Cultural Pavillion

Awards

Senator Daniel Inouye
Leadership

George Kiriyama Educational Excellence

Festivals

The Trees

Japanese American Cultural Pavilion

Photograph document of 10 Interment Camps and Santa Anita Assembly Center

Stone Ishimaru - Photographer

FRED KOREMATSU DAY

"Photo by Shirley Nakao, Courtesy of the Korematsu Institute." Thanks! Ling

Fred T. Korematsu was a national civil rights hero. In 1942, at the age of 23, he refused to go to the government’s incarceration camps for Japanese Americans. After he was arrested and convicted of defying the government’s order, he appealed his case all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1944, the Supreme Court ruled against him, arguing that the incarceration was justified due to military necessity.

In 1983, Prof. Peter Irons, a legal historian, together with researcher Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, discovered key documents that government intelligence agencies had hidden from the Supreme Court in 1944. The documents consistently showed that Japanese Americans had committed no acts of treason to justify mass incarceration. With this new evidence, a legal team of mostly Japanese American attorneys re-opened Korematsu’s 40 year-old case on the basis of government misconduct. On November 10, 1983, Korematsu’s conviction was overturned in a federal court in San Francisco. It was a pivotal moment in civil rights history.

Korematsu remained an activist throughout his life. In 1998, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Bill Clinton. In 2010, the state of California passed the Fred Korematsu Day bill, making January 30 the first day in the US named after an Asian American. Korematsu’s growing legacy continues to inspire activists of all backgrounds and demonstrates the importance of speaking up to fight injustice.

NCRR - Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress (Sat)
www.ncrr-la.org

SASHIKO EXHIBIT AND DEMONSTRATION with aYoko Tamae and students

What is Sashiko?

Early 18th Century Japanese wives of farmers, fishermen and lumberjacks made warm garments for the men by stitching two pieces of heavy fabric together using fine running stitches throughout the entire garment. At first, the stitching was used for reinforcing and repairing damaged fabrics but later became more decorative. The cotton fabric was dyed very dark blue with the root of a native plant. We know this color as indigo.

By the end of the century, this particular style of stitchery was known as "SASHIKO". Around the late 19th Century, sashiko appeared in cities. The style was adopted for warmth but the stitching designs became more elaborate. Patterns were adopted from kimono prints, fabric weaves and nature such as, bamboo, ocean waves, flowers, etc. Sashiko is also used to decorate pillows, table cloths, runners, purses, potholders and many other things.

TROOP 379 PREWAR SCOUTS

Troop 379

Troop 379 consists of Boy Scout,Troop Girl Scout Troop, Cub Scout Pack, Venture Crew and Drum and Bugle Corps. The Boy Scout Troop was established in 1931 at the Koyasan Buddhist Betsuin Temple at 342 E First Street. 2006 marked the 75th Anniversary of the Boy Scout Troop. The Drum and Bugle Corps was started in 1932 and participates in local community events, featuring nearly every Nisei Week Parade since its inception. During the Internment Years, the troop was based at Heart Mountain. The Boy Scout Troop has grown to add an explorer post which has developed into Girl Scout Troop 379. Most recently, the Venture Crew was added to allow scouts from other troops to participate in the Drum and Bugle program. Kids of all ages are encouraged to join the 379 family.

Kimekomi Dolls

Kimikomi Dolls - Yukari Kai
Kimekomi Ningyou was created by Takahashi Tadashige, a priest at a Kyoto shrine, about 300 years ago. Tadashige used willow trees to create the doll's body, and applied scraps of the priests' clothing to dress it, thus calling it "Gamo Nigyou" or willow doll. It was during the Edo era when the term Kimekomi Nigyou replaced "Gamo Nigyou" because with new technology it was much easier to mass produce the wooden bodies of the dolls by mixing wood dust with glue and other substances such as seaweek, and pouring it into a mold. "Ki" means wood, "Mekomi" means the technique that is used to tuck the fabric into the grooves on the doll's body. Come see this ancient 'doll making' demonstrations and exhibit.