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 Densho offers these irreplaceable firsthand accounts, coupled with historical images, historical documents, and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy and promote equal justice for all.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.
394 Collections
Collection
Tsuji Collection (ddr-densho-31)
The Tsuji collection consists of two photographs of the Japanese language school in Seattle, Washington, when it was used as a hostel for Japanese Americans immediately after World War II.
Collection
H. Nakagawa Collection (ddr-densho-32)
The H. Nakagawa collection consists of several photographs of the Japanese language school in Seattle, Washington, when it was used as a hostel for Japanese Americans immediately after World War II.
Collection
Nishitani Collection (ddr-densho-33)
The Nishitani collection consists of several photographs of the Oriental Gardens, a Japanese-run nursery in Seattle, Washington, prior to World War II. Densho interviewed collection donor Martha Nishitani in 1998.
Collection
Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community Collection (ddr-densho-34)
The collection of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community, 1890s-1940s, consists primarily of photographs of strawberry farms, businesses, sawmills, and the church and school activities of the Japanese American community on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The collection also includes photographs of the Bainbridge Island community of Port Blakely, the mass removal of Japanese Americans from Bainbridge Island, …
Collection
Densho Collection (ddr-densho-35)
The Densho collection consists of historic photographs of early Seattle and surrounding areas, as well as current photographs of historical sites and community events. This collection includes photographs of Tule Lake, California; Minidoka, Idaho; the Nisei veterans Memorial Day service in Seattle, Washington, and photos of the Golden Potlatch festival in Seattle, Washington, c. 1911. Also …
Collection
Museum of History & Industry Collection (ddr-densho-36)
The collection of the Museum of History & Industry of Seattle, Washington, circa 1914-1940s, focuses on the mass removal of Japanese Americans from Bainbridge Island and Seattle, Washington. Staff photographers for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, a local newspaper, took all the photographs. There are also several images of prewar Nihonmachi and postwar memorial services for Nisei soldiers.
Collection
National Archives and Records Administration Collection (ddr-densho-37)
The National Archives and Records Administration collection, 1940s, primarily focuses on the ten War Relocation Authority camps. The collection also documents the exploits of Nisei soldiers who served with the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, and the Military Intelligence Service.
Collection
Seattle Buddhist Temple Archives Collection (ddr-densho-38)
The collection of the Seattle Buddhist Temple Archives, early 1900s-1940s, focuses on the Seattle Buddhist Temple and church-related activities such as picnics, entertainment, and the Bon Odori festival.
Collection
Wing Luke Asian Museum Collection (ddr-densho-39)
The photographs in the collection of the Wing Luke Asian Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1920s-1940s, focus primarily on oyster farming and the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. The images from Minidoka include barracks, schools, and leisure activities such as sports and arts and crafts.
Collection
Washington State Historical Society Collection (ddr-densho-42)
The collection of the Washington State Historical Society at Tacoma, Washington, contains a single photograph of Seattle's Nihonmachi, or Japantown, in the early 1900s.
Collection
Seattle Japanese Language School Collection (ddr-densho-43)
The Seattle Japanese Language School collection contains photographs of the pre-World War II Japanese Language School in Seattle, Washington.
Collection
K. Ross Toole Archives, University of Montana at Missoula (ddr-densho-44)
The collection of the K. Ross Toole Archives, University of Montana, contains photographs of the Department of Justice internment camp at Fort Missoula, Montana.
Collection
UW Nikkei Alumni Association Collection (ddr-densho-45)
The UW Nikkei Alumni Association collection contains photographs of Japanese American student groups at the University of Washington both before and after World War II.
Collection
J. Egashira Collection (ddr-densho-46)
The J. Egashira 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
Seattle Times Collection (ddr-densho-56)
The Seattle Times collection contains articles about Japanese Americans published in the Seattle Times newspaper between 1900 and 1949. The articles were selected by Densho staff and downloaded from the Seattle Times website. They appear to have been originally scanned from microfilm. Cropped versions of each article as well as the original full page are available.
Collection
Sato Collection (ddr-densho-60)
The Sato collection consists of three photographs from the personal family collection of Rick Sato, who was interviewed by Densho in 1998.
Collection
Hayashida Collection (ddr-densho-61)
The Hayashida Family collection includes photos and documents showing daily life of the Nishinaka family, including Fumiko Nishinaka Hayashida and siblings on Bainbridge Island before the war, documents related to the disposition and caretaking of the Fumiko and Saburo Hayashida property while the family was interned at Manzanar and Minidoka, correspondence with friends and family on …
Collection
Watanabe Collection (ddr-densho-62)
The Watanabe collection consists of photographs from the personal family collection of Edith and Harvey Watanabe, who were each interviewed separately by Densho in 1996.
Collection
Hashiguchi Collection (ddr-densho-63)
The Hashiguchi collection consists of personal photographs from the family of Mitsuko Hashiguchi, who was interviewed by Densho in 1998.
Collection
M. Nakagawa Collection (ddr-densho-64)
The M. Nakagawa collection consists of photographs and documents from the personal collection of Mako Nakagawa, who was interviewed by Densho in 1998. Some of the materials depict life in the Crystal City internment camp, Texas.
Collection
Tulean Dispatch Collection (ddr-densho-65)
This collection consists of selected issues of the Tulean Dispatch, a newspaper published by the inmates at the Tule Lake concentration camp, California. Many of the issues are originals, and were donated to Densho by Joe Matsuzawa in 2001.
Additional issues of the Tulean Dispatch were provided by the Library of Congress as microfilm scans, and …
Collection
Fujii Collection (ddr-densho-66)
The Fujii collection consists of personal photographs from the family of Frank S. Fujii, who was interviewed by Densho in 1997.
Collection
Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians Collection (ddr-densho-67)
This collection consists of selected papers collected by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC), which was created on July 30, 1980 by an act of Congress. Formed mainly to investigate matters surrounding the incarceration and to recommend appropriate remedies, the CWRIC had no power to correct grievances and was viewed as a …
Collection
Bainbridge Island Review Collection (ddr-densho-68)
This collection consists of selected articles from the Bainbridge Island Review, a community paper from Bainbridge Island, Washington. During World War II, the Bainbridge Island Review was the sole newspaper on the West Coast to continuously speak out against the mass removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans, primarily through the editorials of Walt Woodward, editor from …
Collection
San Francisco Chronicle Collection (ddr-densho-69)
This collection contains selected articles from the San Francisco Chronicle. The articles are all from the early 1900s, and demonstrate the anti-Asian sentiment depicted in the U.S. media at the time.