ABOVE: The Furuta family of Historic Wintersburg, on the C.M. Furuta Gold Fish Farm. Charles Furuta arrived in America in 1900. He returned to Japan to bring his bride, Yukiko Yajima, to California in 1912. They created a goldfish and flower farm in the peatlands of Wintersburg Village, now part of Huntington Beach, California. Their farm, along with the Wintersburg Japanese Mission, contain over a century of history of pioneer settlement and the pursuit of the American dream. Historic Wintersburg was designated a National Treasure in 2015 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. (Photo, courtesy of Furuta family, circa 1923). ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©
Our American Family: The Furutas of Historic Wintersburg is now available on Amazon Prime in the United States and in Japan!
We worked with the production team for Our American
Family---providing research, historical photographs, and on-site filming assistance
at Historic Wintersburg---in September 2013. In February 2015, the film premiered at
the Japanese American National Museum on the national Day of Remembrance, prior to it airing on PBS SoCal and on public television stations nationally.
LEFT: The Our American Family team, Michael Nolan and Bradford Van Demark, flew to California from their homebase in Nashville, Tennessee, to film at Historic Wintersburg and conduct oral histories for with the Furuta family. The advance work and research was assisted by Historic Wintersburg author Mary Urashima and also utilized the 1982 oral history of Yukiko Furuta, held by California State University Center for Oral and Public History. (Photo, M. Urashima, Michael Nolan and Bradford Van Demark at the Huntington Beach Pier, September 2013) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©
Prior to it's debut in 2015, a video trailer was released in 2014, when Historic Wintersburg was named
to the America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list by the National
Trust for Historic Preservation (watch the video at the March 20, 2017, post on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Historic-Wintersburg-Preservation-Task-Force-433990979985360/)
RIGHT: Film actress Takayo Fischer---known for her roles in Pirates of the Caribbean, The Pursuit of Happyness, and Moneyball, among other films and productions---brought to life the voice of Yukiko Furuta for the film, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0279137/. We thank Takayo for her gracious contribution to this effort. (Photo, Courtesy of IMDb)
In 2015 and 2016, Our American
Family: The Furutas aired nationwide on PBS stations, after Historic Wintersburg
was designated a National Treasure (less than 100 National Treasures in the United States, Historic Wintersburg is the first and only National Treasure in Orange County, California).
We are pleased to share the producers' announcement that Our
American Family: The Furutas, is available internationally on Amazon Prime! Learn more
about the Furuta family and Historic Wintersburg, along with the
inspiring stories of four other American families. More information regarding the Amazon Prime release at (United States), https://www.amazon.com/Our-American-Family/dp/B06VXWQX8N and (Japan) https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B06VY6WMNB
Special thanks to the producers of Our American Family: Steve Young, Michael Nolan and Bradford Van Demark. Thank you for recognizing the importance and inspiring story of this American family!
All rights reserved.
No part of the Historic Wintersburg blog may be reproduced or duplicated
without prior written permission from the author and publisher, M. Adams
Urashima.
In an effort that began in January 2013, Historic Wintersburg is pleased to announce the PBS series, Our American Family, featuring the Furuta family of Historic Wintersburg, presents the worldwide advance screening on Saturday, February 21, at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California.
Historic Wintersburg is proud to have provided background, research and assistance with the film production, featuring five-generations of oral histories, archival photographs and interviews with the Furuta family, beginning upon the arrival of Charles Furuta in America in 1900.
Left: A day of filming with the Our American Family producers in Orange County, California. Top row left to right - Norman Furuta, Ken Furuta, Historic Wintersburg in Huntington Beach author Mary Urashima, Dave Furuta. Bottom row left to right - Our American Family writer Michael Nolan, Martha Furuta, Our American Family videographer Bradford Van Demark. (Photo courtesy of the Furuta family, Sepember 27, 2013) © All rights reserved.
As featured on the Historic Wintersburg blog, http://historicwintersburg.blogspot.com/2013/10/our-american-family-features-furuta.html, the filming in Southern California was in September 2013 (see preview video at that link).
In addition to the 1982 oral history of Yukiko Furuta, film makers utilized research, oral histories, and images provided by Historic Wintersburg, the California State University Fullerton Center for Oral and Public History, one-on-one interviews with Furuta family descendants, and personal photographs from the Furuta family.
Above: Grace Furuta at the Furuta Gold Fish Farm of Wintersburg (Warner) Avenue near Nichols Lane in Wintersburg Village, November 23, 1928. Remnants of the neatly manicured hedge row that once fronted the Furuta bungalow (seen behind Grace) remain at Historic Wintersburg today. (Photo courtesy of the Furuta family) © All rights reserved.
Day of Remembrance
Saturday, February 21, is the annual Day of Remembrance at the Japanese American National Museum of the anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066. Historic Wintersburg will join a host of organizations at the Museum's Central Hall, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. that day, to continue the remembrance and share history of the presidential act that mandated the forced evacuation and confinement of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Following the Day of Remembrance exhibits in Central Hall, the screening of Our American Family: The Furutas starts at 5 p.m. in the Takeuchi Democracy Forum, across the plaza from the Museum's main entrance. This is a free advanced screening, open to the public. Seating is limited.
We thank PBS SoCal for assisting with the advance screening; they are the first PBS station in the country to air Our American Family: The Furutas, starting in late February 2015. Later this year, PBS stations around the country will begin airing the program.
We also thank the Japanese American National Museum for graciously hosting the screening on an important day to remember the history of Japanese Americans.
© All rights reserved.
No part of the Historic Wintersburg blog may be reproduced or duplicated
without prior written permission from the author and publisher, M. Adams
Urashima
