Ventura County Landmark No. 18: Japanese Cemetery
Historical Background
Located at the junction of Pleasant Valley and Etting Road in Oxnard, the Japanese Cemetery was designated Ventura County’s eighteenth landmark in 1971 (Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board, 1971). The 3.3-acre triangular plot is adjacent to the Oxnard Masonic Cemetery and was established as the Japanese Cemetery in 1908. There are conflicting accounts regarding how this came to be (Ventura County Genealogical Society, 2022). Some documents indicate that the Buddhist Church of Oxnard purchased the land, while other accounts indicate that the Masonic Cemetery was “whites only” at the time, and they designated this area of land for people of Asian, mostly Japanese, descent (Ventura County Japanese American Citizens League). Both the Masonic Cemetery and the Japanese Cemetery were purchased by the Garcia Mortuary in 2014 (Leung, 2017a).
Japanese immigrants settled in Oxnard and worked in the sugar beet and bean fields as well as the fishing village that was located at present day Point Mugu (Doner, 2012). The cemetery was used until 1960 when all the plots were filled. There are approximately 200 people buried at the site with at least 130 of them being Japanese. Many of the people buried at the cemetery were single male farmworkers as well as infants and toddlers. Since 1960, the Japanese-American community has utilized non-segregated burial sites, with Ivy Lawn Cemetery being a popular choice (Ventura County Japanese American Citizens League).
Vandalism, Preservation and Improvements
The cemetery has been vandalized numerous times over the years. In 2017, the cemetery suffered some of the worst vandalism it has faced since the 1980s. Around 15-20 posts, which served as grave indicators, were knocked over (Leung, 2017a). Some of them were permanently destroyed (Leung, 2017b). After the vandalism incident, a temporary chain link fence was put up to protect the site (Ventura County Japanese American Citizens League).
The Ventura County Japanese American Citizens League works with the Garcia Mortuary to preserve and maintain the site. Regarding the vandalism, the chapter is “passionate about the restoration … It is part of our tradition to honor the dead. We want to make the situation ‘right’ again in order to honor the Japanese pioneers of Ventura County.” They are currently working towards replacing the current, damaged grave markers. Members of the chapter participate in annual clean-up days and were the driving force behind efforts to repair the cemetery after the vandalism in 2017. It is worth noting that multiple prominent Oxnard families are involved in the cemetery’s preservation efforts, including former mayor Tsujio Kato’s family (Ventura County Japanese American Citizens League).
Two improvement projects have been completed at the site in recent years: the addition of benches and a Japanese entry portal. The entry portal was proposed and constructed in 2011, and the benches were an Eagle Scout project finished in 2012 (Doner, 2011; 2012).
Additional Viewing and Reading
References
Doner, N. (2011 February 28). Oxnard Cultural Heritage Board Staff Report and Recommendations, Agenda of February 28, 2011, Item No. 4a [Request for Certificate of Appropriateness for the proposed Japanese portal installation at the cemetery]. Landmark Files. Ventura County Planning Division 800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA 93009.
Doner, N. (2012 July 23). Oxnard Cultural Heritage Board Staff Report and Recommendations, Agenda of July 23, 2012 Item No. 4a [Request for Certificate of Appropriateness for the proposed benches at cemetery]. Landmark Files. Ventura County Planning Division 800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA 93009.
Leung, W. (2017a, June 29). Japanese cemetery hit by vandalism in Oxnard. Ventura County Star.
Leung, W. (2017b, July 4). Japanese tombstones are righted. Ventura County Star.
Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board (1971 June 7). Notice of Public hearing of the Ventura Count Cultural Heritage Board Concerning the proposed Designation of the Following Described Properties as Cultural Landmarks. [Cultural Heritage Board Resolution designating the cemetery at Cultural Landmark No. 18]. Cultural Heritage Board Files. Ventra County Planning Division 800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA 93009.
Ventura County Genealogical Society. (2021, April 22). Japanese cemetery. Ventura County Genealogical Society. https://venturacogensoc.org/japanese-cemetery/
Ventura County Japanese American Citizens League. (n.d.). Cemetery restoration. Ventura County JACL. https://venturacountyjacl.weebly.com/cemetery-restoration.html
Date Designated: June 1971
Location: East of Etting and Pleasant Valley Roads, Oxnard
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