Japanese American National Museum

Activist Bruce Teruo Kaji (1926–2017) was the founding president of the museum.{{Cite web |title=Bruce T. Kaji |url=https://ddr.densho.org/narrators/506/ |access-date=2022-04-20 |website=Densho Digital Repository}}{{Cite web |last=Vankin |first=Deborah |date=2017-11-09 |title=Bruce Kaji dies at 91; Japanese American National Museum founder and Little Tokyo pioneer |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-bruce-teruo-kaji-obit-20171109-story.html |access-date=2022-04-20 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} He worked alongside other prominent Japanese-Americans to create the museum. The community had become organized around gaining recognition of the injustice they had suffered from the federal government during World War II.

The museum was conceived as a way to preserve the positive aspects of their full history and culture in the United States. When it first opened in 1992, the museum was housed in the 1925 historic Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple building. Irene Hirano served as its first executive director and later as president and CEO of the museum.{{cite web|last=Yamato |first=Sharon |url=http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Japanese%20American%20National%20Museum/ |title=Japanese American National Museum |publisher=Densho Encyclopedia |access-date=30 October 2014}} In January 1999, the National Museum opened its current {{convert|85000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} Pavilion, designed under the supervision of architect Gyo Obata, to the public.Patt Morrison, Cecilia Rasmussen, Angels Walk – Union Station, El Pueblo, Little Tokyo, Civic Center, Angels Walk LA, Inc., 2000 The temple building was used by government officials in 1942 to process Japanese Americans for wartime confinement. It is now used for offices and storage.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}

In 1993 the museum was given hundreds of artifacts and letters from children in internment camps, which they had sent to San Diego librarian Clara Breed. The material was featured in an exhibit, "Dear Miss Breed": Letters from Camp. It is now part of the museum's permanent collection.{{cite web|url=http://www.janm.org/exhibits/breed/title.htm|title=Dear Miss Breed: Letters from Camp|work=Japanese American National Museum|access-date=28 February 2014}}

In 1997, the Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center was established by Robert A. Nakamura and Karen L. Ishizuka, to develop new ways to document, preserve and make known the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry. In 1999, the Manabi and Sumi Hirasaki National Resource Center (HNRC) was established to provide access to the museum's information and resources, both at the facility and online. It documents the life and culture of the Japanese Americans.

Akemi Kikumura Yano, author,{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n81100153/|title=Kikumura-Yano, Akemi 1944- [WorldCat Identities]|access-date=Sep 12, 2019}} was the museum's first curator. She succeeded Irene Hirano as president and CEO from 2008 until 2011. During her tenure, in December 2010, the museum was awarded the National Medal for Museum and Library Service.{{Cite web|url=http://www.janm.org/press/release/288/|title=AKEMI KIKUMURA YANO DECIDES TO STEP DOWN AS PRESIDENT/CEO OF JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM | Press Releases | Japanese American National Museum|website=www.janm.org|access-date=Sep 12, 2019}}

Rev. Greg Kimura, an Episcopal priest, was appointed the president and CEO of the museum, serving between 2012 and 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/alaska-priest-appointed-as-ceo-of-japanese-american-museum/|title=Alaska priest appointed as CEO of Japanese American museum|date=26 January 2012 |access-date=Sep 12, 2019}}{{Cite web|url = https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2012-jan-21-la-me-japanese-museum-20120121-story.html|title = Japanese American National museum hires CEO|date = 2012-01-21|access-date = 2014-05-10|work = Los Angeles Times|last = Watanabe|first = Teresa}}{{Cite web|url = http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/new-ceo-shakes-up-japanese-american-national-museum/article_f44cc95a-0430-11e2-bd8e-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=jqm|title = New CEO Shakes Up Japanese American National Museum|date = 2012-09-25|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = LA Downtown News|last = Guzmán|first = Richard}} During his time the museum experienced an economic downturn as he looked to promote untraditional exhibits and let go core staff members. He resigned in May 2016 to pursue other work opportunities."APAs in the News," Pacific Citizen, June 3–16, 2016, p. 4.

In 2016, Ann Burroughs was announced to replace him as the new interim CEO{{Cite web|url=http://www.janm.org/press/release/401/|title=JANM ANNOUNCES INTERIM PRESIDENT/CEO | Press Releases | Japanese American National Museum|website=www.janm.org|access-date=Sep 12, 2019}} and was officially selected shortly thereafter. Burroughs spoke of her role: "I am committed to reinvigorating and finding new ways to advance the museum’s key values, emphasizing the importance of being vigilant about democracy and stressing the value of diversity in our world today."{{Cite web|url=http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/janm-names-new-leader/article_12fd938a-10ba-11e7-bafd-cf20dc64df82.html|title=JANM Names New Leader|first=Jon|last=Regardie|website=Los Angeles Downtown News - The Voice of Downtown Los Angeles|access-date=Sep 12, 2019}}

Actor George Takei serves as a member of the museum's board of trustees. He represented it as his charity during his time on The Celebrity Apprentice and during his appearance on The Newlywed Game.{{cite news|title=A Day in Gay America|page=25|publisher=Advocate|date=November 2011}}

The museum has three on-going exhibitions. The Interactive StoryFile of Lawson Iichiro Sakai is an interactive exhibition in which Lawson has answered a thousand questions regarding himself and his legacy.{{Cite web |title=The Interactive StoryFile of Lawson Iichiro Sakai |url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/lawson-sakai |access-date=April 26, 2023 |website=Japanese American National Museum}} Common Ground: The Heart of Community, covers 130 years of Japanese American history, from the Issei and early immigration into the United States, World War II incarceration, to the present.{{Cite web|url = http://www.janm.org/exhibits/commonground/|title = Common Ground: The Heart of Community|access-date = 2014-05-10|website = Japanese American National Museum}} Lastly, Wakaji Matsumoto—An Artist in Two Worlds: Los Angeles and Hiroshima, 1917–1944 is an online exhibition featuring photographs of the Japanese American community in Los Angeles prior to World War II and of urban life in Hiroshima prior to the 1945 atomic bombing of the city.{{Cite web |title=Wakaji Matsumoto—An Artist in Two Worlds: Los Angeles and Hiroshima, 1917–1944 |url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/wakaji-matsumoto |access-date=April 26, 2023 |website=Japanese American National Museum}}

• Glenn Kaino: Aki’s Market (June 30, 2023 - January 29, 2024){{Cite web |title=Glenn Kaino: Aki's Market |url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/glenn-kaino |access-date=April 26, 2023 |website=Japanese American National Museum}}
• Don't fence me in: Coming of Age in America’s Concentration Camps (March 4 - October 1, 2023){{Cite web |title=Don't Fence Me In: Coming of Age in America's Concentration Camps |url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/dont-fence-me-in |access-date=April 26, 2023 |website=Japanese American National Museum}}
• Sutra and Bible: Faith and the Japanese American World War II Incarceration (February 26, 2022 - February 19, 2023){{Cite web |title=Sutra and Bible: Faith and the Japanese American World War II Incarceration |url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/sutra-and-bible |access-date=April 26, 2023 |website=Japanese American National Museum}}
• BeHere / 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration (May 7, 2022 - January 8, 2023){{Cite web |title=BeHere / 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration |url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/behere1942 |website=Japanese American National Museum}}
• Miné Okubo's Masterpiece: The Art of Citizen 13660 (August 28, 2021 - March 27, 2022){{Cite web|title=Miné Okubo's Masterpiece {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/mine-okubo-masterpiece|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• A Life In Pieces: The Diary and Letters of Stanley Hayami (July 9, 2021 - January 9, 2022){{Cite web|title=A Life in Pieces {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/a-life-in-pieces|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Under a Mushroom Cloud: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Atomic Bomb (November 9, 2019 - July 25, 2021){{Cite web|title=Under a Mushroom Cloud {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/under-a-mushroom-cloud|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Taiji Terasaki: Transcendients (February 1, 2020 - May 16, 2021){{Cite web|title=Taiji Terasaki: Transcendients {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/transcendients|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• At First Light (May 25, 2019 - October 20, 2019){{Cite web|title=At First Light {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/at-first-light|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Kaiju Vs. Heroes (September 15, 2018 - July 7, 2019){{Cite web|title=Kaiju vs Heroes {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/kaiju-vs-heroes|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Gambatte! (November 17, 2018 - April 28, 2019){{Cite web|title=Gambatte! {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/gambatte|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• hapa.me: 15 years of the hapa project (April 7, 2018 - October 28, 2018){{Cite web|title=hapa.me - 15 years of the hapa project {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/hapa-me|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• What We Carried (May 19, 2018 - August 5, 2018){{Cite web|title=What We Carried {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/what-we-carried|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Transpacific Borderlands: The Art of the Japanese Diaspora in Lima, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Saõ Paulo (September 17, 2017 - February 25, 2018){{Cite web|title=Transpacific Borderlands {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/transpacific-borderlands|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• New Frontiers: The Many Worlds of George Takei (March 12, 2017 - August 20, 2017){{Cite web|title=New Frontiers {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/new-frontiers|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Instructions to All Persons: Reflections on Executive Order 9066 (February 18, 2017 - August 13, 2017){{Cite web|title=Instructions to All Persons {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/instructions-to-all|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Tatau: Marks of Polynesia (July 30, 2016 - January 22, 2017){{Cite web|title=Tatau {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/tatau|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Uprooted: Japanese American Farm Labor Camps During World War II (September 27, 2016 - January 8, 2017){{Cite web|title=Uprooted {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/uprooted|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami (May 29, 2016 - August 21, 2016){{Cite web|title=Above the Fold {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/above-the-fold|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Making Waves: Japanese American Photography 1920-1940 (February 28, 2016 - June 26, 2016){{Cite web|title=Making Waves {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/making-waves|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty (October 11, 2014 - May 31, 2015){{Cite web|url = http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-hello-kitty-exhibition-20141009-column.html#page=2|title = Not just cute and not a cat: Hello Kitty's first museum retrospective|date = 2014-10-09|access-date = 2015-04-23|work = Los Angeles Times}}
• Two Views: Photographs by Ansel Adams and Leonard Frank (February 28, 2016 - April 24, 2016){{Cite web|title=Two Views {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/two-views|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Giant Robot Biennale 4 (October 11, 2015 - January 24, 2016){{Cite web|title=Giant Robot Biennale 4 {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/grb4|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Before They Were Heroes: Sus Ito's World War II Images (July 14, 2015 - September 6, 2015){{Cite web|title=Before They Were Heroes {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/sus-ito|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Sugar/ Islands: Finding Okinawa in Hawai'i - The Art of Laura Kina and Emily Hanako Momohara (July 11, 2015 - September 6, 2015){{Cite web|title=Sugar/Islands {{!}} Japanese American National Museum|url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/sugar-islands|access-date=2021-09-23|website=www.janm.org}}
• Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game (March 29 - September 14, 2014){{Cite web|url = http://www.rafu.com/2014/05/baseball-theme-at-janms-target-free-family-saturday/|title = Baseball Theme at JANM's Target Free Family Saturday|date = 2014-05-09|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = Rafu Shimpo}}{{Cite web|url = http://www.imprintculturelab.com/editorial-2/dodgers-brotherhood-of-the-game-at-janm-plus-perseverance-and-mike-kelley/|title = Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game at JANM; Plus Perseverance and Mike Kelley|date = 2014-04-01|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = Imprint Culture Lab|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140512222516/http://www.imprintculturelab.com/editorial-2/dodgers-brotherhood-of-the-game-at-janm-plus-perseverance-and-mike-kelley/|archive-date = 2014-05-12|url-status = dead}}
• Perseverance: Japanese Tattoo Tradition in a Modern World (March 8 - September 14, 2014){{Cite web|url = http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/03/03/issues/loved-abroad-hated-at-home-the-art-of-japanese-tattooing/#.U26BEKGcUnA|title = Loved abroad, hated at home: the art of Japanese tattooing|date = 2014-03-04|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = The Japan Times|last = Mitchell|first = Jon}}
• Marvels & Monsters: Unmasking Asian Images in U.S. Comics, 1942-1986 (October 12, 2013 - February 9, 2014){{Cite web|url = http://blog.angryasianman.com/2011/05/marvels-and-monsters-unmasking-asian.html|title = Marvels and Monsters: Unmasking Asian Images in U.S. Comics, 1942-1986|date = 2011-05-19|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = Angry Asian Man}}
• Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami (March 10 - August 26, 2012){{Cite web|url = http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2012/3/2/folding-paper/|title = Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami—An Interview with Curator Meher McArthur|date = 2012-03-02|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = Discover Nikkei|last = Mori|first = Darryl}}
• Drawing the Line: Japanese American Art, Design & Activism in Post-War Los Angeles (October 15, 2011 – February 19, 2012){{Cite web|url = http://www.ladowntownnews.com/arts_and_entertainment/janm-exhibit-looks-at-the-contributions-of-post-war-japanese/article_f2049842-1239-11e1-9952-001cc4c03286.html|title = JANM Exhibit Looks at the Contributions of Post-War Japanese American Artists|date = 2011-11-18|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = LA Downtown News|last = Guzmán|first = Richard}}{{Cite web|url = http://www.discovernikkei.org/es/nikkeialbum/albums/502/|title = Drawing the Line: Japanese American Art, Design & Activism in Post-War Los Angeles|date = 2012-01-20|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = Discover Nikkei}}
• Year of the Rabbit: Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo (July 9 - October 30, 2011){{Cite web|url = http://www.laweekly.com/2011-07-07/calendar/year-of-the-rabbit-stan-sakai-s-usagi-yojimbo/|title = Year of the Rabbit: Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo|date = 2011-08-31|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = LA Weekly|last = Babayan|first = Siran}}
• No Victory Ever Stays Won: The ACLU's 90 Years of Protecting Liberty (November 21 - December 11, 2010)
• Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids by Kip Fulbeck (March 20 - October 17, 2010){{Cite web|url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/victoria-namkung/mixed-portraits-of-multir_b_542926.html|title = "Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids" Exhibition in L.A.|date = 2014-04-19|access-date = 2014-05-10|work = The Huffington Post|last = Namkung|first = Victoria}}
• 20 Years Ago Today: Supporting Visual Artists in L.A. (October 4, 2008 - January 11, 2009){{Cite web|url = http://roski.usc.edu/news/adjunct-ruby-osorio-in-group-e-2.html|title = Adjunct Ruby Osorio in group exhibition 20 Years Ago Today at the Japanese American National Museum|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = USC Roski School of Art and Design}}
• Glorious Excess (Born): Paintings by Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda (July 12 - August 3, 2008){{Cite web|url = http://hypebeast.com/2008/7/mike-shinoda-glorious-excess-born-recap|title = Mike Shinoda | Glorious Excess (Born) Recap|date = 2008-07-14|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = Hypebeast|last = Ruano|first = L.}}
• Living Flowers: Ikebana and Contemporary Art (June 15 - September 7, 2008){{Cite web|url = http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/seeing-things-flower-power/|title = Seeing Things | Flower Power|date = 2008-06-26|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = The New York Times Style Gazine|last = Hodge|first = Brooke}}
• Southern California Gardeners' Federation: Fifty Years (October 25 - November 13, 2005){{Cite web|url = http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2007/6/8/half-enough/|title = half enough: The East L.A. Gardeners Association sign on First Street|date = 2014-06-08|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = Discover Nikkei|last = Kraus|first = Victoria}}
• Boyle Heights: The Power of Place (September 8, 2002 – February 23, 2003){{Cite web|url = http://www.janm.org/exhibits/bh/|title = The Power of Place: Boyle Heights Project|access-date = 2014-05-10}}
• Sumo U.S.A.: Wrestling the Grand Tradition (July 3 - November 30, 1997){{Cite web|url = http://www.janm.org/press/release/74/|title = Sumo U.S.A.: Wrestling the Grand Tradition Opens at the Japanese American National Museum|date = 1997-07-01|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = Japanese American National Museum|last = Komai|first = Chris}}
• Dear Miss Breed: Letters from Camp (January 14 - April 13, 1997){{Cite web|url = http://www.janm.org/exhibits/breed/title.htm|title = Dear Miss Breed: Letters from Camp...|access-date = 2014-05-10|publisher = Japanese American National Museum}}

File:Closer view of the Ireicho document.jpg

Completed in 2022, the [https://ireizo.com/ireicho/ Ireichō] is the first comprehensive listing of the over 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated by the U.S. government during World War II. A physical book was printed and displayed at the museum for internees and their friends and family to acknowledge, honor, and if necessary, correct the record within the database.{{cite news |last1=Enking |first1=Molly |title=The First-Ever List of Japanese Americans Forced Into Incarceration Camps Is 1,000 Pages Long |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/list-japanese-americans-internment-camps-ireicho-180981133/ |publisher=Smithsonian Magazine |date=18 November 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Sánchez |first1=Gabriel |title=A project collects the names of those held at Japanese internment camps during WWII |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/01/15/1149347438/japanese-internment-ireicho-camps-world-war-ii |publisher=NPR All Things Considered |date=29 January 2023}}{{cite web |title=About this Exhibition |url=https://www.janm.org/exhibits/ireicho |website=Japanese American National Museum |access-date=23 July 2023}}

[http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/ Discover Nikkei], a multilingual, online resource that presents the global Nikkei experience through first-person narratives, historic photos and research, and opportunities for user engagement. The museum's International Nikkei Research Project produced the book New Worlds, New Lives (2002).

File:IreichoAtJANM.jpg|The Ireicho exhibit at the museum

File:Akabeko at The Japanese American National Museum.jpg|Akabeko at the shop inside the museum

File:Kokeshi at The Japanese American National Museum.jpg|Kokeshi at the shop inside the museum

{{Portal|California|Japan|Los Angeles|United States}}

• Go for Broke Monument - adjacent
• History of the Japanese in Los Angeles
• Historic Wintersburg in Huntington Beach, California
• Japanese American Citizens League
• Japanese American National Library
• Japanese American Museum of San Jose
• Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii
• Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project
• Japanese American Committee for Democracy
• U.S.-Japan Council

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Japanese American National Museum}}

• [https://ireizo.com Ireizo Database of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War 2]
• [http://www.janm.org/ Japanese American National Museum]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060617140744/http://www.filmpreservation.org/archives/archivedesc.php?id=24 National Film Preservation Foundation]

{{Japanese American internment camps}}{{Authority control}}

{{coord|34|2|58.7|N|118|14|18.9|W|type:landmark_region:US-CA|display=title}}

Category:Asian art museums in California

Category:Asian-American art

Category:Art museums and galleries in Los Angeles

Category:Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles

Category:Little Tokyo, Los Angeles

Category:History museums in California

Category:Japanese-American culture in Los Angeles

Category:Museums in Los Angeles

Category:Museums of Japanese culture in the United States

Category:Ethnic museums in California

Category:Film archives in the United States

Category:Museums established in 1992

Category:Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums

Category:Japanese-American organizations

Category:Smithsonian Institution affiliates

Category:1992 establishments in California

Category:Gyo Obata buildings