Katamoto and Japanese Artists in New York in the Early 1930S (Microscopic Gentleman from Japan) (Critical Essay‪)‬

One hundred years ago in Japan, study abroad was limited to an elite few who traveled on Japanese government scholarships or private funds. As to studying art overseas, almost all of the elite Japanese went to Paris to learn Western painting or sculpture. They stayed in Paris for several years and then returned to Japan, where they became Western-style painters or sculptors, or taught at colleges of art. In those days, few Japanese thought of coming to New York to study art. Most of the Japanese immigrating to the United States were manual laborers. They wanted to make their fortune in the country where they believed "the American Dream" was not a fantasy but a reality. They hoped that, once they accumulated a fortune, they would return to Japan as rich men. Regrettably, however, their high hopes often turned into nightmares in California and other parts of the United States.