[Tsuboi Brothers]

This group of four photographs show the Tsuboi Brothers jewelry store in Portland, Oregon in the early 20th-century. Teruo and Masaichi Tsuboi were Issei Japanese Americans who set up their apparel and accessories shop in what was the Japantown of the time. Their family story has become well-known due to their ongoing documentation of their lives in film and photography. While few in number, this collection is impactful in its contents: the photographs presumably show the humble beginnings of the shop, not long after opening but before the impact of WWII on these early Japanese American communities. One beautifully-composed portrait shows the elder of the brothers, Masaichi, in the midst of his craft, fixing a watch. He is seen again accompanied by his wife, Teruo, standing at the entrance of the shop with the storefront on display. The last two images show the interior of the shop: rows of watches, umbrellas, and briefcases; and what can be assumed as a group photo of the staff and their wives.

Masaichi Tsuboi began to visit Portland in 1867 to work at Hachiya Watch Store until finally settling in Portland in 1913. The younger Tsuboi, Teruo, and his wife, Suma, would also accompany Masaichi to Portland to learn the trade after finishing high school. In 1913, the brothers opened their own store called S. Tsuboi (later renamed Tsuboi Bros.) on 315 Burnside Street to sell and repair Western apparel and accessories. Their stepbrother, Hiroshi, also emigrated from Japan to join them during this time. They were a welcome business in the bustling Japantown, helping to foster the community. The brothers would pass their store on to their many children and after WWII, there was an addition of an optometry exam room run by Teruhisa Tsuboi. Masaichi died in 1961 and Teruo in 1965–their collective deaths a great loss for the Japanese American community in Portland. Their family heirlooms, such as a kimono collection and their vast photo/video archive, were gifted to the Oregon Nikkei Endowment to educate, preserve, and give insight to how early Japanese Americans lived over multiple generations