NVC Foundation Japanese American Memorial Wall

Saki (Hazemoto) Ohno was born in Yanozaki-mura, Nishiuwa-gun, Ehime-ken, Japan on September 3, 1895 (Meiji 28) to Sotaro and Taki Hazemoto. She was the youngest of two daughters (Miyano the eldest). In 1915, she married Yosaji Ohno in Japan. In 1917, their first daughter, Takiko, was born in Japan.

In 1919, as an Issei, Saki and her husband Yosaji traveled to America, landing in Seattle, Washington. Her 14-month-old daughter Takiko was left in the care of Saki's older sister Miyano. Saki raised ten sons and daughters (Marian, Fred, Amy, Joe, Tom, Miyako, Nobuko, Sakiye, Sally, and Henry) while living in Kent, Washington and Seattle, Washington. Marian, Fred, and Amy were born in O'brien, Washington while Saki's husband, Yosaji, worked as a farm hand on the Tamura Farm in Kent, Washington from 1919-1925. The remaining seven children were born in Seattle after the family moved to Seattle in 1925.

Soon after the outbreak of World War II, the Ohno family, along with other Japanese American families in Seattle, was evacuated in April 1942 to the Puyallup Assembly Center located on the Puyallup Fairgrounds in Puyallup, Washington. The family was later moved inland and incarcerated in the Minidoka Relocation Center, Minidoka, Idaho along with many other Japanese American families from the Pacific Northwest.

After the end of World War II, the family relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota on August 16, 1945 with the help of their eldest son Fred. Saki and Yosaji lived the remaining years of their lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Saki was a devout Christian. She and husband Yosaji were baptized in 1953 at the Twin City Church by Reverend Yasushi Wada.

In 1956 Saki became a naturalized American citizen.

On May 15, 1965 Saki and Yosaji celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Yosaji preceded Saki in death on March 9, 1970 at the age of 88. Saki passed away peacefully on August 11, 1973 at the age of 77.