Densho
@denshoproject.bsky.social
Preserves and shares history of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans to promote equity and justice today.
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Densho
@denshoproject.bsky.social
· Aug 21
This is a crucial moment to safeguard our collective memory, especially as efforts to erase our histories grow stronger. Become a monthly donor and ensure stories of Japanese American WWII incarceration—and the lessons they carry—remain visible, powerful, and protected. densho.org/historykeepe...
When the FBI took her father away in 1942, fourteen-year-old Marion Tsutakawa Kanemoto didn’t know how to make sense of it—and neither did her classmates. “It’s interesting how when it’s an awkward position, there are people who just stay away,” she recalled. “They don’t know how to comfort you.”
November 14, 2025 at 4:50 PM
When the FBI took her father away in 1942, fourteen-year-old Marion Tsutakawa Kanemoto didn’t know how to make sense of it—and neither did her classmates. “It’s interesting how when it’s an awkward position, there are people who just stay away,” she recalled. “They don’t know how to comfort you.”
We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of professor and historian Art Hansen.
November 12, 2025 at 5:34 PM
We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of professor and historian Art Hansen.
This Veterans Day, we honor all who have served, especially the Japanese Americans who served in World War II.
November 11, 2025 at 10:54 PM
This Veterans Day, we honor all who have served, especially the Japanese Americans who served in World War II.
Christian-Joseph Macahilig is an Outreach Coordinator with the UCLA Asian American Studies Center’s Foundations and Futures AAPI digital textbook project.
November 10, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Christian-Joseph Macahilig is an Outreach Coordinator with the UCLA Asian American Studies Center’s Foundations and Futures AAPI digital textbook project.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Remembering Resistance—our 2025 virtual fundraiser honoring the legacy of the Japanese American Redress Movement. Thanks to your presence and generosity, the program was a tremendous success! 💛
November 10, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Remembering Resistance—our 2025 virtual fundraiser honoring the legacy of the Japanese American Redress Movement. Thanks to your presence and generosity, the program was a tremendous success! 💛
🚨 Don’t miss out!
Registration closes soon for our virtual program on the Japanese American Redress Movement — happening Wednesday, November 5th at 5pm PT / 8pm ET.
Learn this history and its relevance to today.
Register at densho.org/events/ to save your spot!
Registration closes soon for our virtual program on the Japanese American Redress Movement — happening Wednesday, November 5th at 5pm PT / 8pm ET.
Learn this history and its relevance to today.
Register at densho.org/events/ to save your spot!
November 3, 2025 at 6:08 PM
🚨 Don’t miss out!
Registration closes soon for our virtual program on the Japanese American Redress Movement — happening Wednesday, November 5th at 5pm PT / 8pm ET.
Learn this history and its relevance to today.
Register at densho.org/events/ to save your spot!
Registration closes soon for our virtual program on the Japanese American Redress Movement — happening Wednesday, November 5th at 5pm PT / 8pm ET.
Learn this history and its relevance to today.
Register at densho.org/events/ to save your spot!
Happy Halloween! Step back in time with these archival photos that show how Halloween and costume wearing brought joy and connection to Japanese American communities across generations. See more snapshots of the past in Densho’s Digital Repository (at ddr.densho.org)!
October 31, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Happy Halloween! Step back in time with these archival photos that show how Halloween and costume wearing brought joy and connection to Japanese American communities across generations. See more snapshots of the past in Densho’s Digital Repository (at ddr.densho.org)!
In 1981, over 750 Japanese American former incarcerees and descendants testified in public hearings about their experiences of forced removal and incarceration during World War II—many speaking out for the very first time.
October 31, 2025 at 2:04 PM
In 1981, over 750 Japanese American former incarcerees and descendants testified in public hearings about their experiences of forced removal and incarceration during World War II—many speaking out for the very first time.
Calling all educators!
Join Densho Education for a 2-hour virtual professional development workshop on the significance of Japanese American wartime incarceration and its relevance for today’s classrooms.
Join Densho Education for a 2-hour virtual professional development workshop on the significance of Japanese American wartime incarceration and its relevance for today’s classrooms.
October 28, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Calling all educators!
Join Densho Education for a 2-hour virtual professional development workshop on the significance of Japanese American wartime incarceration and its relevance for today’s classrooms.
Join Densho Education for a 2-hour virtual professional development workshop on the significance of Japanese American wartime incarceration and its relevance for today’s classrooms.
It’s Media Literacy Week (Oct 27–31)! At Densho, we believe that media literacy is essential to preserving memory, challenging bias, and ensuring that history is told with care and truth.
October 27, 2025 at 10:07 PM
It’s Media Literacy Week (Oct 27–31)! At Densho, we believe that media literacy is essential to preserving memory, challenging bias, and ensuring that history is told with care and truth.
Reflecting on the federal government’s apology and reparations to Japanese Americans in 1988, Harvey Watanabe called the payments “a token,” and said the apology left him “a little bit wanting.”
October 24, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Reflecting on the federal government’s apology and reparations to Japanese Americans in 1988, Harvey Watanabe called the payments “a token,” and said the apology left him “a little bit wanting.”
This week, our staff gathered in Seattle for our annual staff retreat! We embraced the opportunity to engage in lively group discussions, reflecting on Densho’s past, and strategizing how to continue safeguarding WWII incarceration history for the future.
October 23, 2025 at 12:19 AM
This week, our staff gathered in Seattle for our annual staff retreat! We embraced the opportunity to engage in lively group discussions, reflecting on Densho’s past, and strategizing how to continue safeguarding WWII incarceration history for the future.
We are excited for our upcoming fall fundraiser, and so are our speakers! We asked them, “Why do you think it’s important to learn about the Redress Movement, especially now?” Swipe to read their responses!
October 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
We are excited for our upcoming fall fundraiser, and so are our speakers! We asked them, “Why do you think it’s important to learn about the Redress Movement, especially now?” Swipe to read their responses!
It’s #AskAnArchivistDay! In honor of this day, we’re reflecting on what educators can learn from Densho’s archival approach to teaching difficult histories with care.
October 16, 2025 at 8:15 PM
It’s #AskAnArchivistDay! In honor of this day, we’re reflecting on what educators can learn from Densho’s archival approach to teaching difficult histories with care.
Take a look at some photos from the Densho Staff who attended the Crystal City Pilgrimage 2025! The Crystal City Pilgrimage Committee was kind enough to host a Densho Community Scanning Day during the pilgrimage, allowing Densho to complete its first community scanning day outside of the state of WA
October 15, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Take a look at some photos from the Densho Staff who attended the Crystal City Pilgrimage 2025! The Crystal City Pilgrimage Committee was kind enough to host a Densho Community Scanning Day during the pilgrimage, allowing Densho to complete its first community scanning day outside of the state of WA
Indigenous Peoples’ Day offers an important reminder that every chapter of US history—including the WWII incarceration of over 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry—took place on occupied Indigenous lands.
October 13, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Indigenous Peoples’ Day offers an important reminder that every chapter of US history—including the WWII incarceration of over 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry—took place on occupied Indigenous lands.
Recently, Courtney Wai, Education and Public Programs Manager, and Sara Beckman, Digital Archivist, sat down to talk about the importance of Densho’s Digital Repository (DDR) — especially for educators, students, and anyone curious to explore primary sources of Japanese American history.
October 10, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Recently, Courtney Wai, Education and Public Programs Manager, and Sara Beckman, Digital Archivist, sat down to talk about the importance of Densho’s Digital Repository (DDR) — especially for educators, students, and anyone curious to explore primary sources of Japanese American history.
In 1981, Kathy Nishimoto Masaoka testified before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC). These CWRIC hearings became a turning point in the movement for Japanese American Redress—built through everyday acts of organizing, testimony, and community care.
October 9, 2025 at 9:46 PM
In 1981, Kathy Nishimoto Masaoka testified before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC). These CWRIC hearings became a turning point in the movement for Japanese American Redress—built through everyday acts of organizing, testimony, and community care.
Ahead of the Crystal City Pilgrimage this weekend, we explore the history of this lesser-known site of WWII incarceration. Tucked away in South Texas, Crystal City imprisoned over 4,000 people of Japanese, German, & Italian ancestry—including thousands abducted from Latin America—from 1942 to 1948.
October 8, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Ahead of the Crystal City Pilgrimage this weekend, we explore the history of this lesser-known site of WWII incarceration. Tucked away in South Texas, Crystal City imprisoned over 4,000 people of Japanese, German, & Italian ancestry—including thousands abducted from Latin America—from 1942 to 1948.
Banned Books Week brings into sharp relief a truth we see in our work every day: stories are powerful. In the 2024–2025 school year alone, there were 6,870 instances of book bans — a sharp and alarming increase over the past two years, signaling a “disturbing normalization of censorship.”
October 6, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Banned Books Week brings into sharp relief a truth we see in our work every day: stories are powerful. In the 2024–2025 school year alone, there were 6,870 instances of book bans — a sharp and alarming increase over the past two years, signaling a “disturbing normalization of censorship.”
With Taylor Swift releasing The Life of a Showgirl, we honor the story of a real showgirl: Mary Mon Toy.
Born Mary Teruko Watanabe, she rebuilt her life after surviving incarceration at Minidoka and an oophorectomy (removal of her ovaries).
Born Mary Teruko Watanabe, she rebuilt her life after surviving incarceration at Minidoka and an oophorectomy (removal of her ovaries).
October 3, 2025 at 3:30 PM
With Taylor Swift releasing The Life of a Showgirl, we honor the story of a real showgirl: Mary Mon Toy.
Born Mary Teruko Watanabe, she rebuilt her life after surviving incarceration at Minidoka and an oophorectomy (removal of her ovaries).
Born Mary Teruko Watanabe, she rebuilt her life after surviving incarceration at Minidoka and an oophorectomy (removal of her ovaries).
When Don Tamaki and his team reopened Fred Korematsu’s WWII case, they uncovered evidence proving the forced removal and incarceration of 125,000+ Japanese Americans wasn’t just wartime hysteria or an accident.
October 2, 2025 at 3:34 PM
When Don Tamaki and his team reopened Fred Korematsu’s WWII case, they uncovered evidence proving the forced removal and incarceration of 125,000+ Japanese Americans wasn’t just wartime hysteria or an accident.
The imagery of barbed wire fences, guard towers, and armed sentries is nearly ubiquitous in popular retellings of the story of Japanese American WWII incarceration. But did you know that many of the camps didn’t actually have a complete fence when Japanese American incarcerees arrived in 1942?
October 1, 2025 at 3:31 PM
The imagery of barbed wire fences, guard towers, and armed sentries is nearly ubiquitous in popular retellings of the story of Japanese American WWII incarceration. But did you know that many of the camps didn’t actually have a complete fence when Japanese American incarcerees arrived in 1942?
Join Densho on November 5th at 5pm PT / 8pm EST for an evening of storytelling, poetry, and reflection on the Japanese American Redress Movement. Your support sustains Densho’s mission of preserving community memory for generations to come. Register for this event at densho.org/remembering-...
September 30, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Join Densho on November 5th at 5pm PT / 8pm EST for an evening of storytelling, poetry, and reflection on the Japanese American Redress Movement. Your support sustains Densho’s mission of preserving community memory for generations to come. Register for this event at densho.org/remembering-...
While many Japanese Americans returned to the West Coast after incarceration, Marian’s story shows a less common path: one of resilience, courage, and community in the post-WWII South.
September 25, 2025 at 10:01 PM
While many Japanese Americans returned to the West Coast after incarceration, Marian’s story shows a less common path: one of resilience, courage, and community in the post-WWII South.