The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in the Little Tokyo section of downtown Los Angeles currently is housing a unique piece of American history, the Ireichō, informally referred to as the Book of Names. The Rev. Dr. Duncan Ryuken Williams, a Buddhist priest and Director of the University of Southern California’s Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religion and Culture, assembled the book containing over 125,000 names of individuals of Japanese ancestry and others that were held in seventy-five internment and concentration camps operated by the U.S. Government during WWII primarily because of their perceived threat to our nation’s security. However, unlike most historical documents, the JANM encourages visitors to examine the book and place a mark, a hanko, a stamp used by individuals in Japan in place of a signature on important or formal documents, under the names of friends and relatives that are listed on the numerous pages throughout the book.

Kazz Morohashi, Communications Assistant for the JANM, states that many older visitors are former internees or friends of internees who come to honor the names of grandparents, parents, siblings or longtime friends. For younger visitors, they come to honor relatives or friends they knew or only heard about when older family members shared stories at family gatherings or during quiet reflective moments.

*JANM volunteer, Eiko Masuyama, carefully guides Yutani to the pages in the* Ireichō containing the names of her family members.

For one visitor, Jennifer Yutani, whose father was a first generation Japanese American, her visit was filled with a mix of emotions as she, her husband, Kevin, and her stepdaughter, Madison, came to honor her father, uncle, and her paternal grandparents and paternal great grandparents. Yutani reflects, “I learned about the internment from a young age, and how it affected my grandparents’ and my dad’s life paths has always affected me.”

Yutani states that her mother, an American of Irish, Scottish, and German descent, was the one that learned as much information as she could from Yutani’s paternal grandmother and shared that information with her and her brother. “My mother asked my grandmother questions. My mother learned so much from her that I remember she came to my second grade classroom to talk to the kids about Manzanar.”

Yutani remembers that her grandmother would occasionally make comments about camp. “It was always something small, maybe a mention that they knew a friend from camp. I remember her telling me that they had to stuff burlap sacks with straw to use as beds. She paused like she was remembering it in her mind, and then she said to me that it was a nice bed and smiled. I always thought she did that so that I didn’t worry about what they had been though. Reflecting back as an adult, it was maybe not so much about me but more about her. Maybe if she told herself, it was nice then it was a little less painful to remember.”

*Yutani locates the name of her family member, as her husband, Kevin, and stepdaughter, Madison, look on.*

Yutani did not have a serious conversation with her grandparents about the internment until she needed to write a paper for her college sociology class. Yutani states that she asked a lot of questions and eventually her grandfather brought the conversation to an end. Reflecting on the day, Yutani believes, “My grandmother was worn out from talking about it. My grandfather was more up front about his anger for being treated the way they were.”

Reflecting on the day at the JANM and her memories, Yutani states, “My father died when I was twenty-two and I was never brave enough to ask him the heavy questions. As an adult, I have a different perspective, internment and anti-Japanese sentiment is something that made my family who they were and I’m proud of who they were, but at the same time, it does hurt knowing what they went through. The pain of knowing how they were treated is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Like many family members and visitors, stamping underneath the names in the book allows a time for reflection and can invoke a variety of emotions. For Yutani, “I thought it was such a special moment to be able to stamp their names. Since all of them have passed away, it was somewhat of a memorial gesture which also made it feel emotional for me. But on a larger scale, I went back to a feeling of pride that my family’s names were being formally memorialized in this place of history.”

*Yutani places her hanko, stamp, as a symbol of special recognition below the name of her one of her family members.*

Developing the List

Rev. Dr. Williams originally wanted to read the entire list of WWII II detainees at a protest about the detention of migrants in 2019. As he prepared for the event, his research revealed that there was no one source that could provide an accurate accounting of the names of all the detainees that were held in the 75 locations.

With this realization, Rev. Dr. Williams became motivated without delay to develop and complete such a list. Rev. Dr. Williams realized that with the passage of time, many of the individuals that would be listed in the book have already passed away, and those remaining individuals are nearly eighty years of age or older, and if the list could be completed without delay at least some members of that generation will have an opportunity to visit the Ireichō and let them know that they will be remembered.

In his efforts to complete the list, Rev. Dr. Williams scoured through the files maintained by several federal agencies, historical groups, and personal sources hoping to capture each and every name of each internee. During his search he poured through a variety of handwritten, mimeographed, typewritten, and computerized documents. Most of the documents were drafted during World War II, but others were generated during the Reagan administration which were developed as part of a reparations effort.

*The single hanko below Kimiko Yutani notes Yutani’s acknowledgement of her ancestor.*

Rev. Dr. Williams was surprised to find 480 families listed among the internees were comprised of biracial marriages. Rev. Dr. Williams states that the spouse of Japanese ancestry and the children were required to be interred, but non-Japanese ancestry spouses were not required to be interned, but a majority of the spouses consented to confinement.

Another interesting facet he discovered was the Americanization of the names. Obviously, those family members born in Japan, had traditional Japanese names. But some children of Japanese ancestry born in the U.S. during 1920’s and 1930’s were named after U.S. Presidents such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, etc.

*Kevin places his hanko next to Yutani’s hanko.*

Lastly, he found that some of the older male internees were veterans that served in World War I. Rev. Dr. Williams stated that many of these individuals were especially angered by the internment since they had proven their loyalty to the U.S. by their service in the European theater nearly thirty years before.

The last obstacle to overcome was the misspelling of names and verifying their correct spelling. After approximately two years, the Rev. Dr. Williams compiled a list comprised of over 125,000 listed in alphabetical order by year of birth and it was time to formally publish the document.

*Rev. Dr. Williams along with Creative Director, Sunyoung Lee, and John Demerritt, binder, review how the multiple pages of the* Ireichō will be bound.

When the list was ready to be published, Rev. Dr. Williams relied on a committee of individuals to develop the layout and binding of the book. Sunyoung Lee, Rev. Dr. Williams’ spouse, served as Creative Director for the project. Berton Hasebe was the font designer and designed the “glyph” that is placed between the names. The “glyph” resembles the five tiered tower, referred to as a gorinto in Japanese. The gorinto is an obelisk and an example was erected at the Manzanar Concentration Camp during the internment period. Jon Sueda and Chris Hamamoto did the typesetting.

*The monument was designed by a Catholic and Buddhist minister as a tribute to those who died during their internment at Manzanar. The Japanese characters read, “Soul Consoling Tower.”*
Adams, Ansel, photographer. Monument in cemetery, Manzanar Relocation Center, California / photograph by Ansel Adams. California Manzanar, 1943. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2002695986/.

Rev. Dr. Williams states that since its publishing additional names have been discovered and he will publish a revised book to include these names.

Visiting the Ireichō

Karen Yuri Kano, Ireichō Project Specialist and Gallery Educator at the JANM, states that since opening the exhibit approximately 14,000 names have been formally recognized by visitors. The Ireichō will be kept at the JANM through December 2024. The JANM expects that by the conclusion of its time at the JANM, over 30,000 names will be formally recognized. Although there are no formal agreements in place, the Ireichō is scheduled to go on a national tour following its time at the JANM. The Ireichō will be permanently housed at the JANM after concluding its national tour.

*Approximately 14,000 names have been formerly recognized in the* Ireichō since October 2022.

The Ireichō is housed in a small exhibit room and is surrounded a display of wooden stakes, sotoba (memorial tablet), supporting soil samples from each of the detention sites including, concentration camps and relocation centers. The symbols atop each sotoba represent the five universal elements in Buddhism, space, wind, fire, water, and earth.

*The* Ireichō sits on the podium in the center of the room surrounded by a sotoba (memorial tablet) representing each concentration camp and detention center.

Utilizing the soil samples from each of the sites represented at the exhibit, two ceramic tiles have been created and embedded inside the front and back cover of the book. Kano states, “The soil represents the element ‘earth’ and the kilning process that transforms the soil and clay into ceramic represents ‘fire.’ The Ireichō has five elements- earth, fire, wood, water, and metal- that are connected to the tiers of the gorinto, which is the underlying structure of the Irei monument.”

*The tiles found inside the front and back covers of the* Ireichō were made from firing the soil samples from each concentration camp and detention center.

Appointments are required to participate in the exhibit. Appointments can be made in fifteen minute intervals, which allows families an opportunity to acknowledge five names. When families make their reservation, they need to provide the name and birthdate of each individual they intend to recognize. During their visit, a volunteer from the JANM will locate each name in the book. Once the name is located, visitors are also asked to place a hanko, a blue dot stamp, under the individual’s name. Additionally, once all of the family and friends have been recognized, visitors are asked to place a hanko under the name of one the oldest individuals in the book who may not have family members able to do so. Following the book stamping, individuals are escorted to the JANM Library where each visitor has the opportunity to complete a post card.

*Masuyama reviews the card containing the names and birthdates of the individuals listed in the* Ireichō *that the family has designated for recognition.*

Kano states the reason for completing the post card is, “We ask visitors to write the names of those they stamped, along with their own name and the date, but we encourage them to write whatever feels appropriate. Many people write tributes or memories and also camp locations, birthdates, and impressions of the exhibit.”

Each visitor is asked to complete a post card at the end of their visit. A sample is provided, but visitors can personalize their cards. Visitors are asked to leave one card at the JANM.

SUBSCRIBE FREE TO PALOS VERDES PULSE

Steve Tabor

This South Bay native’s photographic journey began after receiving his first 35 mm film camera upon earning his Bachelor of Arts degree. As a classroom teacher he used photography to share the world and his experiences with his students. Steve began his photography career photographing coastal landscapes and marine life. His experiences have led him to include portraits and group photography, special event photography as well as live performance and athletics in his portfolio. As a contributor and photojournalist, he has published stories about the people, places and events in and around the Palos Verdes Peninsula and beyond.

Interested in seeing more of Steve’s work, visit website at: www.stevetaborimages.com