WEEK 1 : IMMIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT
Films of the week
SUNDAY - June 14, 2020
gannenmono: Hawai’i’s first japanese immigrants
Courtesy of the State of Hawai’i, the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i and Kizuna Hawai’i
7 min, 32 sec
In 1867 one hundred and fifty Japanese men signed a three year contract to work in the sugar cane fields of Hawai’i. The Gannenmono endured three years of backbreaking work and harsh conditions. After their contracts were fulfilled, 50 chose to stay in Hawai’i.
“We came as immigrants, but have become Kama’aina, embraced by the Aloha Spirit. The story of Hawai’i’s Japanese is a story about us all.”
- Okage Sama De: I am what I am because of you (JCCH Historical Exhibition)
27 min, 56 sec
Wakamatsu tea & silk farm: the first colony of japanese immigrants
Courtesy of The American River Conservancy
Explore the history of the first Japanese immigrant settlement in America established during 1869 in Placerville, CA. Some say the “Plymouth Rock” of the Japanese American immigration story is Wakamatsu Farm, now owned and operated as a destination farm by American River Conservancy.
Sunday supper
ancient food treasures: takuan
Courtesy of Kerry Yo Nakagawa
"My Mom, Ba-chan and family used to make these delicious ‘Tsukemonos.' Eaten over rice with genmai-cha tea, I called it 'cha cha mama.' The adults call it o-chazuke and was a staple 'soul' and comfort food for our families. After dinner this was like desert to my Issei and Nisei family. The pungent smells from the pickled jars kept me for the longest time not wanting to taste what they loved so much. In our Central Valley hot summers I would wonder why my Mum and Ba-chan would pile on these river rocks on to the buckets full of vegetables and nara-zuke. I was very lucky growing up on a farm and having access to so many varieties of fruits, vegetables and fish from our local ponds and rivers. Its no wonder my family lived to ripe old ages on both sides. One constant was ’Tsukemono’ and our hope is to get this food trend to spread with diverse audiences.
Before these sacred recipes were lost forever, I sought out my Mom's Nisei friend. Betty Mayebo is the undisputed 'Queen of Tsukemono' in our farm town in Fowler, California. At 98 she grew her own organic vegetables for canning annually. In 2012, Betty allowed me to film her making these 'Ancient Food Treasures' which go back thousands of years in our culture. These delicious and healthy recipes are now preserved for current and future diverse 'Foodies.' I hope you enjoy our step by step process for your own healthy and delicious canning for generations to come. Health, Spirit and Aloha from our family to yours."
Author, filmmaker, and historian Kerry Yo Nakagawa crusades to preserve our Nikkei baseball history and the ancient food treasures of the Issei and Nisei pioneers.
Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp followed by live q&A
Courtesy of National Park Service and Friends of Minidoka
“Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp” tells the story of Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their Pacific Northwest homes during World War II. Most were American citizens. They were held in squalid conditions in temporary detention centers then transferred to a concentration camp in the desert of southern Idaho. Many of them remained imprisoned at Minidoka for over three years even though they were innocent of any crime. “Minidoka …” features the compelling voices of survivors of the camp to explore the unconstitutional suspension of these Americans’ civil rights and the long-term impact of the incarceration on their community. This film examines what happens when Americans are imprisoned solely on the basis of race and shows the relevance of this story today.
To learn more, visit www.nps.gov/miin.
monday - June 15, 2020
unboxed: artifacts from janm’s permanent collection
Courtesy of Japanese American National Museum
Unboxed: The Bicycle - is the story of Yoshino Elaine Otomo, nee Uyemura and her childhood friend Alice Blueian. It was part of the exhibition AMERICAN TAPESTRY: 25 Stories from the Collection.
33 min, 44 sec
angel island
Courtesy of Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
Ed Tepporn, Executive Director of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, discusses Japanese immigration and how Angel Island played a small role in it.
Shizuko’s quaker quilt: the kindness of others
Courtesy of 50 Objects/50 Stories
In this video beautifully crafted by Emiko Omori, Satsuki Ina and her brother Kiyoshi Ina discuss their mother's Quaker quilt.
To learn more about Shizuko’s Quaker quilt, visit the 50 Objects/50 Stories website.
3 min, 3 sec
5 min, 7 sec
yamada family collection: wicker baskets
Courtesy of the National Park Service
This “Curator’s Corner” video was contributed to Tadaima 2020 by the Manzanar National Historic Site museum to fit our theme, “Immigration and Arrival Histories.”
community archive
The archive is a space to share photos, stories, artifacts, and memories from your family, your community, and your own life. We envision this archive as a place to tell stories from our Nikkei community alongside and in conversation with Pilgrimage programming.. Click HERE to enter the archive.
tuesday - June 16, 2020
Gilbert’s Garden-episode 1
Courtesy of the National Park Service
In an effort to restore the Minidoka Site to contain more native vegetation, a community native garden will be established. We would like your help to make this happen.
Click here for the introduction to the community garden project
1 min, 12 sec
36 min, 5 sec
An Archaeology of Gardens and Gardeners at Amache
Courtesy of Dr. Bonnie Clark
Over a decade of community-engaged archaeological study has identified hundreds of gardens preserved at Amache and reveals them as repositories of generational knowledge. In a presentation that weaves together information from oral histories, community archives, and indepth landscape archaeology, Dr. Bonnie Clark of the University of Denver explores how gardeners cultivated this community through innovation and horticultural skill. Participants in this session will also learn how to create their own Amache-inspired garden.
portland Nihonmachi
Courtesy of Japanese American Museum of Oregon
Dr. Jennifer Fang, talks about the origins of the Portland Nihonmachi. Dr. Fang is the Director of Education at the Japanese American Museum of Oregon.
17 min, 54 sec
12 min, 9 sec
seattle nihonmachi
Courtesy of Wing Luke Museum
This video honors the Seattle Japanese American community both past and present. Before WWII the community was quite extensive, but today it covers less than six blocks. Explore landmarks both past and present and hear the stories behind the places.
Wednesday - June 17, 2020
Available for purchase here!
Faces of Issei: The First Generation
only available on June 17th
Faces of Issei: The First Generation
Courtesy of Washizu Films
Email: washizufilm@gmail.com
A 1984 documentary film about the first generation Japanese who immigrated to America at the turn of the 20th century. These pioneering immigrants tell their stories of struggle and triumph in the new land.
(55 minutes, Digitally remastered and Retitled in 2018.)
"FACES of ISSEI" brings to vivid life the world of early Japanese immigrants in rural California. Infused with spirit and humor, this captivating film is a treasure.”
Valerie Matsumoto, Professor, Aratani Endowed Chair
"Toshi Washizu's FACES of ISSEI...with his poet's sensibility...[is] a revelation...a masterful portrait of this generation... probably the best single documentary about the first generation's experiences in California...because the Issei tell their own stories, in their own words."
Lane Hirabayashi, Professor Emeritus, UCLA
27 min, 59 sec
issei: a quality for survival
Courtesy of the Japanese American Service Committee
In 1975 the JASC (Japanese American Service Committee) received a federal grant to produce films and materials as part of an Issei Gerontology Project. The Project focused on first generation Japanese immigrants in Chicago. JASC produced four 16mm films. Unfortunately these films have not been screened in their entirety in over 40 years.
Collections of first-generation Japanese immigrant interviews are exceedingly rare in the Chicago community. The vitally important oral histories captured in these films and the related materials in the JASC archival collection are unique. These records of immigration history and stories of incarceration and resettlement are a testimony to the importance of safeguarding civil and human rights in the U.S.
10 min, 40 sec
San Francisco Japantown
Courtesy of National Japanese American Historical Society
A brief overview of San Francisco’s “Japantown” produced for the 110th anniversary in 2016.
26 min, 39 sec
Dr. ishikawa remembers san jose japantown
Courtesy of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose and Curt Fukuda
Dr. Tokio Ishikawa's 25-minute slide show tour of San Jose Japantown, created for the Centennial Celebration in 1990. The presentation was recorded and produced in April 1990 by Curt Fukuda. The slide show was updated in 2020 by Curt for this video as part of the Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown project. Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown is an Augmented Reality art project of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose funded by the Immersive Technology in the Arts grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in collaboration with Microsoft. Project directors: Susan Hayase and Tom Izu. Video by Curt Fukuda.
For more information: www.hiddenhistoriesjtown.org/
11 min, 10 sec
little tokyo tour
Courtesy of the Little Tokyo Historical Society
Join members of the Little Tokyo Historicl Society for a virtual tour of landmarks in Los Angeles’ “Little Tokyo” district.
thursday - June 18, 2020
discovering your japanese american roots
By Chester Hashizume and Japanese American National Museum
Overview class on how to research your Japanese American family tree. Presented by Chester Hashizume.
1 hr, 1 min
Densho Genealogy Session-Navigating Websites
By Densho and Linda Harms Okazaki
The button below will take you to Densho’s website. filling out Densho’s web form is required to access the video from this session.
one on one genealogy consultations
California Genealogical Society, Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, NPS and JAMP
Tadaima 2020 participants were provided online sessions with consultants for one-on-one help with researching their roots. Space was limited and sessions were only 20 minutes, so preparation was key!
Yon-say podcast
Episode 1: The American Dream
Guests-Jonnie Narita and Saiyare Refaei
2 min, 53 sec
#DearAncestors
By Brynn Saito
Week 1: Immigration & Arrival Histories
Prompt: Conjuring Ancestors. Imagine your elders or ancestors arriving to the United States. Picture a specific person in your family lineage (this person could be you) encountering America for the first time. Write a letter to that person; wonder about them; ask them everything you’ve never asked before; tell them about you, your life.
To see more of Brynn’s, “Dear—” project, click here.
friday - June 19, 2020
janm digital film festival: making waves: madame fujima kansuma
Courtesy of Japanese American National Museum
Born May 9th, 1918, Madame Fujima Kansuma is a celebrated Japanese American kabuki dancer and teacher with a career beginning in the early 1940s and spanning decades. From learning under the "God of Theatre," Onoe Kikugoro VI, in Japan to being invited to travel across different concentration camps to perform her pieces as an internee during WWII, she has dedicated her life to sharing the culture of kabuki and Japanese heritage in the United States. She has received a number of awards: most notably the Order of the Precious Crown, Apricot, by the Japanese government in 1985, and the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1987.
In 2018, at 100 years old, she was the choreographer for the Los Angeles Nisei Week parade. In the same year, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center hosted a birthday celebration for which this film was produced, in partnership with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the Japanese American National Museum, and the Alliance for California Traditional Arts. Madame Fujima Kansuma continues to teach and choreograph along with her daughter, Miyako Tachibana, who also became a master kabuki dancer and teacher. Madame Kansuma's legacy continues through her and the hundreds of students with whom she has crossed paths.
6 min
This film was produced for the program Fujima Kansuma: 100th Birthday Celebration, a co-presentation of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, Japanese American National Museum, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and the Alliance for California Traditional Arts. It received federal support from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Read more at: https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/madame-fujima-kansuma-confinement-culture-little-tokyo
book club: strawberry days with author david neiwert
Courtesy of Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee
Strawberry Days tells the vivid and moving tale of the creation and destruction of a Japanese immigrant community. Before World War II, Bellevue, the now-booming "edge city" on the outskirts of Seattle, was a prosperous farm town renowned for its strawberries. Many of its farmers were recent Japanese immigrants who, despite being rejected by white society, were able to make a living cultivating the rich soil. Yet the lives they created for themselves through years of hard work vanished almost instantly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. David Neiwert combines compelling story-telling with first-hand interviews and newly uncovered documents to weave together the history of this community and the racist schemes that prevented the immigrants from reclaiming their land after the war. Ultimately, Strawberry Days represents more than one community's story, reminding us that bigotry's roots are deeply entwined in the very fiber of American society.
artist talk with Setsuko Winchester
Setsuko Winchester is a photographer, ceramicist, and journalist. After the death of her mother, Setsuko dived deeper into her heritage and the history of Japanese Americans. Upon discovering the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans, she created the "Freedom From Fear/Yellow Bowl Project."
For every 1,000 people of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated, Setsuko created one yellow tea bowl. She took these 120 bowls to all ten WRA camps, the FDR Library, and other locations. At each site she photographed the bowls to symbolize the presence of the 120,000 people who had been incarcerated.
Moderated by Hanako Wakatsuki
Artist Talk is a Tadaima! segment that features Nikkei artists and their work about the Japanese incarceration and/or the Nikkei experience.
saturday - June 20, 2020
filmmaker Q&A
Join us as Rob Buscher talks with Linda Omaha about her film, "Obāchan's Garden"
In this feature-length documentary, filmmaker Linda Ohama merges beautifully rendered dramatic sequences with an exquisite collection of memories, feelings, images and voices. Linda’’s grandmother, Asayo Murakami, shares the memories of her 103 years of life. Asayo’s recollections include life in Japan and her arrival in Canada. Asayo was a “picture bride,” but she was determined to marry a man of her choice. Asayo’s story includes the bombing of Hiroshima and the forced relocation of her family during WWII. As she peels back the layers of her grandmother’s life, Linda discovers a painful, buried past. The film culminates in an emotional reunion with Asayo’s long lost daughter. “Obāchan's Garden" is a profoundly personal reflection of Japanese-Canadian history and a testament to one woman’s endurance and spirit.
Linda Ohama is a Japanese Canadian director and actress, known for "Obāchan's Garden" (2003), and "A New Moon over Tohoku" (2016).