Session 10 - Japanese American National Museum

[cgao]

 

http://www.janm.org

The Japanese American National Museum is the first museum in the United States dedicated to sharing the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry as an integral part of U.S. history. Through its comprehensive collection of Japanese American objects, images and documents, as well as multi-faceted exhibitions, educational programs, documentaries and publications, the National Museum shares the Japanese American story with a national and international audience.

The National Museum was established in Los Angeles to preserve the rich heritage and cultural identity of Japanese Americans. In 1982, businessmen in L.A.’s Little Tokyo began exploring the possibility of building a Japanese American museum, as did a separate group of highly decorated World War II veterans. A representative from the financial group proposed incorporating a museum into a planned Little Tokyo residential complex, while veterans of the famed 442 nd Regimental Combat Team sponsored a “Japanese American Soldier” exhibition at the Los Angeles Country Museum of Natural History.

The two groups soon joined forces, and in 1985 the Japanese American National Museum was incorporated as a private, nonprofit institution. Over the next several years, volunteers sought backing from community groups. In 1985, California State Senator Art Torres introduced a funding bill that acknowledged the major contributions Japanese Americans have made to the social, cultural and economic spheres of California, and the state legislature soon appropriated $750,000 toward the Museum on the condition that Los Angeles provide matching funds. At the urging of the volunteer corps, the City of Los Angeles granted a $1 million match the following year.

Seeking to safeguard the rich oral histories of first generations immigrants, or Issei, and the artifacts, photographs, written records and other materials documenting the lives of Japanese Americans before, during, and after the World War II mass incarceration, National Museum founders enlisted the support of the Japanese American community. In 1992, the Japanese American National Museum opened its doors to shed light on the Japanese American experience—a process of immigration and re-settlement common to so many Americans.

Built by Japanese immigrants in 1925, the National Museum’s renovated historic building was the first structure designed specifically in Los Angeles to house a Buddhist place of worship, the Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. The ornate building incorporates elements of a temple in Kyoto, combining Japanese and Middle Eastern influences in its striking façade. The temple originally served as a house of worship, social hall and rental office space. A central gathering place in thriving Little Tokyo, the structure was later used to store the belongings of Japanese Americans sent to U.S. concentration camps during World War II. The building eventually fell into disrepair after the Nishi Hongwanji moved to a new facility in 1969, and was sold to the City of Los Angeles in 1973. Declared a landmark by the City, it became the long-awaited space for the Japanese American National Museum.

 

[Jennifer Chang]

I have been to the Japanese American Museum in the past, but never on a docent led tour. This time, we had a wonderful docent (retired principal) who gave us some personal stories that tied into the different exhibits. Hearing his stories definitely made the experience feel more raw and authentic, and helped me to undersatnd the suffering that the Japanese Americans had gone through when they were forced to go to these prison camps. At one point, he pointed out that the pictures taken at the prison camps were all of smiling faces. He had us think about whether the photos were a true depiction of how the people were feeling at the time. I think this would be a great exercise to have my students do, and then have a discussion about whether the photos that we see are really what we think they are. 

[Lin Kuang]

This ia actually my 2nd time to visit Ja[anese American National Museum. The tourguide brought up very touching stories from his life experience in the camp/ barraacks as a Nissei who was a secod generation Japanese American. Itś oainful to go back and fact teh reality of the violence of human rights. As Edison Uno stated, "it was not until the moemntwhen we glimpsed the sit itself, when we saw again its barranness, the tatteresremnants of the barracks, the tufits of sagebrush and mesquite , until we fely again the sharp, early morning desert wind, that we fully pervieved what was in the offing for us,that we perceived how tragic the past really was..." This is detailed depiction of Manzanar Comcentration Camp. Itś so sad !

[Joy Chao]

I wasn’t very clear about the “picture bride” until today after visiting the Japanese American National Museum. The practice started in the early 20^th century of immigrant workers in Hawaii and the west coast of the US. These workers selected their brides from their native countries through a matchmaker, who paired up couples of similar backgrounds by using only photographs. Women came to Hawaii and the US as the picture brides for various reasons; some to escape familial duties, some for economic reasons some came here to seek freedom. Some women even doing so because “it was a trend at that time so I just joined the crowd.” I felt this was an even more simplified version of matchmaking because all agreements were only based on the photographs. Per our docent, some brides went back to their native countries, but the majority of marriage did work out at the end. I think it must be a lot of hardship and homesickness initially and I wonder if these women felt they were there more as a workers than wives.

[David Ojeda]

A week ago or so, I partook in a five-day PD at the Museum of Contemporary Art. At the Geffen, we were encouraged to visit JANM with our students if we had the chance. Today's visit showed me why the students would greatly benefit from the museum. Our tour was led by a docent who was in a concentration camp. These camps were called this way until the public became aware of them, which is when the name was changed. The latter demonstrates our country knew the horrors it was doing to a select group of people and wanted to continue without judgement from the public. Unfortunately, this reminds me too much of what is currently happening in our 'detention centers'. We teach history in hopes of learning and growing. Museums and monuments of remembrance are made to pay respect to those who have come before us and perhaps to keep the past alive in hopes that history will not repeat itself. Looking at the news, I'm unsure if we are progressing or simply repeating the same mistakes. Towards the latter part of our tour, Mas, the docent, showed us images taken by Dorothea Lange, Hansel Mieth, and Russell Lee. In some images, people are seen playing a sport; in others, they appear to be smiling. Mas revealed that the photographers were not allowed to take pictures of the soldiers, nor were they allowed to take pictures of the wires that separated the people in the camps from the life they were torn from. The photographs were censored, making it appear like nothing wrong was happening in these facilities. At the MOCA, we went over VTS (visual teaching strategies). I can see myself using VTS with the works of Lange, Mieth, and Lee.

[Kimberly de Berzunza]

I've been wanting to visit the JANM for a while and today was just disappointed to not have more time to explore it fully.  Not only did I find it to be extremely interesting, but I thought it was attractively and efficiently designed and thorough.  Our docent Mas was great, giving just the right balance of his personal experience and that of others.

As David noted above, I find disturbing similarities to what is going on in our country right now, and don't really understand how not everyone does.  I have been to Manzanar, which is interesting and I recommend to all, but this museum was a lot more complete and the guide made it a lot more engaging, also.

Despite the cost and time for us to go to LA from San Diego, I think this museum would be worth it. It doesn't align with my curriculum, but my ELA colleague teaches "Farewell to Manzanar" to her 7th grade students and also the Executive Order and some other primary sources, and I am going to try to work with her to make a trip happen next year.  In any case, I want to go back with my family and more time.

[Anthony Pollard]

     It was impressive to see the name "Pollard" in one of the pictures on the wall (will need to perform some further research.) We needed a bit more time there, so we could read everything. However, it was totally amazing to hear from an actual victim of the collection of Japanese people during that time in American history. 

     For the majority of the time, we had an opportunity to hear about the internment processes, but there seemed to be much more we could learn. We can tell our students this museum is exists in the Los Angeles area. We can share the information we learned because it did come from a primary source; please post his name if you can recall it. And hopefully, you can remember the information, or well yeah, come back to these postings to refresh your memories.

     This is an assumption, the other people touring the museum at the same time as us, seemed to be Japanese Nationals (not from America.) What are they learning from their time in the museum? America treated Japanese Americans badly? That they were treated badly as a result of the war, which was joined as a result of an attack by Japan? Or? What will they do with their learning? What are we expecting our students to do with this new found information and anecdotes? 

     Another epiphany, America was treating Japanese people badly before the war too. America was treating a lot of people badly in those early years. Well, maybe not all of America, but some particular individuals (you may be thinking "white people"), but not all people agreed with the treatment of other people. If you want to linger on the theme of gender (absence of the idea of male or female), there were "people" of power, money, and status, controlling other people, similar to the arguments of He Zhen as mentioned in her writing. It was atrocious, but has gotten better, and at least reparations have been made to Japanese Americans for those acts during war time.

[Anthony Pollard]

 This novel is good for seventh grade, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Students can learn to make paper cranes and other origami.

[Zoey McKinney]

I feel very lucky to have heard from our docent, Mas, today about his experiences being interned with his family during WWII. One thing that really resonated with me was when he talked about how he distanced himself from his heritage after they were released from the camp because being Japanese was seen as a bad thing. He referenced popular movies where the villains were overexaggerated Japanese characters, which made me think about the importance of representation and the influence of media on children. I found this so heartbreaking, but I completely understood his reasoning - nobody wants to stand out and be different, especially when you were so recently labeled "the enemy" and literally imprisoned for your race. He also talked about how he didn't want to learn Japanese when he was younger, and, for different reasons, his grandchildren are not as involved with the Japanese community now. He mentioned that it becomes harder to maintain the Japanese culture and traditions in LA as each generation becomes more assimilated, which also got me thinking about how that problem can be addressed (I don't have an answer, other than that institutions like JANM and the Korean Cultural Center make a good start).

Finally, I was struck by his fond memories from his childhood, even though it was marked by tragedy - he showed a photo from a birthday party and talked about jumping off the roof of his barracks when there was snow on the ground. The way the Japanese people in internment camps created such robust communities and carried on with life as usual the best they could has always inspired me. It demonstrates such resilience and strength of spirit. 

[Amy Chen]

I've been to the JANM before. However, this time with our docent, Mas, I was touched by his accounts of living in an internment camp for 3 years as a child. To be uprooted from your home and segregated into a secluded, deserted racetrack is inhumane. For Mas, goiing through an experience like that made him ashamed of being Japanese. The permanent exhibit included striking photographs of that time as well as a real life internment camp room or horse stall. Everything about the internment camps reminded me of what is going on right now with the ICE raids. The conditions and circumstances of detainment centers are no different, just a different name and a different targeted race. Despite countless history lessons and warnings, history is still repeating in 2019. As a teacher, I connect current events to historical ones so that my students are aware of what is going on around them and why learning about history is so important.

[Scott Craig]

I too was very intrigued by Mas's story. I personally believe everyone should be proud of their heritage and celebrate it, so I was saddened to hear that because of his experience, Mas distanced himself from his heritage. The entire Japanese interment situation is a complete and total tragedy.

[Scott Craig]

I too try to connect history with current events in my class. In the past, I've always connected the Japanese internment with the treatment many Middle Eastern people/Islamic people face in America today. I like how you connected it with the ICE raids, etc. Most of my students are Hispanic and several of them have had their families ripped apart because of deportation. The connection to the immigration problem would have a much great meaning to my students. Thank you!

[Nichole Morales]

I also wondered what the experience of the picture bride would've been like. Our docent shared that the women came with just a photograph of their husband. It sounds like there was no communication about the conditions of the husband's life before she arrived. Then, she began picking pineapples on the island with the other farmers.

[Nichole Morales]

Using images as text is a great strategy. I often use this with students with disabilities at the high school level. The students see an image as text and then use a reading strategy (or writing strategy). It's useful because reading rigorous grade-level text sometimes takes all teh students' focus, making new skill acquistion a secondary cognitive process. With an image, they can practice hte new skill multiple times, reach mastery, and then apply the skill to grade-level text. I've found acquistion and generalization of new skills increases. And the students feel empowered by succeeding at grade-level. Thanks for reminding. I'll use this strategy in my lesson plan for the seminar. 

[Nichole Morales]

I had never heard of the Munson report that Mas highlighted at the Japanese American National Museum. In 1940, Curtis Munson was commissioned by Roosevelt to survey and report on the loyalties of local Japanese people to Japan. He wrote that there was no threat. Further, he noted that Japanese people on the west coast were committed to the US. The government recieved this report but was already making plans for concentration camps and the report was buried. I can't help but think of immigrants in the US today. Oftentimes the immigrants I know are more "American" than most Americans. The Munson report carries an important concept that shouldn't be buried again.

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