Shojiro Horikawa was born in Fukushima Ken, Japan, in 1889, and came to the United States in 1907.  Kinuye Horikawa was born in Nara Ken, Japan in 1904, and came to the United States ca. 1922.  They were married in 1925, and settled in San Francisco.  Shojiro served as the official translator for two life insurance companies, and established a print shop.  In 1942 the family was evacuated to the Colorado River Relocation Center (Poston).  In the camp, Shojiro worked as an interpreter and translator, and as superintendent of the Poston Print Shop.

The collection is relatively unusual in providing extensive documentation of the family prior to their evacuation and internment, and of Shojiro's activities in the camp.  The correspondence in particular illuminates Shojiro's efforts to obtain a job after release.

The collection was donated in 1992 by N. Richard Horikawa.  In English and Japanese.  No translations are available for Japanese-language materials.  Photographs have been removed to Photo Group 339.

The box list of the register of the papers of the Horikawa Family is one page long.