Densho
Site: https://densho.org
Densho documents the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II before their memories are extinguished. Densho offers these irreplaceable firsthand accounts, coupled with historical images, historical documents, and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy and promote equal justice for all.
Densho's collections contain oral histories and primary sources that document the Japanese American experience from immigration starting in the late 1800s through redress in the 1980s, with a strong focus on World War II incarceration. The archives are growing as Densho continues to record oral histories and digitize historical materials.
376 Collections
Collection
Bain Collection (ddr-densho-2)
The Bain collection, 1920s-1940s, focuses on the daily and recreational activities of the Nishimura and Yorita families, originally from Seattle, Washington. This collection contains several photographs of farming, fishing, and swimming. The majority of the collection focuses on the incarceration of the two families at Minidoka, Idaho, and Tule Lake, California. Many photographs document their jewelry-making …
Collection
Sawa Collection (ddr-densho-3)
The Sawa collection, early 1900s-1930s, contains images from Days, Washington. This collection documents the work and leisure activities of the Nakashima family, who owned a dairy farm.
Collection
Ito Collection (ddr-densho-5)
The Ito collection, 1940s, features photographs of WRA camp inmates working on farms in Utah and Montana under the seasonal leave program. Also included are photographs of a family that relocated to Spokane, Washington, after World War II. Densho interviewed collection donor Toshio Ito in 1998.
Collection
Kamikawa Collection (ddr-densho-6)
The Kamikawa collection, 1998, consists of photographs from the Nisei veterans reunion in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Collection
Kaneko Collection (ddr-densho-7)
The Kaneko collection, 1944, consists of War Relocation Authority (WRA) resettlement photographs of the Kaneko and Isoda families. The two families relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during World War II, and the WRA photographed their home and daily activities. The pictures were accompanied by captions worded in a positive manner to encourage Japanese Americans to leave the …
Collection
Kashino Collection (ddr-densho-8)
The Kashino collection, 1998, focuses on the Nisei veterans reunion in Honolulu, Hawaii. Densho interviewed collection donor Louise Kashino in 1998.
Collection
Kawaguchi Collection (ddr-densho-9)
The Kawaguchi collection, 1930s, focuses on the Shiraishi family, who were farmers from Bellevue, Washington. In addition to photographs of agricultural activities, the collection contains images of picnics and sports.
Collection
Kinoshita Collection (ddr-densho-10)
The Kinoshita collection (1940s, 1970s, and 1980s-1990s) contains photographs from the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Several photographs show the staff of the Minidoka Irrigator, the camp's newspaper. The collection also documents the redress movement from its inception, and includes photographs from various Japanese American Citizens League conventions. Densho interviewed collection donor Cherry Kinoshita in 1997.
Collection
Klimek Collection (ddr-densho-11)
The Klimek collection, 1998, documents the pilgrimage to the site of the Tule Lake concentration camp, California. Photographs depict participants viewing barracks, old foundations from the camp, and Castle Rock and attending a memorial service at Linkville cemetery in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Collection
Kunitsugu Collection (ddr-densho-12)
The Kunitsugu collection, circa 1918-1930s, focuses on the business and leisure activities of the Kunitsugu family of Seattle, Washington. Seattle's prewar Nihonmachi area appears in the background of several of the photographs.
Collection
Mamiya Collection (ddr-densho-13)
The Mamiya collection, c.1918-1960s, records the business and leisure activities of the Asaba and Shibata families of Seattle, Washington. Dance and graduation programs from the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho, are also shown. Densho interviewed collection donor Yoshi Mamiya in 1998.
Collection
Mitsui Collection (ddr-densho-14)
The Mitsui collection, 1998, documents the Nisei veterans reunion in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Collection
Mitsuoka Collection (ddr-densho-15)
The Mitsuoka collection, 1917-1940s, includes photographs of oyster farming in Washington State, canneries in Alaska, Japanese American Boy Scout troops on outings, and leisure activities such as skiing. Daily life at Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho, is also well-documented in photographs of cooking, doing laundry, and participating in sports.
Collection
Murakami Collection (ddr-densho-16)
The Murakami family operated the Higo Ten-Cent Store in Seattle's International District (formerly Nihonmachi). Photographs in this collection, early 1900s-1950s, include interior and exterior views of the business and one family portrait. Densho interviewed collection donors, sisters Ayako and Masako Murakami, in 1997.
Collection
Natsuhara Collection (ddr-densho-18)
The Natsuhara collection, 1920s-1930s, focuses on the agricultural, business, and leisure activities of Japanese Americans in the White River Valley area of Washington State. There are also photographs of farm children.
Collection
Okawa Collection (ddr-densho-20)
The Okawa collection, circa 1918-1940s, features photographs of picnics and other leisure activities of the Japanese American community before World War II. The concentration camp at Minidoka, Idaho, is also shown.
Collection
Saul Collection (ddr-densho-22)
The Saul collection consists of images and documents related to Japanese American military service during World War II. Topics include: 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion, Military Intelligence Service, rescue of the Lost Battalion, liberation of Dachau, etc. The content of this collection was brought together from multiple sources both organizational …
Collection
Tazuma Collection (ddr-densho-23)
The Tazuma collection, 1917-1950s, focuses on the Tazuma family, owners of a store in Seattle's Nihonmachi. This collection contains photographs of the family, their store, and recreational activities such as football and judo. There are also several views of the family at the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Documents include Bunshiro Tazuma's immigration papers and the Tazumas' …
Collection
Y. Tazuma Collection (ddr-densho-24)
The Y. Tazuma collection focuses on the Tazuma family, owners of a store in Seattle's Nihonmachi, or Japantown. This collection contains photographs of the family, their store, and a photograph of the family at the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho.
Collection
Yamada Collection (ddr-densho-25)
The Yamada collection, early 1900s-1950s and 1990s, focuses on the Iseri family, who resided in the White River Valley area of Washington State before World War II and in Weiser, Idaho, after the war. The photographs depict agricultural life and community activities such as sports, mochitsuki, and religious ceremonies. This collection also includes mass removal and …
Collection
Yanagihara Collection (ddr-densho-26)
The Yanagihara collection contains materials from the pre-War, War, and post-War years. The pre-War photographs show life for the Yanagihara family. The Wartime photographs show life at Minidoka concentration camp in Hunt Idaho. The post-War photographs include events such as the redress movement and the memorial to Japanese American soldiers at the Nisei Veterans Hall in …
Collection
Uchida Collection (ddr-densho-27)
The Uchida collection consists of one photograph of matsutake (pine mushroom) hunting, a popular pastime for Japanese Americans both before and after World War II.
Collection
Akizuki Collection (ddr-densho-28)
This Akizuki collection, 1920s-1940s, documents some locations in Bellevue, Washington, and includes one photo of Seattle's Public Market in the 1920s.
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Fugita Collection (ddr-densho-29)
The Fugita collection consists of one photograph of fishermen in the Rio Vista area of California in the 1930s.
Collection
S. Ohashi Collection (ddr-densho-30)
The Ohashi collection is comprised of photographs of the Japanese language school in Seattle, Washington, when it was used as a hostel for Japanese Americans immediately after World War II.