
Dates
Creator
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Language of Materials
Abstract
Yoshio Kishi was an award-winning New York City based film and sound editor working on notable films such Martin Scorcese's Raging Bull (1980) and Wayne Wang's Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985). When not working on films, Kishi avidly collected materials that trace depictions of Asian Americans in U.S. intellectual and popular culture, as well as materials produced by Asian American activists to counter stereotypical imagery of Asian peoples. Kishi eventually amassed over 10,000 items, allowing him to trace Asian and Asian American depictions throughout two centuries of American history. In addition to his collection of Asian Americana, Kishi dedicated time to tracing his own family lineage, documenting his family through correspondence, photographs, and his own personal research notes. The Yoshio Kishi Papers roughly span from 1892 to 2011, with the bulk of the materials dating between the 1950s to the mid-2000s. This collection contains correspondence, photographs, personal notes, photocopied articles, filmography lists, pamphlets and interview videos with Kishi that discuss his career as an artist, his family, and his collections of Asian American materials.
Biographical Note
Yoshio Kishi (1932- 2012) was an award-winning professional New York City based film and sound editor. Kishi was born in 1932 to Eikichi and Haru Kishi, both of whom immigrated from Japan to the United States. Kishi had four siblings: Hajime, Fumi, Mitsuo, and Isomi. He was educated at the Bronx High School of Sciences, the City College of New York, Herzliah Hebrew Teachers Institute, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and the New School for Social Research. Kishi briefly taught at New York's Film Institute and served as a juror for directing and editing at the Emmy Awards.
Kishi worked as an editor on Martin Scorcese's Raging Bull (1980), Alan Parker's Fame (1980), as well as Wayne Wang's Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985). Kishi also worked as a sound editor on Jerry Schatzberg's Panic in Needle Park (1971) and, in addition to serving as the editor, Kishi also directed Lombardi (1968).
For four decades, Kishi avidly collected materials that traced depictions of Asian Americans in U.S. intellectual and popular culture, as well as materials produced by Asian American activists to counter stereotypical imagery of Asian peoples. His compulsion for collecting Asian Americana began in the mid-1960s when, reflecting upon his own identity as a second-generation Japanese American, Kishi began to regret not knowing more about his ethnic heritage. Kishi grew up in a largely Irish and Italian tenement neighborhood and during World War II, to avoid being labeled enemy aliens, his parents stopped speaking Japanese and joined a local Lutheran Church. In an effort to reclaim his ethnic heritage, Kishi, with the help of Los Angeles-based veteran actress and friend, Irene Yah Ling Sun, began to scour flea markets to purchase any materials relating to Asian Americana. Kishi eventually amassed over 10,000 items showcasing the demonization, as well as activism efforts of Asian Americans. Kishi's vast collection allowed him to trace Asian and Asian American depictions throughout two centuries of American history.
In his later life, Yoshio Kishi developed a relationship with New York University's Asian/Pacific/American (A/P/A) Institute and in 2003, he sold his collection of Asian Americana to New York University, on behalf of the A/P/A Institute. Kishi's collection, later titled the "Yoshio Kishi and Irene Yah-Ling Sun Collection" (MSS.292), was purchased with the intention of making its contents publicly available for research by students, scholars, and any other interested parties. Although Kishi parted with most of his Asian Americana collection, he did retain some materials for personal use, which laid the groundwork for the Yoshio Kishi Papers (MSS.351).
Yoshio Kishi died in 2012.
Arrangement
This collection has been arranged into series by topic:
I. Works II. Collection of Asian American Materials III. Personal Materials
Within each series, the materials have been arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Contents
The Yoshio Kishi Papers roughly span from 1892 to 2011, with the bulk of the materials dating between the 1950s to the mid-2000s. The collection documents various aspects of Kishi's professional and private life, as well as his contributions as a collector of Asian American materials.
The collection contains correspondence between Kishi and his family members, friends, colleagues, as well as other collectors of Asian American ephemera. There are several volumes of Kishi's journals that contain insights into his daily life, as well as drafts of project ideas, poems, and other creative writings.
As a second generation Japanese American, Kishi was especially concerned with stereotypical Asian American imagery in the United States, and to this effect, the collection contains vast quantities of research materials such as photocopies of articles and book chapters that examine racist portrayals of Asian peoples in film, photocopies of old Hollywood movie posters such as the Humphrey Bogart film Tokyo Joe (1949), as well as newspaper clippings related to famous Asian celebrities such as Anna May Wong and Michelle Wei. It should be noted the collection, particularly in Series II, does contain material that may be deemed offensive and/or racist.
The Yoshio Kishi Papers also includes documents relating to the Yoshio Kishi and Irene Yah-Ling Sun Collection (MSS.292), which was purchased from Yoshio Kishi in 2003 by New York University's Asian/Pacific/American (A/P/A) Institute. These documents include drafts of the legal agreements between Kishi and New York University, inventories of the Kishi/Sun Collection, brochures promoting the Kishi/Sun collection, and photographs from the "Archivist of the Yellow Peril" exhibition host by the A/P/A Institute in 2005. The "Archivist of the Yellow Peril" exhibition provided glimpses of the Kishi/Sun Collection's 8000+ rare artifacts.
The Yoshio Kishi Papers contains photographs and photo negatives whose subject matters range from general everyday life, Kishi's family, and Asian American stereotypes. The collection also contains one audioreel entitled "Mama" and two video interviews with Yoshio Kishi that have been recorded on VHS tapes.
Subjects
Genres
Topics
Places
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Yoshio Kishi Papers; MSS.351; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Dylan Yeats acquired the collection from Yoshio Kishi's nursing home after Kishi's death. Yeats later donated the collection to Fales Library at New York University
About this Guide
Processing Information
A graduate student in the Fall 2019 session of Advanced Archival Description (HIST-GA.2031) surveyed and wrote a processing plan for this collection. This collection was arranged and described by an archivist in the summer of 2021. Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. Original folder titles were retained when available.
Repository
Series I: Works, 1955-2010, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series I largely focuses upon Yoshio Kishi's work as a film professional. The series contains correspondence between Kishi and various productions companies such as Pathe Films and NFL Films, discssuing past and future collaborations, as well as copies of Kishi's resumes and video editing certificate, highlighting his career achievements. Materials related to Kishi's major film projects, Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart and Lombardi can be found within this series. Additionally, drafts, outlines, and proposals for Kishi's other film projects such as Vietnam Song, Empress of China, and Soulmate (The Black Hole) can also be found within this series.
Series I also contains samples of Kishi's poetry and short stories, which are housed within his diaries and notes. This series also contains materials related to Kishi's growing advocacy of Asian American culture, a driving force behind Kishi's passion for collection Asian Americana. Kishi's participation in pro-Asian and pro-Asian American organizations are reflected in folders such as "Asian Americans for Action" (Box 1, Folder 3), the "Ethnic Heritage Studies Program Act" (Box 1, Folder 18) and "Yellow Peril" (Box 3, Folder 15).
Amerasia Resources, Inc., 1971
Asian-American Collections, 1971-2005, inclusive
Asian Americans for Action, 1970-1971, inclusive
The Asian American Repository, Vol 1 Issue 1, 1978
China Unearthed - Budget, 1975
Chinatown History Museum, 1992
Correspondence -- Andrew Watt, 1990-1992, inclusive
Correspondence -- Isomi Handrych, 2002-2010, inclusive
Correspondence -- Meri von Sternberg, 1978
Correspondence -- Pathe Pictures, 1961
Correspondence -- Steve Sabol (NFL Films), 2002
CUNY Department of Asian Studies, 1972-1973, inclusive
Dim Sum, 1983
The Eikichi and Haru Kishi Collection of Asian Americana, 1987
Employee Termination Letter (MPO Productions), 1955
Empress of China, 1977-1978, inclusive
Ethnic Heritage Studies Program Act, 1972-1974, inclusive
Final Mix: Revised, 2001
"The Goddess Maker", 1978
Google Books Screenshots, undated, inclusive
The Great Collaboration, undated
Ideas, 1984
In Quest of Chinatown, undated
Joan of Arc Junior High School Reunions, 1995-2001, inclusive
Josef von Sternberg, 1978
KHAN! Draft Script, undated
Lombardi, 1968-2010, inclusive
MD-USN, 1957
Media Works (FIVF-CETA), 1977-1978, inclusive
"Murrow", 1990
National Endowment for the Arts General Programs, 1977-1978, inclusive
Newspaper Clipping - New York Times, 1982
Notes, undated
Poetry, 1971-1972, inclusive
Proposals, 1961-1978, inclusive
Resumes, 1974-1986, inclusive
"Scrutable Contexts: Asian Threads in the American Fabric", 2003
Sensual Delights: An Asian American Erotic Feast, 1994
Soulmate (The Black Hole), 1981
Trust, undated
Video Editing Certificate, 1985
Vietnam - Story Ideas, undated
Vietnam Song, 1976
The Window, undated
Winter Blossom, 1974
"Yellow Peril", 2005-2008, inclusive
Series II: Collection of Asian American Materials, 1892-2011, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series II focuses upon Yoshio Kishi's passion for collecting Asian Americana and his acquisition of research materials relating to stereotypical portrayals of Asian peoples and culture throughout history, as well as within American popular culture. The correspondence found within this series either contains discussion between Kishi and other collectors of Asian materials focusing upon the sale and purchase of Asian materials or Kishi's requests for research materials.
The photocopies found within Series II are research materials comprising of excerpts from scholarly monographs and journal articles, copies of Hollywood movie posters, copies of pulp magazine covers, and newspaper clipping about Asian celebrities like Anna May Wong and Michelle Wei. Other printed materials such as inventories, eBay printouts, catalogs, and price lists relate to the acquisition of Asian Americana materials. The photographs in this series focus upon either historic depictions or stereotypical depcitions of Asian peoples and culture.
This series also includes a VHS tape containing an interview with Yoshio Koshio conducted by Jack Tchen of NYU's A/P/A Institute.
It should be noted that this series contains some materials that may be deemed offensive and/or racist.
Acrobats, 2003
Advertisement for Movie Posters, undated
Advertisements from NYU Asian/Pacific/American Institute, 2005-2006, inclusive
Anna May Wong, 1931, 1976-2004, inclusive
Asian Americana (Kishi Sun Collection), 2001
Asian/American Center at Queens College Activities, 1990-1991, inclusive
Asian American Studies Program at Cornell University Newsletter, Vol. 3, 2003
Asian American Studies Resources, 2003
Asian Americans Through the Lens, 1998
美å¸æ¦‚è«– (Bigaku Gairon or Aesthetic Theory), undated
Books - Prices, 1994, 1999
Books for Sale, 1993
Chiang-Chiang Dance Company, 1975
"The 'Chinese Question' and American Labor Historians", 2000
Chou Tun-i (1017-1073) of the Sung Dynasty, undated
Circuses, 2004
Copies of Advertisements Related to Asian Portrayals, 1974
Copies of Books/Articles about Asian Stereotypes, 1943-1973, inclusive
Correspondence -- Aaron, undated
Correspondence -- Arnold's Used Books, 1989
Correspondence -- Asian/Pacific/American Institute NYU, Re: Kishi-Sun Collection, 2001-2002, inclusive
Correspondence -- Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc., 1986-1989, inclusive
Correspondence -- David Chow, 2002
Correspondence -- DJ Ernst, 1989
Correspondence -- Elaine Mae Woo, 1998
Correspondence -- Hollywood Studio Magazine, 1982
Correspondence -- Mrs. Jo Van Dorp, 1983
Correspondence -- Rebekah Montgomery, 1987
Correspondence -- Tome Moroccan, 1989
Correspondence -- University of Arizona, 1994
Correspondence -- University of Hawaii, 1974
"Doubleness: American Images of Japanese Men in Silent Spy Films", 1998
Draft of Agreement of Sale for Yoshio Kishi Collection to NYU, 2002
"Early Film Magazines - An Overview", undated
eBay Printouts - Asian Collector Materials, 1998
eBay Printouts - Japan Postcards, 2004
Elbae-Spring Binders Advertisement, 1982
Film List, 1929-1939, inclusive
Film Poster Dealers and Guidelines for Collecting Movie Posters, undated
Gluck, E.W., "An Ecological Study of the Japanese in New York City", undated
"Hojo-ki (A Description of My Hut)", 1925
The Japan Weekly Mail, 1892
"Japanese Americans" Notes, undated
Japanese in New York, 1991
"Last Will & Testament" (Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund Pamphlet), 1981
Magazines Checked, undated
Magazine Clippings - Variety, 1975-1976, inclusive
Momo Taro (Romaji), 1998, 2000
Museum of Modern Art Department of Film American Film Posters inventory, undated
New York City Chinatown brochure, undated
"New York's Issei and Coney Island", 1964
New York Times article about the Kishi Collection, 2005
Newspaper Clipping -- "A Book on Jews Stirs Japanese", undated
Newspaper Clippings -- Michelle Wei, 2005
Newspaper Clippings -- Political Cartoons, 1990-1997, inclusive
Newspaper Clipping -- Variety, 1961
Notes & Bibliographic Citations, 1992
Notebook, 1982, 1987-1988
NYU Asian/Pacific/American Institute Calendar of Events, 2009
Orientalism, 2009-2011, inclusive
Peachboy Nights, undated
Photocopies -- Film Books, undated
Photocopies -- "Notable Films of the Week", 1909
Photocopies -- Political Cartoons, 1975-1991, inclusive
Photographs -- "Archivist of the Yellow Peril" exhibit, 2005
Photograph -- Chinese Actor, undated
Photographs -- Everyday Life of Chinese Peoples, undated
Photographs -- Japanese Concentration Camps Exhibit, 1971
Photographs -- Yoshio Kishi's Book Collection, undated
Photographs and Negatives Depicting Asian Peoples and Movie Stills, 1978
Photo Negatives -- "Plain Language from Truthful James", undated
The Play Pictorial, undated
"The Politics of Portraiture", 1990
Requests for Research Materials, 1982-1992, inclusive
Research Materials, 1909-2004, inclusive
Research Materials about Asian Peoples, 1945
Research Notes, 1982
Sakura Matsuri, 1983
Sawada, Mitzi - The Japanese Immigrant in New York City, 1985
"Scrutable Images: Asians and Asian Americans in Mass Culture", 1979
Selected List of Films, 1908-1924, inclusive
Sheet Music, 1986-2000, inclusive
Shiel, M.P., 1898, 1979
Smith, Henry D. II, 1972
A Social Study of the Japanese Population in the Greater New York Area, 1942
Son of Native register, 1908
Tom Matsuda, 1999-2007, inclusive
Trade Cards, 1993-1994, inclusive
Tsiang, H.T., 1899-1972, inclusive
VHS Tape -- Yoshio Kishi Interview with Jack Tchen, 2004
The Vocational Opportunities of the Second Generation Japanese in Greater New York and their Bearings on Religious Education, 1935-1936, inclusive
Watanna, Ono, 1900-1929, inclusive
Weglyn, Michi (Years of Infamy), 1976-1985, inclusive
"Yellow Face", 2005
Yellow Peril, 1983-1999, inclusive
Series III: Personal Materials, 1922-2009, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series III focuses upon Yoshio Kishi's private life, his family, and personal interests. A large focus of Series III is Kishi's desire to learn more about his own family history. This can be seen through his vast collection of family photographs, detailed family trees, individual files about family members, and discussions with his family regarding their Japanese origins. Kishi's mother, Haru, features heavily within this series through letters, photographs, legals documents (social security card, passports), and medical documents.
In addition to his family, this series contains insights into Yoshio Kishi's private life through several journals, financial statements, school transcripts, travel documents, newspaper articles, photographs, and legal paperwork.
The correspondence housed within this series is mainly between Kishi and his family, although there are some letters from friends and Kishi's personal physician. The photographs and photograph negatives found within this series depict Kishi's family, apartment, personal acquaintances, as well as moments from everyday life.
Series III also contains an audioreel entitled "Mama" and a VHS tape interview with Yoshio Kishi.
