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Probably the most remarkable person that I have found during my research of this project was a man who took the challenge
that only few men would attempt to do even by todays standards and that is to pursue the "Golden Trout".
This man's identity has been a mystery for decades and he is only known by his family name of "Ishikawa". This man lived
in the same block as the famed photographer Toyo Miyatake who lived in Block 20, Barrack 12, Apartment 4. This man's first
name is believed to be "Heihachi" because records show there was a man by that name in the Manzanar registry who was about
his age presumably in his mid 50's. This man was known only as "Ishikawa Fisherman" among his fellow internees and became
somewhat of a legend in Manzanar because he would leave the camp for weeks at a time carrrying only scarce amount of rations
in his trek to go after the "golden trout". It is presumed that he must have had to catch a lot of trout to survive being
away from the camp the weeks he was out. There was no way he could carried enough provisions to sustain life without living
off the land.
I could only envision this man fishing in solitude high in elevation over 12,000' and being closer to the heavens then
the rest of internees who were stuck within the confines of the barbed wire below. I can also imagine this man having to
drop down below the snow line to timberline to cook his trout on an open fire enjoying his brief moments of freedom.
Archie Miyatake recalls the day that his father Toyo took this photo. Upon returning to camp, Toyo who was a trout fisherman
before he was interned saw "Ishikawa Fisherman" with trout that he had never seen before. He was so impressed with its beauty,
he detained Mr. Ishikawa while he ran to get his cameras. Not only did he take a phtograph in black and white but he also
shot some color Kodachrome photos of his catch. During this time, color film was extremely difficult to come by but Toyo
was not going to let a once in a lifetime photo opportunity slip by.
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