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Densho

@denshoproject.bsky.social
491 followers 36 following 1.2K posts

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 · 03/10/2026
If you are interested in scanning materials, please complete the sign-up form: bit.ly/4z3uYeC Please periodically check your email as we will contact you to schedule a date and time!
bit.ly
Community Scanning Day Sign-Up Form
Densho, in partnership with Twin Cities JACL and the Minnesota Historical Society, will bring its mobile digitization equipment to Historic Fort Snelling in order to scan historical photos, documents,...
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Each family can bring up to 20 items for digitization. We welcome photographs, documents, and small artifacts. Unfortunately, bound items such as albums, scrapbooks, or yearbooks cannot be digitized on-site.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
This Community Scanning Day aims to provide families with an opportunity to digitize cherished photos and artifacts from the pre-WWII, exclusion, and relocation periods, preserving these invaluable pieces of history for future generations.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
In partnership with Twin Cities JACL and the Minnesota Historical Society, this event will take place at Historic Fort Snelling, where thousands of Nisei were trained with the Military Intelligence Service in Japanese language and interpretation.
The same photo of Micah Merryman at work. Text on the image reads: "The Community Scanning Day aims to provide families with an opportunity to digitize cherished photos and artifacts from the pre-WWII, Exclusion, and Relocation periods, preserving these invaluable pieces of history for future generations. More details in the caption." The Densho logo appears at the bottom.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Densho will be in Minnesota next weekend for our next Community Scanning Day!
Micah Merryman, an archivist at Densho, sits at a table wearing white gloves and a green sweater, writing with a pen. Text on the image reads: "Twin Cities Community Scanning Day, October 9-11, 2026 at Historic Fort Snelling. Sign up with the link in our caption!" The Densho logo appears at the bottom.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
[CORRECTION on slide 5: the question should be, "If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be?"]
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
There is power in sharing your story. At Densho, our mission and purpose is to record and safeguard the stories of the past for generations to come. Join us and support our work. Make a gift today: densho.donorsupport.co/-/XNXLLTQD
densho.donorsupport.co
Preserve history for future generations
By making a tax-deductible donation to Densho today, you will support our work to preserve and share Japanese American WWII incarceration history and lessons learned for decades to come.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
In his own words, “I've come to learn the importance of the individual, and that's why I am speaking out more and doing more, because you realize that, historically, one person can really make a difference.”
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
He also speaks about the importance of history, especially when centering the perspective of an individual.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
On the eve of our 30th Anniversary Gala, we are featuring an oral history interview clip from Densho’s Founder, Tom Ikeda. As a chemist and former engineer, he reflects on how hearing personal stories encouraged him to see the world in a more nuanced light.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Please join us in welcoming them to Densho! If you want to learn more about the transition on the historical content team, watch our recent YouTube video: youtu.be/eJ3L_hb2TZw?...
youtu.be
Meet the New Historians Leading Densho's Japanese American History Work
YouTube video by Densho
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Learn about what they will be working on during their first few months at Densho, admired historical figures, and their lifelong hobbies!
"Q&A with Jonathan" with a circular portrait of Jonathan van Harmelen. Question: "What will you be working on in your first few months here?" Jonathan says he'll work on The New Encyclopedia, which will have a new design layout, more images, and a new batch of articles. He is also leading the new Public Index Project, an online database of archives, libraries, and museums across the U.S. holding collections on the Japanese American incarceration experience, built through research and crowdsourcing."Q&A with Jonathan" with a circular portrait of Jonathan. Jonathan says he would go with Larry Tajiri, who single-handedly ran the Pacific Citizen during the war years and for a few years afterward. He says Tajiri's wartime editorials offer rich commentary on Japanese American life and American politics. Tajiri met many remarkable people, supported the New Deal, and was part of the generation of Nisei journalists who chronicled prewar Nisei life in the U.S. and Japan. A black-and-white photo captioned "Larry Tajiri" shows him standing beside a sign reading "Japanese American Citizens League National Headquarters.""Last Question: Any hidden talents or hobbies?" with circular portraits of Lisa and Jonathan. Lisa has knitted consistently since high school and looks forward to visiting yarn stores in the Seattle area and on Bainbridge Island. Jonathan has played drums since age 6 and was in jazz bands and orchestras through graduate school. He tells a story about tearing a hole in the bass drum head during Stravinsky's Rite of Spring with the Pomona College Orchestra, then flipping the head around and playing on.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Densho's historical content team is growing! Meet the newest hires, Lisa Doi, Curator of Public History, and Jonathan van Harmelen, Editorial Manager and Staff Historian, in this Q&A!
Densho logo above the word "Introducing" in orange, over a faded black-and-white historical photo of barracks at the Heart Mountain incarceration camp in Wyoming, with Heart Mountain rising in the background. Circular portraits of Lisa Doi, Curator of Public History, and Jonathan van Harmelen, Editorial Manager & Staff Historian."Q&A with Lisa" with a circular portrait of Lisa Doi. Question: "What will you be working on in your first few months here?" Lisa answers that she's excited to take over projects like Sites of Shame and Manzanar CloseUp and to build new public programs that make Densho's preserved materials and documented history more accessible. Two screenshots at the bottom show the interactive Sites of Shame map of the U.S. with filter menus, and the Manzanar CloseUp camp layout with a population-over-time graph."Q&A with Lisa." Question: "What's a piece of history or a story that's stuck with you?" Lisa explains she became interested in Japanese American history after finding a photo of her great-grandmother, who died while incarcerated at Rohwer. By the time Lisa saw the photo, everyone who knew her had also passed away. She says the photograph captures what many Japanese Americans seek: a better understanding of their family, community, and themselves. A sepia-toned historical photograph is captioned "Lisa's great-grandmother."
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Hearing stories directly from the people who lived it, like Kitajima, is integral to the work that Densho has been committed to for the past 30 years. Help us safeguard stories of the past for future generations today at densho.donorsupport.co/-/XNXLLTQD
densho.donorsupport.co
Preserve history for future generations
By making a tax-deductible donation to Densho today, you will support our work to preserve and share Japanese American WWII incarceration history and lessons learned for decades to come.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The impacts of these raids and arrests remained with many Japanese Americans who were just children at the time, impacting them for years beyond the war.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Kitajima’s father was one of many Issei community leaders that were detained without any warning or due process in the weeks following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The family would eventually be sent to the incarceration camp in Jerome, Arkansas, reuniting with his father in late 1943 after two years of separation.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Kitajima recalls the moment when this grim reality sunk in: “When I heard Mom crying at night, I kind of... I think that changed my life. I kind of felt my carefree life, living as a child, no longer existed... I feel like I lost something.”
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
After his father, a prominent Buddhist minister and community leader, was arrested from their home on Kauai, young Kitajima was tasked to step up to help lead and care for the family, without knowing if he would see his father again.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Masamizu Kitajima, who was only eight years old at the time of Pearl Harbor, recalls his reaction to the FBI arresting his father from their home, in the 20th installment of our 30 Stories for 30 Years series.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
“He said he’s not going to be here, so we have no father. So I have to take the role of father of the family.”
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Offering an important reminder, she continues: “Looking like an enemy doesn’t make you an enemy. We need to remember that, because it could easily happen again, no matter what group.”
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
She remembers thinking at the time, “Japanese Americans need to speak up about it. Because we could identify with what was happening.”
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
In this oral history segment, Elaine Ishikawa Hayes recalls how she was shocked and saddened to hear how businesses owned by Muslims or Arab Americans were vandalized and broken into, and that parents were taking children out of school due to increased bullying based on ethnicity.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Many Japanese Americans spoke of disturbing echoes of the treatment their families experienced in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
As Densho conducted oral history interviews throughout the early 2000s, a question that was often asked to narrators was, “What was your reaction to the backlash?” and “What parallels are you currently witnessing?”
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
In the wake of the attacks 25 years ago on the World Trade Center, many Japanese Americans recognized the intensified scrutiny, paranoia, and violence directed toward those who were, or were perceived to be, Muslim and Arab American.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Today, we remember the national tragedy of September 11, 2001, and honor the memory of all those who lost their lives.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Hear how our Education team developed the ten essential guidelines for teaching Japanese American wartime incarceration in classrooms, and why the framework serves to fill a gap in historical context that is often not addressed. Register here: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
us06web.zoom.us
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Introducing the Densho Education Framework: Ten Guidelines for Teaching about Japanese American Wartime Incarceration. After registering, you will receive a...
Join us on September 8 from 4 - 5 pm PT for the launch of Densho’s new Education Framework and learn about ten guidelines for teaching Japanese American wartime incarceration in K–12 classrooms. Hear ...
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
If you are an educator or curriculum developer, we invite you to be one of the first to see Densho’s new Education Framework: Ten Guidelines for Teaching about Japanese American Wartime Incarceration on Wednesday September 8th from 4:00 – 5:00 pm PT
Densho branded graphic showing a young Japanese American girl looking off to the side. A guard tower can be seen in the distance. The words “How do we teach the Japanese American incarceration?” And Introducing the Densho Educational Framework” are overlaid on the graphic.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Densho unequivocally condemns recent statements made on the podcast, Timcast IRL, suggesting that Chinese Americans should be incarcerated in the event of a war between China and the U.S. Read our response on Catalyst here: densho.org/catalyst/den...
densho.org
Densho responds to racist logic of incarcerating Chinese Americans - Densho: Japanese American Incarceration and Japanese Internment
Densho unequivocally condemns recent statements made on the podcast Timcast IRL suggesting that Chinese Americans should be incarcerated in the event of a war between China and the U.S.  On...
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Image description: A photograph of a marionette show courtesy of Yuriko Domoto Tsukada Collection.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
"This particular photo stuck out to me because it was part of a group of photos that showcased some of the fun theatrics put on to entertain folks in Amache. I've always been curious about what story was being told with these marionnettes…”.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Micah explains why this image resonates with her: “This photo from the Yuriko (Domoto) Tsukada Collection is one of a dozen accessions from the Domoto family I've worked on during my ten years at Densho..."
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Taken inside Amache, it is an exemplary illustration of ingenuity and creativity inside the camps, despite the oppressive conditions.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
For this month’s installment of Densho Staff’s 30 Favorite Objects, Archivist Micah Merryman chose this archival photograph of marionettes set against a backdrop for a puppet show.
Black-and-white archival photo of a lineup of marionette puppets on a stage, strings visible overhead. From left to right: a turtle or tortoise, a girl in a dark skirt, a figure in a striped shirt with cat-like features, a coiled snake, and a fluffy rabbit with large upright ears. A painted desert backdrop with a sun and cacti sits behind them, and bare ground is visible in the foreground.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
🗓️Thursday, September 10, 2026, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 📍National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA 🔗Learn more and register by August 31, 2026 with this link constitutioncenter.org/calendar/fed... Space is limited. Register now to reserve your spot!
constitutioncenter.org
Event - Federalism in Action: Teaching Japanese American Incarceration During World War II | Constitution Center
Event details for Federalism in Action: Teaching Japanese American Incarceration During World War II
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Participating teachers will receive a $100 stipend and workshop materials, as well as light breakfast and a boxed lunch (dietary needs will be accommodated).
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Using the incarceration as a case study, you'll explore how federal power, civil liberties, and the courts collided during this period and leave with classroom-ready materials to bring back to your students. This full-day, in-person workshop is intended for secondary classroom teachers.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
This event is a full-day workshop on teaching the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans through the lens of federalism and constitutional thinking.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Calling all educators! Join the National Constitution Center, UCLA Asian American Studies, and Densho for “Federalism in Action: Teaching Japanese American Incarceration During World War II.”
Black-and-white historical photo of four young children standing in a line outdoors, hands over their hearts reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Text overlay reads “Federalism in Action: Teaching Japanese American Incarceration During World War II.” Densho logo in top right. Logos for UCLA Asian American Studies Center, National Constitution Center, and Foundations and Futures along the bottom.Black-and-white historical photo of four young children standing in a line outdoors, hands over their hearts. Text below reads: “Join the National Constitution Center, the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, and Densho for a full-day professional development workshop exploring the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II through the lens of federalism and the Constitution.”Logos for UCLA Asian American Studies Center, National Constitution Center, and Foundations and Futures at top. Text reads “Register by August 31st at bit.ly/register-federalism-in-action.” Below, a black-and-white historical photo of four young children standing in a line outdoors, hands over their hearts. Densho logo in bottom right.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
If you want to hear more first-person accounts, make a gift to Densho today at densho.donorsupport.co/-/XNXLLTQD
densho.donorsupport.co
Preserve history for future generations
By making a tax-deductible donation to Densho today, you will support our work to preserve and share Japanese American WWII incarceration history and lessons learned for decades to come.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Meticulous organization and preservation of documents, such as this “smoking gun” that would change the course of history, further emphasize the importance of keeping NARA facilities open and readily accessible by the public.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Irons was stunned as he realized that this document revealed and essentially admitted government wrongdoing. Later, he unearthed additional documents showing that government attorneys engaged in legal misconduct.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Ennis argued that withholding the information from the U.S. Supreme Court might approximate suppression of evidence.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Irons recalls discovering a memo from the Justice Department archives in which Edward Ennis, director of the Alien Enemy Control Unit during the incarceration, told Solicitor General Charles Fahy that the government had information refuting a War Department report claiming that JAs were disloyal.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Irons found this document while working with activist Aiko Yoshinaga-Herzig in 1981, who was researching for the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC).
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
This discovery led to the reopening of three landmark cases of Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Min Yasui, who had been convicted for violating the military's wartime orders. All of which were overturned in a coram nobis process.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
It proved that government officials had intentionally suppressed and altered evidence in lawsuits challenging the imposed curfews during WWII and forced exclusion orders imposed on Japanese Americans.
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Densho @denshoproject.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
In this installment of 30 Stories for 30 Years, Attorney and legal scholar Peter Irons recalls the moment he found the “smoking gun.”
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