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...
Gene Akutsu remembers family life pre-World War II shaped by his family’s closeness. Many of those moments were centered around the dinner table accompanied by meals and long conversations.
November 26, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Gene Akutsu remembers family life pre-World War II shaped by his family’s closeness. Many of those moments were centered around the dinner table accompanied by meals and long conversations.
We’re officially one week out from #GivingTuesday, and we’re already halfway to our $10,000 goal!
November 25, 2025 at 5:33 PM
We’re officially one week out from #GivingTuesday, and we’re already halfway to our $10,000 goal!
Read the newest Catalyst article: “Neighbors Not Enemies.”
Last month, Densho’s Courtney Wai, Caitlin Oiye Coon, and Executive Director Naomi Ostwald Kawamura joined survivors, descendants, and community members at the 2025 Crystal City Pilgrimage in San Antonio, Texas.
Last month, Densho’s Courtney Wai, Caitlin Oiye Coon, and Executive Director Naomi Ostwald Kawamura joined survivors, descendants, and community members at the 2025 Crystal City Pilgrimage in San Antonio, Texas.
November 24, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Read the newest Catalyst article: “Neighbors Not Enemies.”
Last month, Densho’s Courtney Wai, Caitlin Oiye Coon, and Executive Director Naomi Ostwald Kawamura joined survivors, descendants, and community members at the 2025 Crystal City Pilgrimage in San Antonio, Texas.
Last month, Densho’s Courtney Wai, Caitlin Oiye Coon, and Executive Director Naomi Ostwald Kawamura joined survivors, descendants, and community members at the 2025 Crystal City Pilgrimage in San Antonio, Texas.
Aiko Tengan Tokunaga discusses her family’s experiences during and after the Jūjū Kūshū, the first major bombing of Okinawa on October 10, 1944. She explains that during this period, her hometown of Naha was largely destroyed, forcing civilians to flee on foot toward Shuri.
November 21, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Aiko Tengan Tokunaga discusses her family’s experiences during and after the Jūjū Kūshū, the first major bombing of Okinawa on October 10, 1944. She explains that during this period, her hometown of Naha was largely destroyed, forcing civilians to flee on foot toward Shuri.
We’re Hiring!
Position: Assistant Editor/Editorial Projects Manager (Remote or hybrid)
Help coordinate and manage editorial projects that advances Densho’s mission to preserve and share the history of WWII incarceration.
Position: Assistant Editor/Editorial Projects Manager (Remote or hybrid)
Help coordinate and manage editorial projects that advances Densho’s mission to preserve and share the history of WWII incarceration.
November 19, 2025 at 8:18 PM
We’re Hiring!
Position: Assistant Editor/Editorial Projects Manager (Remote or hybrid)
Help coordinate and manage editorial projects that advances Densho’s mission to preserve and share the history of WWII incarceration.
Position: Assistant Editor/Editorial Projects Manager (Remote or hybrid)
Help coordinate and manage editorial projects that advances Densho’s mission to preserve and share the history of WWII incarceration.
As the National Park Service (NPS) continues to face staffing and funding cuts, as well as pressure to censor and take down historical signs, Densho remains committed to supporting NPS staff in telling an inclusive and accurate story of the WWII incarceration.
November 18, 2025 at 6:09 PM
As the National Park Service (NPS) continues to face staffing and funding cuts, as well as pressure to censor and take down historical signs, Densho remains committed to supporting NPS staff in telling an inclusive and accurate story of the WWII incarceration.
Our three-part series on teaching with the Densho Digital Repository concludes with Densho’s pedagogical approach to teaching Japanese American incarceration.
November 17, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Our three-part series on teaching with the Densho Digital Repository concludes with Densho’s pedagogical approach to teaching Japanese American incarceration.
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.