Jensaku Makita’s tale is told along the back wall of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon’s new display. On Angel Island, an island in the San Francisco Bay that served as a U.S. immigration post in the early 1900s, Makita was the only Oregonian detained during World War II.
Traveling from the Portland assembly center to Sharp Park, California, Angel Island, Lordsburg, New Mexico, Santa Fe, and Minidoka, Idaho, Makita spent three years away from his family. Because Makita played golf with the Japanese Consul General, he was added on the ABC list of individuals and groups whom the FBI intended to detain in the event of war.
His family was fighting for his safe return at this time. His 14-year-old son’s letters describe the family’s plea for their father’s return.
Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong, executive director of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, stated, “It just makes me sad when I read it.” Because my mother and I would like to move and be together, he wants him back as soon as feasible.
One of the stories in the Japanese American Museum of Oregon’s new exhibition, Taken From Their Families, is Makita’s ordeal. The museum’s touring exhibition, which will run until April 6, will highlight a little-known aspect of World War II: the internment of Japanese immigrants on Angel Island. The exhibit illuminates the relationship between immigration and wartime incarceration via firsthand accounts, artifacts, and community perspectives.
Erin Schmith, the museum’s coordinator of marketing and communications, described this as a somewhat subtle aspect of the narrative. This exhibit is crucial to start those discussions and aid in understanding because, while it may be addressed, it is not as thoroughly explored if someone is merely attempting to explain the fundamentals of what transpired during World War II.
The museum’s permanent exhibition, Oregon’s Nikkei: An American Story of Resilience, delves deeply into the history of Japanese Americans in Oregon, which is reflected in the temporary exhibit.
Curated by Grant Din and arranged by California State Parks and the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, Taken From Their Families has a number of panels that provide an overview of the history of Angel Island.
Wakatsuki-Chong stated, “We like to support other smaller institutions.” I wouldn’t describe Angel Island as being hard to reach, but you do have to try. Although their university already had this, traveling helps spread the message.
The Japanese American Museum of Oregon has expanded its exhibit by including Makita’s story, objects created by individuals housed at various Department of Justice locations, and an interactive exercise that allows visitors to pay tribute to incarcerated family members.
You might spend no more than 30 minutes strolling around this (display), but it’s worth the extra 30 minutes to see how it truly affected this one individual, Wakatsuki-Chong remarked. Additionally, as you read about Jensaku’s life, you will notice these more general universal themes, such as the fact that, despite the existence of the immigration category, it is really discussing identity.
Visitors can attend a discussion with Din at 1 p.m. during the exhibition. Saturday, February 8, offering a chance to explore the topic in further detail. As a genealogist and historian, Din would be qualified to respond to specific inquiries regarding FBI roundups of Japanese people and Department of Justice sites. The event can be registered for at jamo.org/event/angel-island-talk.
Wakatsuki-Chong stressed the application to more general American history, even though the show is centered on Japanese history.
Wakatsuki-Chong stated, “We need to get people to think about this because history rhymes a lot, and I think we’re in one of those situations where we’re seeing the rhyming.” In order to comprehend the story better, we must humanize it. Thus, hopefully, we won’t do it again.
Taken From Their Families if you go 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday: 411 N.W. Flanders St., Naito Center, Japanese American Museum of Oregon, jamo.org
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Chiara Profenna discusses faith, religion, and cultural ties. You may contact her at [email protected] or @chiaraprofenna, or 503-221-4327.
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust supports The Oregonian/OregonLive in its efforts to provide readers with articles about faith, religion, and cultural ties in Oregon. All content is the exclusive property of The Oregonian/OregonLive.
