Kango Takamura Collection

PARTNER

Manzanar National Historic Site
Visit partner

COLLECTION ID

ddr-manz-2

DESCRIPTION

The Kango Takamura Collection contains 76 paintings and sketches Takamura created during his time at Santa Fe Internment Camp and Manzanar concentration camp. The artwork depicts daily life in the camps, including scenes of education, living conditions, agriculture, and more. The physical collection is maintained at UCLA Library Special Collections.

INCLUSIVE UNIT DATE

c.1942-1944

BULK UNIT DATE

c.1942-1944

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

76 paintings and sketches

CONTRIBUTOR

Manzanar National Historic Site

CREATORS

PREFERRED CITATION

Courtesy of Manzanar National Historic Site and the Kango Takamura Collection

RIGHTS

Copyright restricted
Copyright restricted

76 Objects

Painting of the Takamura Family's pet hawk (ddr-manz-2-1)
img Painting of the Takamura Family's pet hawk (ddr-manz-2-1)
Caption: "Our pet hawk died on May 22. The following day Mr. Sato of Chula Vista died. But same day over 80 of us internees were released."
https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-manz-2-1/
Painting of a baseball game (ddr-manz-2-2)
img Painting of a baseball game (ddr-manz-2-2)
Caption: "Our guard in the watch tower became a spring baseball fan at Santa Fe."
https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-manz-2-2/
Painting of a cloud formation over hills (ddr-manz-2-3)
img Painting of a cloud formation over hills (ddr-manz-2-3)
Caption: "At evening I sketched this beautiful, unusual cloud formation. All at [sic] us noticed it. We wondered whether these might mean that we would be at peace."
https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-manz-2-3/
Painting of a guard during night inspection (ddr-manz-2-4)
img Painting of a guard during night inspection (ddr-manz-2-4)
Caption: "His bald pate shined as bright as a full moon. At first they inspected the barracks three times a night, waking us. Later, they stopped this."
https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-manz-2-4/
Sketch of mochituski (ddr-manz-2-5)
img Sketch of mochituski (ddr-manz-2-5)
Caption: "Making rice cakes (mochi-tsuki). New Year custom. No 2 kitchen. Dec. 31 - 1942."
https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-manz-2-5/
Painting of a chemist at work (ddr-manz-2-6)
img Painting of a chemist at work (ddr-manz-2-6)
Caption: "Mr. Hirozawa. The chemists work incessantly in search of a better method of extracting rubber. Here a chemist is preparing latex from guayule."
https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-manz-2-6/
Illustrations of Guayule strains (ddr-manz-2-7)
img Illustrations of Guayule strains (ddr-manz-2-7)
Caption: "Some characteristics of guayule strains."
https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-manz-2-7/
Painting showing guayule harvesting (ddr-manz-2-8)
img Painting showing guayule harvesting (ddr-manz-2-8)
Caption: "The first successful growing of - guayule rubber plant cuttings."
https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-manz-2-8/
Painting of the mess hall line (ddr-manz-2-9)
img Painting of the mess hall line (ddr-manz-2-9)
Caption: "Progress after one year. The mess hall line" and "Wall painting by Takamura."
https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-manz-2-9/
Painting of two men working with guayule cuttings (ddr-manz-2-10)
img Painting of two men working with guayule cuttings (ddr-manz-2-10)
Caption: "Rooted cuttings are transplanted to milk cartons and then to the field. Trnsplanting [sic] is done carefully and speedily by hand of the experimenters. Mr. Akaboshi."
https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-manz-2-10/

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