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Captive on the U.S. Mainland: Oral Histories of Hawai‘i-born Nisei

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Captive on the U.S. Mainland: Oral Histories of Hawai‘i-born Nisei

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Captive on the U.S. Mainland: Oral Histories of Hawai'i-born Nisei

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Captive on the U.S. Mainland: Oral Histories of Hawai'i-born Nisei

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Campu: A Podcast - Densho: Japanese American Incarceration and Japanese Internment

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History and archives of World War II incarceration and internment.

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Poets behind Barbed Wire.  A Tanka from Sojin Takei

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Poets behind Barbed Wire.  A Tanka from Sojin Takei

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“Fifty and more

Of us prisoners gather here

To burn incense

On an empty sardine can

For the repose of a departed soul.
Sojin Takei

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Names of Incarcerees Memorialized in Ireichō

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Names of Incarcerees Memorialized in Ireichō

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After a long and laborious process, the names of all 125,321 Nikkei incarcerees have finally been documented and captured in a sacred book of names known as the Ireichō.  An online link is embedded in this page to allow individuals to search for the names of former incarcerees.

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Irei: National Monument for the WWII Japanese American Incarceration is a multi-faceted project to address the erasure of the identities of individuals of Japanese ancestry who experienced wartime incarceration and to expand the concept of what monument is through three distinct, interlinking elements: a sacred book of names as a monument (Ireichō), a website as a monument (Ireizō), and light sculptures as monuments (Ireihi).

The project is funded by the Mellon Foundation and led by Duncan Ryuken Williams, co-curator of Sutra and Bible: Faith and the Japanese American World War II Incarceration at JANM, professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, chair of the USC School of Religion, and director of the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture, and Project Creative Director, Sunyoung Lee.

The Ireichō contains the first comprehensive listing of over 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated in US Army, Department of Justice, Wartime Civil Control Administration, and War Relocation Authority camps. Embedded into the very materiality of the Ireichō are special ceramic pieces made from soil collected by the project from seventy-five former incarceration sites from Alaska to Hawai'i, Arkansas to California, and from almost every other region of the United States.

The Ireizō lists those names online at ireizo.com. Visitors can search for the person's name by name, birth year, or camp.

Stamping of the Ireichō will require a reservation. All visitors are welcome to stamp up to six names in the Ireichō. You do not have to be a former incarceree, a relative, or a descendant of a former incarceree to stamp the book.

When filling out the reservation, please provide the names and dates of birth for the people you are stamping so that JANM can prepare for your visit. If you do not have six specific individuals, please type "NA" in the name fields.

Camp survivors and those with special circumstances can contact the Development office at 213.830.5646 or email development@janm.org to arrange a time to stamp your name.

Visit the Stamping Instructions page for information on how to make a reservation to stamp the book.

Irei: National Monument for the WWII Japanese American Incarceration is a multi-faceted project to address the erasure of the identities of individuals of Japanese ancestry who experienced wartime incarceration and to expand the concept of what monument is through three distinct, interlinking elements: a sacred book of names as a monument (Ireichō), a website as a monument (Ireizō), and light sculptures as monuments (Ireihi).

The project is funded by the Mellon Foundation and led by Duncan Ryuken Williams, co-curator of Sutra and Bible: Faith and the Japanese American World War II Incarceration at JANM, professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, chair of the USC School of Religion, and director of the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture, and Project Creative Director, Sunyoung Lee.

The Ireichō contains the first comprehensive listing of over 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated in US Army, Department of Justice, Wartime Civil Control Administration, and War Relocation Authority camps. Embedded into the very materiality of the Ireichō are special ceramic pieces made from soil collected by the project from seventy-five former incarceration sites from Alaska to Hawai'i, Arkansas to California, and from almost every other region of the United States.

The Ireizō lists those names online at ireizo.com. Visitors can search for the person's name by name, birth year, or camp.

Stamping of the Ireichō will require a reservation. All visitors are welcome to stamp up to six names in the Ireichō. You do not have to be a former incarceree, a relative, or a descendant of a former incarceree to stamp the book.

When filling out the reservation, please provide the names and dates of birth for the people you are stamping so that JANM can prepare for your visit. If you do not have six specific individuals, please type "NA" in the name fields.

Camp survivors and those with special circumstances can contact the Development office at 213.830.5646 or email development@janm.org to arrange a time to stamp your name.

Visit the Stamping Instructions page for information on how to make a reservation to stamp the book.

Reservations are required at the RSVP link above.

Irei: National Monument for the WWII Japanese American Incarceration is a multi-faceted project to address the erasure of the identities of individuals of Japanese ancestry who experienced wartime incarceration and to expand the concept of what monument is through three distinct, interlinking elements: a sacred book of names as a monument (Ireichō), a website as a monument (Ireizō), and light sculptures as monuments (Ireihi).

The project is funded by the Mellon Foundation and led by Duncan Ryuken Williams, co-curator of Sutra and Bible: Faith and the Japanese American World War II Incarceration at JANM, professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, chair of the USC School of Religion, and director of the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture, and Project Creative Director, Sunyoung Lee.

The Ireichō contains the first comprehensive listing of over 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated in US Army, Department of Justice, Wartime Civil Control Administration, and War Relocation Authority camps. Embedded into the very materiality of the Ireichō are special ceramic pieces made from soil collected by the project from seventy-five former incarceration sites from Alaska to Hawai'i, Arkansas to California, and from almost every other region of the United States.

The Ireizō lists those names online at ireizo.com. Visitors can search for the person's name by name, birth year, or camp.

Stamping of the Ireichō will require a reservation. All visitors are welcome to stamp up to six names in the Ireichō. You do not have to be a former incarceree, a relative, or a descendant of a former incarceree to stamp the book.

When filling out the reservation, please provide the names and dates of birth for the people you are stamping so that JANM can prepare for your visit. If you do not have six specific individuals, please type "NA" in the name fields.

Camp survivors and those with special circumstances can contact the Development office at 213.830.5646 or email development@janm.org to arrange a time to stamp your name.

Visit the Stamping Instructions page for information on how to make a reservation to stamp the book.

Reservations are required at the RSVP link above.

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Irei: National Monument for the WWII Japanese American Incarceration is a multi-faceted project to address the erasure of the identities of individuals of Japanese ancestry who experienced wartime incarceration and to expand the concept of what monument is through three distinct, interlinking elements: a sacred book of names as a monument (Ireichō), a website as a monument (Ireizō), and light sculptures as monuments (Ireihi).

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Statement from President Biden on Day of Remembrance

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Statement from President Biden on Day of Remembrance

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When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, eighty-one years ago today, it ushered in one of the most shameful periods in American history. The wrongful incarceration of 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent tore families apart. Men, women, and children were forced to abandon their homes, their jobs, their communities, their businesses, and their way of life. They were sent to inhumane concentration camps simply because of their heritage. And in a tragic miscarriage of justice, the Supreme Court upheld these immoral and unconstitutional policies.

Despite losing liberty, security, and the fundamental freedoms that rightfully belonged to them, 33,000 Japanese Americans volunteered or were drafted for service in the U.S. military during World War II. While their own families were behind barbed wires, Japanese Americans fought in defense of the nation's freedom with valor and courage.

The incarceration of Japanese Americans reminds us what happens when racism, fear, and xenophobia go unchecked. As we battle for the soul of our nation, we continue to combat the corrosive effects of hate on our democracy and the intergenerational trauma resulting from it. We reaffirm the Federal Government's formal apology to Japanese Americans for the suffering inflicted by these policies. And we commit to Nidoto Nai Yoni - to "Let It Not Happen Again."

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Statement from President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on the Day of Remembrance of Japanese American Incarceration - The White House

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When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, eighty-one years ago today, it ushered in one of the most shameful periods in American history. The wrongful incarceration of 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent tore families apart. Men, women, and children were forced to abandon their homes, their jobs, their communities, their businesses, and their...

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Nikkei Incarcerees Remembered in Sacred Book of Names

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Nikkei Incarcerees Remembered in Sacred Book of Names

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Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII remembered in sacred book of names

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Freedom is an important theme in Julie Otsuka's When the Emperor Was Divine.  What symbols does Otsuka use to communicate freedom in her novel? What what point or commentary about freedom do you think Otsuka is attempting to make through her choice of symbols?

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Animals appear prominently in Julie Otsuka's novel, When the Emperor Was Divine--animals as various as White Dog, the bird that the anonymous woman frees from its birdcage, and the tortoise that the son keeps in a box in the Topaz concentration camp. But what might these animals symbolize, and what do you think Otsuka is trying to communicate through their use?

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Sharing that NPR's Fresh Air just re-aired an interview with Julie Otsuka.

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Otsuka has recently been awarded the Carnegie Medal for Excellence for her novel about a Japanese American woman who's lost much of her memory to dementia. Originally broadcast Feb. 22, 2022.

Copyright © 2023 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio record.

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Novelist Julie Otsuka draws on her own family history in 'The Swimmers'

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Otsuka has recently been awarded the Carnegie Medal for Excellence for her novel about a Japanese American woman who's lost much of her memory to dementia. Originally broadcast Feb. 22, 2022. Copyright © 2023 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

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"Here's Where It Gets Interesting" Podcast with Sharon McMahon: "Resilience" Series

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"Here's Where It Gets Interesting" Podcast with Sharon McMahon: "Resilience" Series

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"America's Government Teacher," Sharon McMahon (IG: @sharonsaysso) hosted a 15-episode podcast series called "Resilience" that you all might enjoy listening to and learning from. This link to her website offers streaming options as well as brief descriptions for each episode in the series: https://www.sharonmcmahon.com/blog/asian-immigration-and-the-american-west-coast

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Welcome to the first episode in our new series, Resilience. For the next few weeks, we are going to explore a part of American history that we tend to learn very little about: the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. So let's dive into the details-the hows and the whys-and learn more about the resilience shown by the 120 thousand Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes, their neighborhoods, their jobs, and their schools, and who endured government-enforced wartime imprisonment right here in America. Joining Sharon today is Dr. Ellen Wu, who researches, teaches, and writes about race and immigration in United States history.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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resilience: asian immigration and the american west coast

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‎Here's Where It Gets Interesting: Resilience: Asian Immigration and the American West Coast on Apple Podcasts

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Welcome to the first episode in our new series, Resilience. For the next few weeks, we are going to explore a part of American history that we tend to learn very little about: the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. So let's dive into the details-the hows and the whys-and learn...

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Recent picture book (2022).

From the Author's (Tokuda-Hall) Note:
"As much as I would hope this would be a story of a distant past, it is not....Hate is not a virus; it is an American tradition."

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This story, inspired by the author's grandparents, celebrates love blooming in the desert during a time of extreme duress.

In a World War II incarceration camp for Japanese Americans, two young people find respite in one another. In Minidoka, families are crowded together, enduring harsh weather, barbed wire fences, the intimidating scrutiny of White armed guards, and the stress of unjust imprisonment. Book lover Tama finds solace volunteering in the camp library, where she is visited daily by George, a handsome young man with a seemingly insatiable appetite for reading. Tama, who revels in the power of words, struggles to name her overwhelming feelings. George's reassurance that she is only human opens the door to love, marriage, and the birth of their first child in camp, a bubble of happiness in the midst of struggle. The gentle text shows how, no matter how bleak the outlook, people can find ways to hope, dream, and endure. An author's note fills in some background on the real Tama and George Tokuda and connects their story to the many other American communities who experience racism but nevertheless claim joy. Imamura's soft, exquisite illustrations capture the physical locale, using light and shadow in powerful ways. The 1940s setting comes to life with loving care in details of the decor and characters' clothes.

An evocative and empowering tribute to human dignity and optimism. (Picture book. 7-10)

Did you like this book?

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This story, inspired by the author's grandparents, celebrates love blooming in the desert during a time of extreme duress. In a World War II incarceration camp for Japanese Americans, two young people find respite in one another. In Minidoka, families are crowded together, enduring harsh weather, barbed wire fences, the intimidating scrutiny of White armed guards, and the stress of unjust imprisonment.

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Recent young adult fiction graphic novel (2020).

Leeward Library has George Takei's graphic novel, They Called Us Enemy (2019). Print and digital copies available.

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A new group of students join Mr. Ward's poetry class in the companion novel to Bronx Masquerade (2003).

A group of black, white, Asian, and Latinx high school students in Mr. Ward's class practice the art of poetry in preparation for a weekly open-mike reading each Friday. Through poetry, the students navigate their concerns and fears about themselves, their families, and their futures. As they prepare for the class's culminating event-a poetry slam competition-the students bond and grow more comfortable revealing themselves through their poems. Each student's story is introduced and explored in rotating first-person chapters. There's brown (not black) Puerto Rican Darrian, an aspiring journalist who lost his mother to cancer; 16-year-old Jenesis, a blue-eyed, blonde, black girl who worries what will happen when she ages out of the foster-care system at 18; Chinese-American Li, who hides her love of poetry from her parents; African-American Marcel, whose father wasn't the same when he returned home from prison; and several others. Unfortunately, the characters' personal struggles remain largely static throughout the novel, and there's no overarching plot or compelling conflict among them. Much of the dialogue feels forced and doesn't ring true as the voices of present-day teens; aside from a few poignant moments, the students' poetry tends to be heavy-handed.

Although it may not satisfy as a novel, its characters will no doubt resonate with teen readers who share their struggles and aspirations. (Fiction. 12-16)

Did you like this book?

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A new group of students join Mr. Ward's poetry class in the companion novel to Bronx Masquerade (2003). A group of black, white, Asian, and Latinx high school students in Mr. Ward's class practice the art of poetry in preparation for a weekly open-mike reading each Friday.

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Why are none of the major characters in When the Emperor Was Divine identified by name? What might be some reasons for this? What are some of the effects?

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1943 U.S. Gov. Film on Forced Relocation

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1943 U.S. Gov. Film on Forced Relocation

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In 1943 the U.S. Government produced this documentary to explain/justify its forced relocation of Japanese Americans during WWII.  Note the use of euphemisms to describe the incarceration, similar to those communicated in Julie Otsuka's When the Emperor Was Divine.

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1943 U.S. government-produced film "Japanese Relocation" addresses relocation camps

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"Hey Muskego-Norway School Board, Your White Fragility is Showing" by Natasha Varner for Denshō, June 30, 2022

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Award-winning author Julie Otsuka responds to the Muskego, Wisconsin, school board's decision to ban When the Emperor Was Divine from their high school English curriculum: “I’m deeply disappointed by the school board’s decision, but also heartened by all the parents and students in Muskego who came out in opposition to the ban. To see a community rally around a book because they believe the truth must be told — that gives me hope. Especially now, when, with each passing day, more and more survivors of the camps are leaving us behind. Given the level of hatred that Asian Americans are experiencing in this current moment, it is more important than ever that students learn about our country’s racist past, and that the legacy of the Japanese American incarceration not be forgotten.”

Read more at https://densho.org/catalyst/hey-muskego-norway-school-board-your-white-fragility-is-showing/