FALL 2015 : WINTER 2016 VOL. 26, NO. 1 N AT I O N A L J A PA N E S E A M E R I C A N H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y Nikkei Heritage Identity EDITOR’S NOTE BEN HAMAMOTO N AT I O N A L J A PA N E S E AMERICAN hen we settled on the theme of “identity” for this issue of Nikkei Heritage, we knew there was a lot to explore. In a way, most of the articles we’ve published in the magazine over the years and many of the exhibits NJAHS has curated touch on the theme of identity. Our history gives us a sense of shared identity and experience. And yet, our identities are in flux. They constantly evolve, being broken down and reconstructed in both subtle and dramatic ways as time passes. This issue is really about how identities change. Jane H. Yamashiro’s article focuses on the voices of U.S. Nikkei who don’t identify as Japanese Americans, illuminating how some people perceive the borders of our communities—and how that might change in the future. “Issei Identities” focuses on identities that are no longer central to the Japanese American community that were important to so many of our forebearers, such as prefectural origin and class/caste as it was defined in Meiji Japan. “The Evolution of the Asian American Identity” tracks the birth and evolution of the concept of being Asian American, an identity that most U.S. Nikkei hold in addition to their Japanese American identity. The article covers how an Asian American identity might be even more important than an identity based on the nation of one’s ancestors. Of course, ancestry is not everything. Just as some people of Japanese descent don’t feel it’s important to their identity, people who do not have any Japanese heritage, biologically, may feel a sense of affinity with Japanese Americans. Today, Japanese pop culture brings people of all backgrounds into Japantowns for events, eateries, and shops that center on anime, manga, and contemporary Japanese fashion and culture. Alex Symeonides-Tsatsos, a student who is not of Nikkei descent, writes about how her interest in J-pop culture helped lead her to an internship at NJAHS. Jeremy Chan, who is also non-Nikkei, reflects on his role in the Japanese American community and on leaders in the community who are not, by blood, Japanese American. Of course, these articles don’t reflect the whole range of what has changed and what is changing today. There are plenty of people redefining what it means to be JA whose stories we would have liked to include (and we hope to do just that in a future issue). We at NJAHS hope these articles help you think through and empathize with the identities they describe, spark your curiosity to learn more about others’, and help you reflect on your own identity as well. W Vocation: Gardeners, grocers, house boys, field workers, and farmers. Initially, there were only a handful of professions associated with Japanese Americans. Why was this the case? And what professions, if any, are associated with Japanese Americans today? Next issue, we’ll explore Nikkei vocations, their evolution, and people trading careers for other forms of meaning. 2 : N AT I O N A L J A P A N E S E A M E R I C A N H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y HISTORICAL SOCIETY NJAHS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Hon. Bryan M. Yagi (Ret.), President Ellen Sawamura, Ph.D., Executive Vice President Kevin Shingo Kitsuda, Secretary Neal Taniguchi, Chief Financial Officer Paul T. Handa Hon. Ken M. Kawaichi (Ret.) Jane T. Ma James Masuoka Gaye Miyasaki, Esq. Robert E. Obana Meridith Satake Jojiro “Joe” Takano Derrek Tomine, Esq. Pauline Tomita, Esq. Wesley Ueunten, Ph.D. The National Japanese American Historical Society, Inc., founded in 1980 in San Francisco, is a nonprofit membership-supported organization dedicated to the collection, preservation, authentic interpretation, and sharing of historical information of the Japanese American experience for the diverse, broader national and global community. The Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center at Building 640, Presidio of San Francisco, is “a catalyst for change through cross cultural awareness—by learning from the past and influencing the future.” INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF NIKKEI HERITAGE FALL 2015 : WINTER 2016 NJAHS STAFF Rosalyn Tonai, Executive Director Melissa Ayumi Bailey, Program Development Associate Max Nihei, Collections and Exhibits Manager Brandon Oliva, Program Assistant Grace Morizawa, Education Coordinator Peter Yamamoto, Volunteer Paloma Añoveros, Collections Consultant Features 4 : Being Japanese American The Evolving Japanese American Identity by Jane H. Yamashiro 14 : Issei Identities A Look at the Emigration of Identity from Japan to America by Ben Hamamoto 8 : Interview with Russell Jeung Evolution of the Asian American Identity by Ben Hamamoto 17 ADVISORY COUNCIL Kazuo Abey Roger Daniels, Ph.D. Steven Doi, J.D. Eugene Itogawa Betty Kano Richard Katsuda Ben Kobashigawa, Ph.D. James C. McNaughton, Ph.D. Michael Omi, Ph.D. Jerry Ono Ben Pease John Tagami Kenji Taguma Jerold Takahashi, Ph.D. Sandra Chikako Tanamachi J.K. Yamamoto NIKKEI HERITAGE Ben Hamamoto, Editor Rosalyn Tonai Melissa Ayumi Bailey Elaine Joe, Graphic Designer and Copy Editor CONTRIBUTORS : Reflections on a NJAHS Internship An Introduction to the Bay Area Japanese American Community by Alexandra SymeonidesTsatsos 12 : Multiculturalism in the Nikkei Community Being a Chinese American Member of the Japanese American Community by Jeremy Chan Departments 19 : Executive Director’s Report by Rosalyn Tonai 20 : NJAHS Member News 2015–2016 22 : Donors and New Members 24 : Program Calendar COVE R PHOT O: Faces of Nikkei heritage, photographed in front of the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center (photo: Mizuho Takahashi). Jeremy Chan Alexandra Symeonides-Tsatsos Jane H. Yamashiro N I K K E I H E R I TA G E I D E N T I T Y : 3 BEING J A PA N E S E A M E R I C A N The Evolving Japanese American Identity B Y JA NE H. YA MA S HIRO ave you ever thought about who are Japanese-speaking, those who have what it means to identify as one Japanese parent or grandparent or no Japanese American? Why do Japanese parents or grandparents, and basically some people use the term anyone else who doesn’t fit the traditional “Nikkei American” instead of notion of a JA. Again, these are just examples, “Japanese American”? but my point is that we need to change the Over the past 60 years, Nikkei American rules. Because yesterday’s rules do not apply to demographics have been changing significantly. These today’s game, and if we keep playing by the same old rules, we will lose.” changes include low immigration rates from Japan (leading to a decreasing Nikkei American population “Nikkei” has become a term that includes not relative to the rest of the Asian American population), only people of later and mixed generations, but, as an aging population, an increase in interracial Tate asserts, “anyone who doesn’t fit the traditional marriages, and a move away from Japantown and notion of a [Japanese American].” For this reason, urban centers to the suburbs. The younger generations many individuals and are more multiracial and more organizations have shifted from mixed generationally, “We have to begin by getting using the term “Japanese provoking ongoing discussions rid of the old notions of who American” to the term “Nikkei about the future of the is a Japanese American... we American” to be more inclusive. community and what it means On a personal level, while to be Japanese American. need to change the rules. I have always identified as The community has had Because yesterday’s rules do Japanese American and felt national conversations about enmeshed in community, I not apply to today’s game.” how we might rethink what it have also felt the narrowness of means to be Japanese – Eric Tate who and what it has referred to, American. The Nikkei 2000 not having grown up National Conference was held with the goal of participating in mainstream Japanese American “actively meet[ing] the challenges of the Japanese community activities. Growing up in Berkeley, I often American community’s evolving needs.” Eric Tate, helped out at my father’s store (Richard’s Jewelers in who co-founded one of the first hapa student groups Albany), where most of his customers were Japanese at the University of California, Berkeley, in the early American. As a Nisei born and raised in Berkeley then 1990s, recapped the conference findings in the incarcerated at Topaz as a teenager, my father knew conference’s booklet, Nikkei 2000 Summary and Japanese Americans both from the neighborhood Analysis: where he grew up and from camp. He also H “We have to begin by getting rid of the old notions of who is a Japanese American…I know at various times, only persons with a Japanese surname could play basketball, or a woman had to have a certain blood quantum to be a Cherry Blossom contestant. This broader inclusiveness applies to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons, disabled or handicapped persons, those 4 : participated in Japanese American bowling and golf clubs and brought my family to the local annual bazaars. Between the customers who gathered at the E D I T O R ’ S N O T E : Jane H. Yamashiro is a sociologist. Previously based at USC’s Center for Japanese Religions and Culture, she is now a visiting scholar at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. N AT I O N A L J A P A N E S E A M E R I C A N H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y AFAN AN PH O TO : JR How different is a Japanese American identity centered around speaking Japanese and visiting Japan regularly and one centered in Japantowns, basketball leagues, and U.S.-based Japanese American culture? SANFRANCISCODAYS.COM I reflected on this often while conducting research on U.S.-born and raised Nikkei Americans who live in Japan as adults. As I conducted interviews asking people about their experiences growing up and how they identified, a number of people said that they did not identify as Japanese American. Their reasons shed some light on where the boundaries of being Japanese American lie and how they might shift in the future. © BROKENSPHERE / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Not a Minority in Hawai‘i Rick was born and raised in Hawai‘i on the island of O‘ahu. He grew up not using the term “Japanese American.” He reflected that, “…growing up in Hawai‘i, you don’t say Japanese American, usually you say Japanese… in Hawai‘i, especially after the ’50s, being Nikkei was kind of, you know, you’re part of the ruling class, right? So you kind of get a little resentment from the other ethnicities there because of that. Kind of like being white on the mainland, I think.” The few remaining urban enclaves of Japanese American culture and identity (top to bottom): Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, Japantown in San Francisco, and Japantown in San Jose. store and the community events that we attended, I took for granted that we were part of the community. Yet, at the same time, I never played basketball and we did not regularly attend a church, so my connections to the community have never been the same as my Japanese American peers who were involved with these activities. As a result, I’ve always had mixed feelings about my place in the community. I take for granted that I am part of it at the same time that I do not share many of the experiences that seem central in defining it, namely, participation in Japanese American sports and religious institutions. Rick’s comments were characteristic of most Hawai‘i Nikkei I spoke with who said that when growing up they never thought much about their ability to blend in and feel included as part of mainstream society in Hawai‘i—a stark contrast to many Nikkei on the mainland. Of course, Nikkei were not always well-represented in politics or mainstream society in Hawai‘i. But as a “local” culture has developed, and as Nikkei have become more well represented, their experiences are generally different from those of Nikkei who are minorities on the U.S. continent. And while Nikkei in Hawai‘i do not have access to all the same kinds of privilege that white people enjoy on the mainland or, indeed, in much of the world, Rick suggests that, by some measures, they might be better compared to whites on the mainland than to Nikkei on the mainland. N I K K E I H E R I TA G E I D E N T I T Y : 5 PHOTO COURTESY NJAHS Many Shin-Nisei (children of postwar Japanese immigrants) on the U.S. continent do not identify with being Japanese American because to them it suggests a history of incarceration and cultural distance from Japan. In addition, Rick notes how Japanese American is not a term commonly used in Hawai‘i. Several Hawai‘i interviewees related that the term “Japanese American” is used by the government or academics, but not by most people in everyday conversations in Hawai‘i. People of Japanese ancestry in Hawai‘i more commonly describe themselves just as Japanese. This may be because ethnic Japanese are not a minority in Hawai‘i and it is commonly understood that they can be “local,” in contrast to Nikkei on the continent who are often assumed to be immigrants. Connected to Japanese Society and Culture Many Shin-Nisei (children of postwar Japanese immigrants) on the U.S. continent do not identify with being Japanese American because to them it suggests a history of incarceration and cultural distance from Japan. For those whose parents came from Japan after World War II, their family history of the war was from the Japan side, not the U.S. side. Rather than experiencing incarceration, close relatives may have experienced the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the Battle of Okinawa, or other bombings in the Japanese archipelago. Tracy grew up in California with a mother from Japan. She reflected, “I feel like the Japanese American community bonds solely over internment. It would be nice to find something contemporary.” At the same time, she recognizes the importance of teaching incarceration history because she says that “things happening today show that we haven’t learned from it,” alluding to the racist and xenophobic treatment of Muslim Americans. So Tracy is not saying that incarcation history is unimportant. Rather, she wonders if there is a more contemporary experience and identity that can bring Nikkei Americans together. 6 : Family life at the Santa Anita “Assembly” Center in Arcadia, California, 1942 (photo by Clem Albers/Department of the Interior War Relocation Authority, National Archives). Sara was raised in the Midwest and also has a mother from Japan. In her mind, “Japanese American” refers to being born and raised in the United States, and not growing up with contemporary Japanese language or culture. She explained that “they seem to have a superficial sense of being Japanese” because “they talk about Japan like it’s a class or something; it’s not a lived experience for them.” This contrasts with her knowledge of Japanese culture and language and her experiences visiting Japan with her family. Sara has been the recipient of a Japanese American Citizen’s League (JACL) scholarship and has attended their events, but feels distant from them and the Japanese American community. Mixed Heritage Naomi, whose mother is from Japan and father is a white American, explains that, “I usually think of Japanese American as someone of 100% Japanese descent, so I never really identified that way.” Since she associated Japanese American with people who are not of mixed heritage, she did not think it included her. Martin, whose mother is a white American and whose father is from Japan, said he does not like associating with the term “Japanese American” for several reasons. First, he doesn’t like racial terms and doesn’t want to be categorized in a racial or ethnic way. Second, when attending an international high school in Tokyo, other “half American and half Japanese” never referred to themselves as “Japanese American.” Third, by college he already had a N AT I O N A L J A P A N E S E A M E R I C A N H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y PHOTO COURTESY THE FIELD MUSEUM, CHICAGO Organized by the Japanese American National Museum, “kip fulbeck part asian, 100% hapa” began its traveling exhibition in 2008 and ends this year at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Center in Burnaby, BC, Canada. nationality-based identity. So although he is a U.S. citizen of Japanese ancestry, Martin identifies not as Japanese American but, rather, as Japanese and American. He is more focused on his two national parentages than on his racial or ethnic backgrounds. Instead of seeing himself in racial or ethnic terms as white and Japanese/Asian, he sees himself in national terms as half American and half Japanese. His upbringing outside of the United States encouraged him to see himself in this way. Many mixed-race Nikkei Americans whom I interviewed feel excluded from identifying as Japanese American based on phenotype (physical characteristics) and other racial connotations. “Japanese American” is an ethnic term that is usually seen as part of the pan-ethnic grouping Asian. But Asian is a racial category that implies phenotypical differences from whites and blacks, such as eye shape and skin, hair and eye color. What, then, does it mean if Nikkei Americans don’t look Asian? Addressing Diversity Even though my interviewees may not be representative of the larger Nikkei population in the United States, their perspectives do illuminate some aspects of how people currently understand being Japanese American. For one, they reveal how central the incarceration and prewar immigration experience in the United States is to current constructions of the Japanese American community. There are numerous legitimate reasons for this. But when we include more about modern Japanese and Hawai‘i history in Over the past 15 years, we can see many community organizations becoming more inclusive. For example, organizations like the Japanese American National Museum and NJAHS have held exhibits focusing on the experiences of mixed-race Japanese Americans. Japanese American historical narratives, (without undermining the importance of incarceration or prewar history), a wider population might be better able to relate. Some Japanese American history books include the experiences of postwar migrants from Japan and people in Hawai‘i, contextualizing incarceration in a larger history of ethnic Japanese experiences that transcend the U.S. continent during those particular years. I think it is most useful when these pre- and postwar histories are recognized as distinct yet overlapping, rather than as somehow woven together. When woven together as a single narrative, it is common to see discussions of Hawai‘i plantations, then incarceration, then postwar Nikkei political successes in Hawai‘i. Instead of this, subgroups within the Nikkei American population could be identified and each of their histories recognized separately, intersecting as people migrate from one place to another. The audience could develop a better sense of how Nikkei experiences have differed yet overlapped as people have migrated between Japan, Hawai‘i, and the U.S. continent, among other places. There is also rich material to explore by comparing how different groups of Nikkei Americans have experienced certain events or time periods. When we look comparatively at something like the incarceration (and non-incarceration) of Nikkei in Hawai‘i and on the U.S. continent, we get a deeper understanding of both communities. When immigration history looks comparatively at Japanese migration to the United States in both the prewar and CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 N I K K E I H E R I TA G E I D E N T I T Y : 7 INTERVIEW WITH RUSSELL JEUNG Evolution of the Asian American Identity B Y B EN HA MA MO T O oday, the majority of Japanese several Asian countries. And living for generations Americans do not speak Japanese with an externally imposed label created shared and have never spent significant experiences and interests. (For instance, many Asians time in their ancestral homeland. have been subject to similar stereotypes, regardless of While many things unite us as ethnic background.) Nikkei, being people of Asian “Some sort of pan-Asian identity did exist before descent living in America can be just as important to World War II,” Russell explained. “In the ‘40s, my dad our sense of identity. In fact, for some Asian Americans, this identity is even The pan-Asian or “Asian American” identity more central to their sense of identity as we know it today largely grew out of the than the specific country their family emigrated from. Civil Rights movements and Third World That was the case, at one time, for Liberation movement of the ’60s. renowned activist and San Francisco State University professor Russell Jeung. played in pan-Asian sports leagues and my mom did “For a lot of my life, I identified with being Asian feel a sense of affinity with her Japanese American American, much more than I identified as being neighbors when she was growing up in South Central Chinese American,” he explained in a recent Los Angeles.” interview. “My great, great grandfather emigrated But the pan-Asian or “Asian American” identity from China to Monterey, California, as a fisherman in as we know it today largely grew out of the Civil the 1860s, so I didn’t feel much of a connection to Rights movements and Third World Liberation China.” movement of the ‘60s. Russell grew up in the ’70s in San Francisco, an “During that era, college students whose families epicenter of the Asian American movement. And his had initially emigrated from various Asian countries near-lifelong involvement in the movement and background as an ethnic studies scholar give him a began to notice they faced similar struggles of unique perspective on how the concept of an Asian discrimination as individuals and that their American identity was born, what it means to those communities were subject to similar patterns of who embrace it, and ultimately, where it’s going in the gentrification and redevelopment,” Russell said. future. The “Asian” part of the term “Asian American,” The Coining of “Asian American” of course, predates the movement by several hundred University students and faculty, but also many years. The word “Asia” comes originally from Greek from outside academic institutions altogether, began and has been used by various European and American organizing, often leveraging previous experience with nations to describe the people on the Eastern side of activist movements ranging from the Black Panther the Eurasian continent. As preeminent Asian Party to the United Farm Workers Alliance. And American columnist Jeff Yang wrote, “Asian,” in its while many of these groups and efforts were pancurrent U.S. definition, is “a quintessentially Asian, the first documented use of the term “Asian American invention, superimposed on a set of peoples American” was by the Asian American Political that have historically given one another the side-eye.” Alliance, formed in Berkeley by Yuji Ichioka and However, there are genuine cultural ties between Emma Gee. According to the archives of the Asian T 8 : N AT I O N A L J A P A N E S E A M E R I C A N H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y PHOTO: CORKY LEE The Asian American movement in the 1960s and ’70s witnessed intense activism. In a demonstration in 1975, Asian Americans joined other communities of color to protest police brutality and racial profiling in New York City. Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka, pioneers who established the term “Asian American” and helped begin the Asian American studies movement. American Community Center that was located in the old International Hotel on Kearny Street in San Francisco, the activists founded their group by “phoning every Asian-sounding name listed on [Peace and Freedom] Party petitions in the [San Francisco] East Bay area.” While people from these countries had been grouped together under the label Oriental, the term had negative and racist connotations. By contrast, the term Asian American was one that was coined by people of Asian descent with an explicit and self-directed political purpose. The term helped catalyze political action, and by the ‘70s it had become institutionalized in the form of community nonprofits and Asian American studies programs in more progressive universities and even some high schools. As a teenager, when he began to think more consciously about identity, Russell began to explicitly consider himself Asian American in a way that he had never identified as Chinese American. Transcending Heritage to Form a Stronger Identity “Growing up we did a lot of Chinese cultural rituals, but I didn’t really know what they meant—I’d N I K K E I H E R I TA G E I D E N T I T Y : 9 PHOTO COURTESY RUSSELL JEUNG At San Francisco State University’s 2015 graduation ceremonies: Prof. Russell Jeung (right) with Prof. Laureen Chew (left), who was a student participant in the Third World Liberation Front strike, and Prof. Christen Sasaki (center), a new generation of Japanese American scholars. ask my mom and she’d just tell me that it was for could redefine who I wanted to be.” ‘good luck.’ And we’d go eat dim sum in Chinatown Through the influence of his siblings, his friends, every weekend and it would give me headaches, his high school Asian American studies course, and which I now realize was from MSG. So to me, at that the general political climate of San Francisco at the time, that’s what being Chinese was: good luck and time, he got involved in Asian American activist headaches.” issues such as the effort to save the I-Hotel, a low-cost By contrast, he felt a strong sense of connection with his Asian American peers. “Asian American was whatever we “In high school, my friends were like wanted it to be. We could pioneer me. They were Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino—but we were third, fourth, and, in Asian American writing and film. I my case, fifth generation Americans,” Russell could redefine who I wanted to be.” reflected. “We mostly didn’t speak any Asian – Russell Jeung languages, but we did have a lot in common in terms of how we dressed, the music we listened to, the way we talked, and the way other residential hotel then inhabited by many older people perceived us.” Filipino Americans. He also co-hosted an Asian They eagerly embraced the Asian American American radio program. movement and identity. “Even in high school, I realized being Asian Transforming “Asian American” into Activism American was very open to possibilities,” he said. Around this time, Russell obtained an internship “Asian American was whatever we wanted it to be. at the Pacific Stock Exchange through a program for We could pioneer Asian American writing and film. I students of color. He found the program enlightening, 10 : N AT I O N A L J A P A N E S E A M E R I C A N H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y The arrival of Southeast Asian refugees strengthened the Asian American movement, giving it a new focus and urgency.... The broad Asian American identity has, in part, encouraged this kind of solidarity. though not in the way it was intended to be. “The point of the internship was really to get students like us familiar with stock brokers, who were all white and who were part of the economic elite, so that we could one day join their ranks,” he said. “But I immediately identified more with the cleaning staff, who were people of color.” This inspired him to think more about the Asian American movement in terms of the concerns of low income Asian Americans. “Identity politics, issues of representation in the media, discriminatory policies in the corporate sector and academia, these are all problems, but I see them as more middle class concerns,” he said. “My priorities really shifted to the issues I saw as more immediate—working class, material struggles around things like housing and health care,” he clarified, though he agrees that the issues are connected. (The model minority myth, for instance, is particularly harmful to low income Asian Americans whose hardship is often obscured by the stereotype.) Because it encompasses so many different ethnicities, the Asian American population has a very wide income spread—and this has increasingly been the case since the arrival of refugees from the Vietnam War in the late ‘70s. While there are several criticisms of statistics of the financial status of Asian Americans, (chief among them that statistics paint a rosy picture of Asian Americans’ economic status but don’t highlight the fact that Asian American households tend to be larger than other groups and that they tend to live in areas where the cost of living is higher), by any reckoning, many Asian American groups with large refugee populations, such as Cambodian, Laotian, and Hmong have some of the lowest incomes of any ethnicity in the United States. The arrival of Southeast Asian refugees strengthened the Asian American movement, giving it a new focus and urgency. This has been, for the last several decades, where Russell has focused his activist efforts. “I wanted to work with the people who are the most oppressed and exploited and I wanted to work in the Asian American community,” he explained. For the last few decades, Russell has organized for and with Oakland’s Asian American refugee populations, choosing to live with his wife and son in one of the city’s poorest and highest-crime neighborhoods. The broad Asian American identity has, in part, encouraged this kind of solidarity and informed his activism. “Because I’m Asian American, I have a particular concern for refugees,” he observed. At the same time, recent years have found him reconsidering, and reclaiming, his Chinese American identity as well. Fluid and Shifting Identity “Thinking around Asian American identity has advanced in a way that many of us realize that identities, Asian or American, are not mutually exclusive and they’re not static, they’re shifting and fluid.” Visiting China helped him understand that. Though he doesn’t speak any Chinese language, he did internalize some Chinese values that were passed down through his family. “A lot of activism is framed around individual ‘rights.’ I’ve come to realize that, for me, it’s more rooted in a sense of collective responsibility,” he explained. “Visiting China, I realized that this is, in some ways, very Confucian, and I can embrace those values. Not in a sexist or hierarchical way, but the focus on community.” His thinking around identity has evolved substantially over the last several decades and he is currently publishing a memoir about this journey. “That’s how I’ve come to embrace my Chinese identity, this realization that you can select aspects you do like; pick and choose,” he noted. “You can identify elements in yourself that are Chinese, Japanese, Asian, or American—you’re authentically all of them.” n N I K K E I H E R I TA G E I D E N T I T Y : 11 M U LT I C U LT U R A L I S M IN THE NIKKEI COMMUNITY Being a Chinese American Member of the Japanese American Community B Y JEREMY CHA N ast year, Rachel Dolezal, thenThat alone might have been enough to solidify head of the Spokane NAACP my involvement, but I was most inspired by the way chapter, made national headlines NSU embraced other communities. That February, I when it was revealed that, though volunteered at NSU’s annual Day of Remembrance, in she had been publicly passing commemoration of the internment and incarceration herself off as black, she was of Japanese Americans during World War II. The actually a white woman. While most people reacted guest speaker, Karen Korematsu, spoke not only of with outrage, in some ways, I actually sympathized her father’s efforts to protest the constitutionality of with her. As a second-and-a-half generation Chinese the Japanese American mass incarceration in the American who is heavily involved in the Japanese American community, I Both Wong and Lin said their organizations know what it’s like to embrace cultural made a conscious choice to serve a broader values that you were not necessarily born into. However, I object to the fact Asian American audience, partially due to the that, rather than act as a white ally, declining Japanese American population, but Dolezal instead saw the need to also due to the Nikkei value of community appropriate the black identity in order that is inherent in their missions. to promote racial justice. Even though I consider myself a member of the Supreme Court, but also of Japanese American community (an the shocking parallels identification that I did not always between World War II make so readily), I refuse to culturally discrimination against appropriate the “Japanese American” Japanese Americans and post identity as my own. 9-11 Islamophobia. NSU and My involvement in the Japanese Muslim Student Association American community began in 2010 members stood side by side, during my freshman year at UC vowing to ensure that the Berkeley, when a high school friend mistakes of the past will not be who was an officer of the Nikkei repeated. Student Union, the Japanese Day of Remembrance American student organization, inspired me to learn more about dragged me to their first general Japanese American and Asian meeting. I had studied Japanese in high school, American issues, crystallizing my own selfstemming from an interest in Nintendo video games, identification as an Asian American. I grew more but before joining NSU I had no conception of a involved, producing NSU’s Culture Show and even separate “Japanese American” community or identity. planning a future Day of Remembrance myself. Even Nevertheless, the officers and members were so though my fellow officers encouraged and embraced incredibly welcoming that I felt drawn to this small my leadership, I took on these responsibilities with community niche in the vastness of Berkeley. PH O TO CO UR TE SY NATI O NA L AR CH IV ES L 12 : N AT I O N A L J A P A N E S E A M E R I C A N H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y N/ S TA LU SA PH OT O: LE NC APA PHOTO: SUZIE SAKUMA Chinese American leaders in the Japanese American community: (above) David Lin, National President of the JACL, and (right) Diane Wong, Executive Director of J-Sei. great hesitation and self-doubt in the back of my mind. Was I being a false ally, appropriating Japanese American culture for my own gain? As a Chinese American, do I have the right to be representing the Japanese American community? It was comforting to find that non-Japanese American leaders in the Japanese American community faced similar struggles. Diane Wong, Executive Director of J-Sei, an East Bay organization that serves seniors and families, first became involved in the Japanese American community through Japanese American basketball leagues. Wong says that she faced no direct opposition from the board based on her Chinese heritage, as the board felt confident that she would respect their interests and effectively lead the organization. As she cautiously entered the position during the first few months, trying to learn from example and respect the organization’s culture, she questioned if she was getting judged by the board and the staff. Even afterwards, when meeting with other Japanese American organization leaders, she has wondered if they would see her differently or take her seriously based on her ethnicity. However, with time, Wong says that she became more confident in her role. David Lin approached his involvement in the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) with a similar level of deference, taking time to get to know the organization better before becoming Vice President of Membership in 2010 and then the National President in 2012. Lin frequently fields questions from people from other organizations who are surprised to learn that he is Chinese American. He always responds that the JACL is a great organization that he’s happy to lead, and that it’s a compliment to the JACL’s dedication to advocating for the broader Asian Pacific Islander and other communities. Lin says the JACL has always “put out the welcome mat” for anybody who wants to support the organization. Both Wong and Lin said their organizations made a conscious choice to serve a broader Asian American audience, partially due to the declining Japanese American population, but also due to the Nikkei value of community that is inherent in their missions. When I joined Berkeley NSU, it was already making those same decisions. True, there aren’t a lot of Japanese American students who go to Berkeley, but the way that NSU embodied the value of community easily brought in people from other ethnicities. After some soul searching myself, I can more confidently proclaim myself as a Chinese American member of the Japanese American community, striving to share Japanese American culture, issues, and values with other communities. n E D I T O R ’ S N O T E : Jeremy Chan graduated from UC Berkeley in 2014, majoring in Political Economy and Japanese. After graduating, he interned at NJAHS and now works for the Japantown Task Force. He begins his law studies at UC Hastings this fall. N I K K E I H E R I TA G E I D E N T I T Y : 13 ISSEI IDENTITIES A Look at the Emigration of Identity from Japan to America B Y B EN HA MA MO T O PHOTO: DENSHO ENCYCLOPEDIA hen we talk about the state of the Japanese American community today, one of the most common remarks is how incredibly diverse we are. Nikkei Americans have high-rates of outmarriage to white Americans and other Asian Americans. While this is legitimately new and different from the Japanese America of decades past, the community was never as homogenous as its reputation suggests. In actuality, the Issei brought diverse identities with them from Japan— in particular, centered around the prefecture they emigrated from and their family’s position in a feudal caste system. And while these identities may be forgotten by many today, they played an important part in how American Nikkei related to each other in the early days. W Men’s dance group at Kagoshima Kenjinkai picnic, July 22, 1934, Seattle, Washington. with one another—and more accountable if anything Prefectural Pride and Prejudice went wrong). When he conducted his 1933 survey of Since the mid-1800s, Japan has been divided into Issei women in California, Stanford University different prefectures or municipalities (currently there psychology scholar Edward K. Strong observed that a are 47). Different regions of Japan, of course, have notably high number married men from the their own dialects, food, traditional clothing, and prefecture of their origin. cultural practices that often fall These regional ties were along prefectural lines. While formalized in the kenjinkai— Prefectural pride and these differences persist today, prefectural clubs that provided the distinctions were much Nikkei with mutual aid in times identity became hugely sharper in the late 19th and of economic or physical distress, important ways for the early 20th centuries. as well as opportunities for Issei to band together and Even after arriving and socializing. living for many years on the Prefectural pride and develop a sense of mainland and in Hawai’i, people identity, then, became hugely security and belonging. from the same prefectures important ways for the Issei to However, these identities maintained close ties. Early band together and develop a Japanese Americans (even Nisei) sense of security and belonging. also created divisions. were strongly encouraged by However, these identities also their parents to marry someone whose family came created divisions. from the same prefecture, if not the same village (the There were, of course, regional stereotypes. In his thinking being that they would be more compatible book Nisei, Bill Hosokawa writes that “various 14 : N AT I O N A L J A P A N E S E A M E R I C A N H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y In Hawai‘i and the mainland, these prejudices diminished considerably with each new generation, to the point where discrimination by prefecture of origin can barely be said to exist in today’s Japanese American communities. characteristics were attributed to the people of each prefecture. For example, Hiroshima people were said to be industrious and tightfisted; Wakayama people aggressive and hottempered; Tokyoites generous; people from Kumamoto stubborn; Okayama shrewd and clever; the northern provinces patient as a result of their long cold winters.” These stereotypes could cause offense, but the biggest problems arose from power differentials. While there were emigrants from all parts of Japan, a large majority of those who immigrated to the U.S. before 1924 were from eight of Japan’s 47 prefectures: Fukuoka, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima (all of which are on the southernmost island of Kyushu) and Hiroshima, Wakayama, Shiga, Okayama, and Yamaguchi (all in the southwest of the main island of Japan or the “Chugoku“ region). In Hawai’i, emigrants from Yamaguchi and Hiroshima (and Chugoku people more generally) formed a solid majority; for all intents and purposes, Chugoku dialect became “standard” Japanese. (Words that many Nikkei know, such as “bakatare” and “musubi,” are actually regional and not-standard Japanese.) And people from other regions were sometimes ostracized or looked down upon by Chugoku Japanese. In her book Issei: Japanese Immigrants in Hawaii, Yukiko Kimura describes a radio show hosted by an Issei she calls “Charlie S.” The show, which ran from 1946-1970, was focused on attacking Chugoku Japanese who discriminated against people from other prefectures. (The host, the author asserts, represents an outlier in terms of tactics, but his radio show illustrates the level of visibility the issue of prefectural discrimination had in the community at the time.) People from many regions experienced discrimination, but the regional heritage group that faced the most prejudice was undoubtedly people of Okinawan heritage. Culturally and to some extent linguistically distinct from the rest of Japan, the Okinawan/Ryukyu Islands were historically independent, only being annexed by the Japanese empire in 1879. Its people were seen as an ethnically, by some even racially, distinct group. In Hawai’i and the mainland, these prejudices diminished considerably with each new generation, to the point where discrimination by prefecture of origin can be said to barely exist in today’s Japanese American communities. And the role of kenjinkai transformed as well. By the time of the Sansei generation, they became more about socializing, bringing people together and holding picnics and other such events, rather than providing economic or other material assistance. Many still exist today, though their membership numbers are greatly diminished, and they often center around teaching younger Nikkei about their heritage. Marked by Mibun If prefectural identity had its dark side, the identities associated with the Japanese caste system were even more powerful and problematic among Issei. Though officially abolished in the late 1800s, Japan’s feudal “mibunsei” system that sorted people into distinct castes remained important to the identities of Nikkei immigrants. For instance, coming from a samurai family, a category near the top, was a source of great prestige at the time. Farmers were (comparatively) well-respected. But many other professions faced varying degrees of stigma at different times and in different regions. (Coal miners and even fishermen, for instance, were considered lower-caste in certain places.) However, at the absolute bottom of the hierarchy were the “Burakumin”—butchers, leather workers, and other people who “worked with death” in some way, believed to be a source of spiritual defilement or impurity. People from all prefectures discriminated against Burakumin, in some cases even forbidding their children from having physical contact with them for fear of becoming spiritually tainted. The derogatory word “eta” was used so commonly to describe people of Buraku origin that many Nikkei did not even realize that it was a discriminatory term. It’s difficult to accurately determine how many Burakumin immigrated to the United States. The Japanese government at the time wanted to project a N I K K E I H E R I TA G E I D E N T I T Y : 15 PHOTO COURTESY CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS Japanese picture brides and other immigrants walk off the dock at Angel Island in San Francisco, circa 1910. “respectable” image to the U.S. and tried to be selective about who it allowed to immigrate. However, according to the work of Andrea Geiger and several other scholars, there is much evidence that a significant Buraku population managed to come to both Hawai’i and the U.S. mainland with other Issei. Upon arriving in the U.S., all Japanese found that most white Americans made no distinctions between them based on Mibun or anything else, (and in some cases made no distinctions between them and Chinese immigrants). Even those in elite positions, who had lived lives of privilege in Japan, found themselves subject to discrimination and persecution. Politician and scholar Inazo Nitobe wrote that even former samurai were merely regarded as “Oriental heathens.” The Issei who made one of the earliest and most direct challenges against anti-Japanese racism in San Francisco were men who would have historically been considered Burakumin because of their profession. In her book Subverting Exclusion: Transpacific Encounters with Race, Caste, and Borders, 1885–1928, Andrea Geiger tells the story of the “Nihonjin Kakou Doumekai,” the Japanese Shoe Repairers Organization. A man known only as Shiro, who immigrated to San Francisco in 1889 and found work as a shoemaker, sent word back home that the port city was full of opportunity in leatherwork and shoemaking (highly stigmatized trades in Japan). But soon after, the Issei who joined 16 : him found themselves the victims of a white boycott of Japanese shoe repair businesses. In response, they formed their own union. They declared that, in spite of being seen as part of an inferior “yellow race” by many Caucasians, they were proud to be Japanese (and in some way staked their claim as legitimately Japanese). “Members of the association saw in the racial conflict that erupted with white shoemakers an opportunity to assert their common identity as Japanese subjects and, in so doing, to challenge the traditional caste prejudices of other Japanese immigrants,” Andrea Geiger writes. “Their purpose was not only to establish a base for organizing against white racism but also, through their effective resistance to white racism, to prove themselves to fellow immigrants who disparaged them because of their ancestry or their work.” As decades passed, the distinctions fell away. One 1928 front-page editorial from the Japanese-American Courier in Seattle was headlined “Forget Caste and Status According to Occupation.” For a variety of reasons, just that happened. Much like the prefecture identities, the Mibun identities faded with the generations, to the point where they likely seem irrelevant to most Nikkei today. Today, as the Japanese American community redefines itself, it’s important to remember that this is not new. Our identities as Japanese Americans always have and always will be fluid and dynamic. n N AT I O N A L J A P A N E S E A M E R I C A N H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y REFLECTIONS ON A NJAHS INTERNSHIP An Introduction to the Bay Area Japanese American Community B Y A L EX A NDRA S YMEO NIDES -T S AT S O S N N I K K E I H E R I TA G E I D E N T I T Y : 17 PHOTO: NJAHS ot being Japanese American, the question I got asked the most about my internship was how I found NJAHS and why I wanted to intern there. The answer had to do with a couple of different things. First, I had fallen in love with Japantown on a previous trip to San Francisco. I loved the environment and atmosphere and knew it was somewhere I’d want to go back to. The second reason is I had recently visited Manzanar and learned about the Japanese American incarceration. This subject had been missing from every American history class I had taken and I wanted to learn more. What I expected to be a strictly historical internship, Alex (center) with other NJAHS interns. with occasional forays to Japantown on my own time, turned out to be so much more. community which no textbook could convey. The first major learning experience of my My other major learning adventure was helping internship concerned Japantown itself. Previously, I at the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) Historic had known Learning Center. I watched Japantown to be a videos, wandered through the My experience at the [Millitary center for J-POP exhibits, and learned about the Intelligence Service] museum culture, but through Military Intelligence Service, my internship I showed me that Japanese American an aspect of American history learned about the that was new to me and utterly history is not static, but current, unique history of fascinating. My learning, alive, and ever-evolving. Japantown and however, didn’t come only Japanese Americans. from the exhibits but also from Accompanying my fellow interns on the historical the museum patrons I assisted as part of my job. I got walking tours of Japantown they conducted, I learned to meet the families of people who had participated in not only about the physical landscape of Japantown, the Military Intelligence Service Language School, as like the Peace Plaza and the Buchanan Mall, but also well as those who served in the 442nd Regimental about the history of the places we were seeing that Combat Team. form the core of the Japanese American community One day, a young man in a military uniform today. Before my internship I had read books about walked in and explained that he was there because he Japanese American history, but being in Japantown I was currently in the Army learning Arabic and got to experience the richness and vibrancy of the wanted to learn more about the history of the Military Intelligence Service. It may seem like a cliché, but my experience at the museum showed me that Japanese American history is not static, but current, alive, and ever-evolving. My main assignment during my internship was to write a historical narrative about Shinshichi Nakatani, creator of the Drum Bridge in the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. This project took me out of the Historical Society and Japantown and engaged me with the larger community. I visited the Japanese Tea Garden, observed the bridge and took pictures. I also went to examine the historical archives at the San Francisco Public Library, where I waded through original documents, Drum Bridge in San Francisco’s Japanese Tea guide books, and Garden, designed by pictures of the Tea Shinshichi Nakatani. Garden. I learned about the 1894 San Francisco Midwinter Festival and the early connection between San Francisco and Japan, as well as about Japanese artists like Nakatani whose contributions were almost lost due to racial prejudice. This project introduced me to a many other aspects of Japanese American history, including the initial connection between Japan and San Francisco and the art and architecture of Japan. Not only did I learn about Japanese American history in a far more visceral way than I could have from any book, I got to attend events at NJAHS, talk to members of the community, and learn about the first Japanese American women who attended my college (Smith College). I went with my fellow interns to learn Bon Odori Dancing, attended the San Jose Obon Festival, learned how to make sushi, and so much more. More than anything, my internship with NJAHS gave me the opportunity to learn and engage with a wonderful community. n E D I T O R ’ S N O T E : Alex interned with NJAHS in 2014. Though not of Nikkei ancestry, her interest brought her to Japantown and inspired her to volunteer. Alex graduates from Smith College this spring and will join Impact America and AmeriCorps. 18 : N AT I O N A L J A P A N E S E A M E R I C A N H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y The Evolving Japanese American Identity continued from page 7 postwar periods, we gain new insight into how both nations, and Nikkei American experiences, have changed over the decades. How different is a Japanese American identity centered around speaking Japanese and visiting Japan regularly and one centered in Japantowns, basketball leagues, and U.S.based Japanese American culture? Over the past 15 years, we can see many community organizations becoming more inclusive. For example, organizations like the Japanese American National Museum and NJAHS have held exhibits focusing on the experiences of mixed-race Japanese Americans. Organizations such as Kizuna in Los Angeles have expressed as a goal the development of “strategies for integrating 1st and 2nd generation Japanese American youth and families.” Whether broadening the focus of Japanese American organizations or renaming groups “Nikkei” instead of “Japanese American,” a larger goal that we are all working towards is including and meeting the needs of the changing population of people of Japanese ancestry in the United States. The marginalized Nikkei experiences mentioned in this essay are just a few examples. An ongoing task for us all is to continue to identify and address the needs of underrepresented groups in the community. As we continually reconstruct what it means to be Japanese American or Nikkei, who does this include and exclude? As being of mixedrace, Japanese and Caucasian, becomes increasingly mainstream, how do we include other mixed-race Nikkei? What other people of Japanese ancestry in the United States might not identify with mainstream narratives of Japanese American history and identity and what can we do about this? As our community continues to evolve proactively asking these questions can help us find new answers to what it means to be Japanese American . n EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT R O S A LY N T O N A I t was a common occurrence growing up in an all-white neighborhood that I would be asked, “Who are you? Where did you come from?” When my pat “Los Angeles” answer was not enough to satisfy their curiosity, they would persist, “No, really, where did you come from, your ancestors?” Annoyed by being singled out as identifiably different from my peers, I grew to resent these questions about my identity. Fast forward to today. In the Bay Area where multicultural families are common, such inquiries are usually cordial guessing games. “Hey, are you Japanese American? Are you part Chinese? Are you hapa?” Now, I am not so bothered by these questions. I suppose it depends on the context of how I am asked and who is doing the asking. In the context of the presidential campaigns, the rancor and fear-mongering over people’s nationality, ethnicity, and religion are tactics that are nothing less than political scapegoating. They are not too different from school yard bullying. We’ve seen it time and time again; we’ve also experienced it personally and collectively as Japanese Americans. The vestiges of wartime hysteria and racial prejudice creep into the political arena and become a toxic mix, igniting a fear of and hatred toward others. It was, after all, race prejudice, wartime hysteria, and the failure of political leadership that led to the egregious incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. The government acknowledged its grave mistake with redress and reparation as well as funding for civil liberties educational initiatives to begin to set the record straight. But did it? Even today, we find the same misrepresentations about the justification for camps for Syrian refugees or Muslim Americans being resurrected in the political discourse. As Japanese Americans, we need to step up and set the record straight. That is why in coalition with Muslim and Arab American civic groups, the Bay Area Day of Remembrance Consortium held a press conference to clarify what occurred historically and to combat the toxic mixture of fear and hate directed at innocent members of the Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities. I Just as it is NJAHS’s mission to share the Japanese American experience as part of the larger American narrative, it should be every Japanese American’s responsibility to aid in that effort by speaking up and being heard. By doing so, we help shape that American historical narrative. NJAHS continues to keep a busy pace in the coming year. Teaching the next generation remains our priority at our office and museum in San Francisco’s Japantown and at the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center in the Presidio. Under the direction of NJAHS Education Coordinator Dr. Grace Morizawa and NJAHS Program Development Associate Melissa Ayumi Bailey, our regional ties and newly developed historic-inquiry and place-based curriculum are now accessible online. As part of the National Veterans Network, we are working with the Smithsonian Institution to bring the little known story of the Nisei soldier to light through an interactive online website. We are strategically redesigning the space of our site in Japantown to create a more accessible visitorfriendly experience that helps revitalize Japantown. In this 110th commemorative year of SF Nihonmachi, we look toward new ways to promote “this great place to be” with social media and creative audience engagement. Speaking of accessibility, we are undertaking our most ambitious project to date: digitizing much of our WWII camp collections of documents, manuscripts, videos, and audio tapes under the direction of Consultant and Project Manager Paloma Añoveros and NJAHS Exhibition and Collections Manager Max Nihei, who recently completed his Master’s in Museum Studies at the University of San Francisco. Our loyal and supportive board members make us proud to be a part of NJAHS. Without a doubt, we appreciate our enduring members, donors, volunteers, and interns for their strong support. I am most grateful for your steadfast belief that we are making a difference in this world. N I K K E I H E R I TA G E I D E N T I T Y : 19 NJAHS MEMBER NEWS 2015–2016 SPRING 2015 ANNUAL AWARDS EVENT, MAY 3, 2015 JOURNEYS : PAVING THE WAY HOME—HONOREES WWII SERVICE RECOGNITION MIS Veterans: Frank Higashi and Frank Masuoka, Okinawa ’45. PEACE AWARD (top left) Jack Dairiki, Committee for Atomic Bomb Survivors; (top right) Seiko Fujimoto; and (right) Rev. Takashi Tanemori (with guide dog Yukina). LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Wayne Merrill Collins, Esq., and his legal support staff for the 5,000 WWII renunciation cases: Eiko Aoki, Florence Dobashi, Tetsujiro “Tex” Nakamura, Esq. (in absentia), Sam Nao, Chiyo Wada, and Yoshiye Handa Yasuda. In Memoriam: Jean Kajikawa Sakai, Doris Phippin, and Reiko Ouchida Nao. SUMMER 2015 TEACHER WORKSHOPS AND DISCOVERY SUMMER CAMP! WESTERN REGION TEACHER WORKSHOPS, JUNE Under the guidance of NJAHS Education Coordinator Dr. Grace Morizawa, workshops took place at the MIS Historic Learning Center and in Hawai‘i at the Valor in the Pacific Memorial (Pearl Harbor), Volcano National Monument, Honouliuli Camp, and Kilauea Military Camp. 20 : (PHOTOGRAPHERS: LELAND YEE, MARK SHIGENAGA) N AT I O N A L J A P A N E S E A M E R I C A N H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y DISCOVERY SUMMER CAMP, PRESIDIO OF SAN FRANCISCO, JULY-AUGUST “The BEST camp ever!” FALL 2015 TRIBUTE TO NISEI VETERANS 2015 AND 2ND ANNIVERSARY OF MIS HISTORIC LEARNING CENTER On Veterans Day weekend, November 14, 2015, the public gathered to pay tribute to the Nisei veterans of WWII and Korea. Speakers included Col. Phil Deppert, Commandant Defense Language Institute (FLC), Presidio of Monterey; Consul General Jun Yamada; Lawson Sakai, 442; and Maj. James Iso, MIS. WINTER 2016 PROJECT DELIVERABLES NJAHS has successfully completed two of our Japanese American Confinement Sites grants projects which are administered by the National Parks Service: THE TULE LAKE CURRICULUM IS NOW ONLINE By going to our website, users can simply download Tule Lake curriculum for grades 4-5, middle school, and high school. Visit www.njahs.org/tule-lake. CAMP DIGITAL ARCHIVES In 2015, the Japanese American Confinement Sites program of the National Park Service awarded NJAHS $83,875 for “Camp Digital Archives.” Working with the University of San Francisco’s Museum Studies graduates and the USF Gleeson Library, our archives are being made publicly accessible with a comprehensive digitization of our entire camp document and video collections. By clicking on a map of incarceration sites, users of the NJAHS website can connect to digitized plans, drawings, and objects from each site. Visit www.njahs.org/ confinementsites. We digitized 203 camp objects from our collections. N I K K E I H E R I TA G E I D E N T I T Y : 21 DONORS (OCT 7, 2014 TO FEB 29, 2016) Day of Remembrance 2016 Anonymous Asian Law Caucus Buddhist Church of San Francisco Buena Vista United Methodist Church Christ Church Seiko Kai Christ United Presbyterian Church Kenneth K.Ina Mary Ishisak JA Health Insurance Services JACL–SF Chapter Karen Nunotani Kern Hisashi & Linda Kitano Keith & Priscilla Kojimoto National Japanese American Historical Society Nichiren Buddhist Church of America Dr. Thomas T. Ogawa Allen & Pat Okamoto Katsuto & Yoshimi Oune Pine United Methodist Church Shirley Sasaki Hiroshi & Susie Shimizu Donald & Sandra Takakura Tule Lake Committee Jiro Yamamoto Exhibit/Tour Fees Berkeley Buddhist Temple Madeleine Graham Blake EMC Publishing First Voice, Inc. Freedom Lifted Friends of the Richmond Library JACL–SF Chapter JACL–Stockton Chapter JBBP Kimochi, Inc. Minnesota Historical Society Carol Shizue Seigel The Terraces (Los Gatos) Wilcox High School General Donations $500 Ronald & Ann Kihara Kay K. Nomura 22 : Jojiro & Jessica M. Takano Gregory H.Tomlin Dr. Himeo Tsumori Jim & Naoye Yamashita Jane Muramoto Yung $250–$350 Give With Liberty– Michael Ishii JACL–Central California Chapter Ken M. & Susan J. Kawaichi Joyce Yuri Oyama David Ueunten $200 -$249 Mark Abey Akita International University Yoshiko Doi $150 Kenneth Kaji $100 Jane Ma & Chris K. Fujimoto Sumiye Fukasawa Y. Steve Hirabayashi & Ruth Hirabayashi H.J. Horikawa Frank Inami Elaine Joe Kimio & Marian Kanaya Kimochi, Inc. Lucy Kishiue Kevin Kitsuda Frederick T. Kochi Dale Minami Gaye M. & Nola N. Miyasaki Geoffrey Murase & Lorie Espejo Joyce Oishi Meridith Satake Ellen Sawamura & Howard Kline, MD George & Emi Suyehiro Pauline Tomita Masao & Ann Tsuda Dr. Himeo Tsumori Wesley Ueunten Elaine Weston Bryan M. Yagi Jack H. & Sumi K. Nakashima John M. Takeuchi In Memory of Yoshimi Shibata In Memory of Asa Hanamoto In Memory of Mrs. Miyuki Uesato Kaz & Jean Abey Kristen Abey Richard & Judith Blakemore Margaret M.Bluth Anne & Steve Frie Carey William & Sarah Devlin Steven Gotanda Yuriko Hanamoto A.P. & Sarah Herrmann Kiyoshi & Fumie Hirokane Donna Kato Gerald Kawamoto Charlotte Kobayashi Marin Community Foundation Dorothy Markiewicz Henry E.Martens Alice Nakahata Gene & Margaret Oishi Jerry & Eleanor Osumi Ona & Joe Rotenberg Lila F.Sasaki Dennis Y.Sato Ellen Sawamura & Howard Kline, MD Betty L. Seabolt George Shimizu Louis Tomimatsu Kenji & Mary Tomita Marvin & Miyo Uratsu Andrew Urushima Douglas & Gloria Watson Stanley & Phyllis Yasumoto Jack H. & Sumi K. Nakashima In Memory of Arthur Komori Kyosei Level, $50,000 Norman & Mabel Hashisaka Marvin & Miyo Uratsu In Memory of Mas Yamasaki Kyle Yamasaki In Memory of George Yoshida Hideo J.Kawano Peter & Kay Mehren Mona Nagai St. Mary’s Men’s Club Corporate Gifts/ Matching Funds Adobe Systems, Inc. Amazon Smile Dell Computers Salesforce.org Union Bank Foundation Funders Golden Gate Parks Conservancy Grants for the Arts Henri & Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation Japanese American Confinement Sites/NPS San Francisco Japan Town Foundation MIS Historic Learning Center MIS Capital Fund NJAHS–MIS Legacy Fund Joseph Kurata (fulfillment) Tamashii Level, $25,000 In Memory of Robert Katsumi Mizumoto (100th IFBC Company) & Uncle Henry Harutoshi Uyehara (MIS) Eddie Moriguchi (toward pledge) Peggy Mizumoto Heiwa Level, $5,000 In Memory of Wallace & Katherine Nunotani Wago Level, $10,000 Hide Oshima In Memoriam Karen Nunotani Kerns In Memory of Mollie Fujioka In Memory of Thomas T. Sakamoto Lori Fukuhara-Hart Saburo & Joyce Kami Laura Mishima Drs. H.F. & T.S. Neuwalder Kiyomi Hester Paul & Mary Hosoda Ed Kubokawa James Sakamoto Yuuki Level, $2,500 N AT I O N A L J A P A N E S E A M E R I C A N H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y Richard Sakai Welcome New Members! Life Debra EndowHatanaka Virginia Suyama & Family New Frank Anderson Mark & Georgia Fujikawa Jasmine Fujii Paul Handa Isao & Hatsue Sara Hashimoto Alexander Lock Ruby & Bob MacDonald Chris & Cynthia Mochizuki Masato Nakashima Chris & Kris Nelson Yoshi Oka Mark Shigenaga Ted Shimanuki Neil Tsubota Joanne Yoshii Mark & Georgia Fujikawa Jim Omura Midori Yenari $100–$500 George Fukayama Robert & Barbara Fung Constance Ishio Shigeo & Kay Y. Nagata Charlotte Sakai Tad & Frances Sawamura MIS HLC Anniversary Event California Bank & Trust (Japantown) Florence Dobashi Shig Doi Warren Eijima Eventbrite Jimmy K.Fukuhara Fred Fukusawa Stephen A. Haller Yuriko Hanamoto Mas & Marcia Hashimoto Nob Hashimoto Y. Steve Hirabayashi & Ruth Hirabayashi Mutsuo Hirose NJAHS MEMBERSHIP FORM H THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! elp us preserve our history and the history of all generations. Tax deductible membership donations support NJAHS’s activities. Membership open to all; gift memberships available. m $500 Patron m $250 Corporate m $100 Contributing m $60 Supporting m $50 Nonprofit m $50 Family m $40 Individual, Basic m $25 Student m $10 Additional for international members m New m Gift from _______________________ m Renewal, member #_______________ m $7 to send introductory copy of Nikkei Heritage to: Name_____________________Address_____________________City, state, zip________________ Name__________________________________Address__________________________________ City, state, zip____________________________ Day phone____________________________ Email_______________________________________________________ PAY M E N T m Check enclosed in the total amount of $________ payable to NJAHS m Charge amount of $________ to my m Visa m MasterCard m AMEX Name on card________________________________________ Card #_________-__________-__________-___________Exp date____/____ 3-digit code______ Signature________________________________ Please send this form to: NJAHS, 1684 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115-3604 ! Renewing members, please review your name and address on the mailing label and contact us with corrections: (415) 921-5007 or njahs@njahs.org Kenneth & Yoshiko Ho Jaimie Holzknecht Morris Hosoda Chizu & Laura Iiyama Frank Inami Gerald Ishikawa James Y. & Julie Iso Kenneth Kaji Hiroshi Kaku Leonard Kaku Gail Keikoan Nelson Kobayashi Joseph Y. Kurata Frank & Virginia Masuoka Laura Mishima Steve & Nadine Nakajo Wesley & Lynn Nihei Judy Niizawa Edward Nishi Michael Oguro Koji & Betty Ozawa Mas Riusaki Maureen M.Sakaguchi Lawson & Mineko Sakai Meridith Satake Yone & Daisy Satoda Doug Sawamura Ellen Sawamura & Howard Kline, MD Jacquelyn Sawamura Shin Sawamura Walter & Harumi Serata George Shimizu Pat Shiono Brian Shiroyama Sharron Sue Dr. Fumi Suzuki Robert Tanaka Neal Taniguchi & Emily Murase Derrek J. Tomine Pauline Tomita, Esq. & Alaric Akashi, MD Rosalyn Tonai & Grant Din Ann Tsuda Judith Wessing Bryan M. Yagi Rachael Yamashiro Susumu & Norma Yokota Mitzi Yorichi Ronald Y.Yoshida NJAHS Discovery Summer Camp Geoffrey K. Murase Craig & Pamela Yonemura Annual Giving Kaz & Jean Abey Grace Aikawa Cecilia Ajemian Nelson Akagi Hiroshi Arisumi Janice Aritomi David Bassett, MD Jane Tomi Boltz, in memory of Asako Yamashita Anthony L. Brown Robert & Henry Fujimoto George Fukayama George & Masako Fukuhara Harry K.Fukuhara Jon & Amy Funabiki Fred & Betty Furuta Give With Liberty– Michael Ishi Nina M. Hagiwara Yuriko Hanamoto Isao Icy Hasama Edna Hashimoto Mas & Marcia Hashimoto Donald Hata Sakaye Higashi Y. Steve Hirabayashi & Ruth Hirabayashi Stuart Hirasuna Hideo & Clara Hirose Christine & Wayne Hiroshima Kenneth & Yoshiko Ho Elsie Honda Wendy & Peter Horikoshi Ruth Ichinaga Jerry Irei D. Ishida Mas B. Ishikawa Constance Ishio Takako Ishizaki Tomiko R. Iso Naoko Anne Ito Stanley & Marcia Ito Robert Iwaoka Emma Iwasaki Valerie S. Iwata JustGive.org– Ben Arikawa Karen N. Kai Kenneth Kaji Gary J. Kamei Hiroshi & Sadako Kashiwagi Kiyoshi & Irene Katsumoto Ken M. & Susan J. Kawaichi Kozo & Kathleen Kimura Kristine Kimura Arthur Kitagawa Patricia T. Kobayashi & Harold Nob Kuniye Koga Thomas M. Kurihara Arlene Kushida Steve & Diane Leong Jane T. Ma & Chris Fujimoto Carol MacDiarmid Kazuo R. Maruoka Kayoshi Masuoka Robert & Diane M. Matsumura George H. Matsunaga Teruo & Tsuyako Miyagishima Fred B.Morimizu Ronald O. Morimoto, in honor of Hiromichi Ota Imai & Fujita Moriwaki Ray & Mariko Motoyama Raymond S. & Mary T. Murakami Rev. Paul M. & Florence E. Nagano Peggy M. Naganuma Shigeo & Kay Y. Nagata Hiroshi & Joyce Nakai George Nakasato Yoshimi & Kikuko Nakauchi Tokie Nerio Kay K. Nomura Susan Obata Ray M. Ogata Floyd & Janet Okada Allen & Pat Okamoto Ricky & Glenda Okamura Sakaye & Ann Okamura Ted & Linda Okazaki Hanaes H. & Chiyeko Ono Berdi Oshidari Shuji John Ota Robert Oto Lawson & Mineko Sakai Carolyn Sakauye Giichi Sakurai George & Doris Sasaki Laverne S. & Helen Sasaki Hironobu Sato Yone & Daisy Satoda Walter & Harumi Serata Joseph T. Seto George Shimizu Warren & Rosie Shimonishi James Suekama & Mary Anne Miller Karlyn Sugai June & Tom Sugihara Larry Sugimoto Marumi Suyeyasu Julie Takahashi Jojiro & Jessica M. Takano Ikuko Takeshita Emiko Takusagawa Jim & Tomiko Tanaka Takeko Tanisawa Ted & Susan Tanisawa Michiko Tashiro Sharon K. Tatai Ryan Tatsumoto Kenji & Mary Tomita Masao & Ann Tsuda Tad Tsukida David Ueunten Kazuo Utsunomiya Martha Uyeki Bob & Yvonne Uyeki Theodore Uyemoto Wakako Domoto Trust Lowell & Joanne Webster Yamada, Frances (368) Doug & Betty Jo Yamamoto Thomas H. & Hatsy H. Yasukochi Robert & Susan Yoshioka Jane Muramoto Yung N I K K E I H E R I TA G E I D E N T I T Y : 23 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PA I D San Francisco, CA Permit No. 548 National Japanese American Historical Society 1684 Post Street San Francisco, CA 94115-3604 20 16 Forwarding and return postage guaranteed Address correction required PROGRAM CALENDAR For program updates, visit www.njahs.org or www.njahs.org/640. For more information, contact NJAHS at (415) 921-5007. February 21 : Bay Area Day of Remembrance, Japantown, 2-4pm In cities nationwide, the Day of Remembrance observes the signing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, setting into motion the exclusion, eviction, and incarceration of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry. The Bay Area activities have evolved into the unique opportunity for diverse communities to join and reaffirm our common belief in the importance of civil and human rights and to remind us of our collective ability to act upon that belief. April 9-10 & 16-17 : Cherry Blossom Festival, Japantown, 12-5pm During the Cherry Blossom Festival, NJAHS will debut our new exhibit, 110 Years of Japantown, in the Peace Gallery. The gallery will be open and free to the public during each day of the festival. August 6 & 7 : Nihonmachi Street Fair, Japantown, 12-5pm The NJAHS Peace Gallery will be open for the annual Nihonmachi Street Fair as we continue the display of the exhibit 110 Years of Japantown. August : Enhancing Local and Regional Perspectives on Japanese American Incarceration, Bainbridge Island and Seattle, Washington Through the Western Region Teacher Education Project, NJAHS will conduct a 2-day teacher training workshop focusing on the incarceration stories of Japanese Americans on the mainland and in Hawai’i. Part of the workshop will take place on Bainbridge Island in Washington, the focus of one of the curriculum’s case studies. October 1 : Nikkei Angel Island Pilgrimage, Angel Island State Park, 11am-3pm Rediscover the little-known history of the Japanese and Japanese American legacy at Angel Island, where 85,000 persons of Japanese descent—the second largest immigrant group— landed between 1910 and 1940. Many of these immigrants settled in Japantown and helped shape what the community is today. Visit the Immigration Station exhibits, see displays on Japanese and Japanese American history at Angel Island, engage in genealogy research, learn about community history and what various organizations are doing, and enjoy time with family and friends. E V E N T S AT T H E M I L I TA RY I N T E L L I G E N C E SERVICE HISTORIC LEARNING CENTER, BLDG 640, PRESIDIO OF SAN FR ANCISCO May 1 : NJAHS Annual Awards Dinner, 5-7:30pm This year, NJAHS will honor family businesses that helped create, shape, National Japanese American Historical Society Headquarters & Peace Gallery 1684 Post Street San Francisco, CA 94115 T E L (415) 921-5007 FA X (415) 921-5087 E M A I L njahs@njahs.org W E B www.njahs.org H O U R S M–F & 1st Sat, 12-5pm A D M I S S I O N Free Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center 640 Old Mason Street, Presidio San Francisco, CA 94129 T E L (415) 852-3630 E M A I L njahs@njahs.org W E B www.njahs.org/640 H O U R S Sat & Sun, 12-5pm; W-F group tours by appt A D M I S S I O N General: $10; members, veterans, children 12 & under: free and maintain Japantown over the past 110 years. We hope you’ll join us. June 25 : NJAHS Annual Members Meeting and Open House, 1-4pm Members are invited to hear about NJAHS’s accomplishments in the past year. The public is invited to this free event to learn more about membership and the Nikkei community in San Francisco.