The Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II ( ja, 全米日系米国人記念碑, ''Zenbei Nikkei Beikokujin Kinenhi'') is a
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
site to commemorate the contributions of American citizens of Japanese ancestry and their parents who patriotically supported the United States despite unjust treatment during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
The work is at Louisiana Avenue and D Street,
Northwest, Washington, D.C.
Northwest (NW or N.W.) is the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located north of the National Mall and west of North Capitol Street. It is the largest of the four quadrants of the city (NW, NE, S ...
in Washington, D.C. The memorial commemorates Japanese American war involvement, veterans, and patriotism during World War II, as well as the patriotism and endurance of those held in
Japanese American internment
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
, or, incarceration camps, and detention centers.
Description
The central cast bronze sculpture, named "Golden Cranes", consists of two
Japanese cranes caught in barbed wire on top of a tall, square pedestal incised with grooves suggestive of drill cores used to extract stone from quarries. Standing in a landscaped plaza, a semi-circular granite wall curves around the sculpture. The wall features inscriptions of the names of the ten major internment camps where over 120,000 Japanese Americans were confined. Of the nearly 160,000 citizens of Japanese descent living in Hawaii, fewer than 2,000 were confined. There are also three panels that feature 1) the names of Japanese Americans who died fighting in World War II, 2) inscribed writings by Japanese American writers such as
Bill Hosokawa
William Kunpei Hosokawa (January 30, 1915 – November 9, 2007) was an American writer and journalist.
Of Japanese descent, while internment of Japanese Americans, interned at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, he was the editor of the i ...
, 3) quotes by presidents Harry S. Truman and Ronald Reagan.
Acquisition and creation
The concept for the monument was initiated in 1988 by the "Go For Broke" National Veterans Association Foundation.
The name of this organization was later changed to the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation (NJAMF). Architect Davis Buckley and Sculptor Nina Akamu were the principal designers.
Construction of the National Japanese American Memorial on federal land was authorized by statute (PL 102-502) and signed into law by President George Bush on October 24, 1992, to "Commemorate the experience of American citizens of Japanese ancestry and their parents who patriotically supported this country despite their unjust treatment during World War II." The memorial groundbreaking took place on October 22, 1999, and the memorial was dedicated on November 9, 2000. A celebration of the completion of the memorial was held on June 29, 2001.
Preceding the final design and installation of the memorial, sculptor Nina Akamu traveled to the International Crane Foundation in
Baraboo, Wisconsin
Baraboo is a city in the Midwest and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The largest city in the county, Baraboo is the principal city of the Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2020 population was 12,556. It is situ ...
, where she spent time studying and sketching the cranes that would become the centerpiece of the memorial.
[Goode, John ''Washington Sculpture''. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, p. 16.]
Ownership of the memorial was officially transferred to the United States Government in 2002. The National Park Service is responsible for the maintenance of the
national memorial National memorial or National Memorial may refer to:
* National Memorial (Thailand)
* National memorial (United States)
*National Martyrs' Memorial, in Bangladesh
* National Memorial of the Republic of Belarus
See also
*Memorial (disambiguation)
...
.
Symbolism
![Japanese American Memorial (5541388529)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Japanese_American_Memorial_%285541388529%29.jpg)
Rising above the rest of the memorial, the cranes are visible from beyond the Memorial walls, which celebrates the ability to rise beyond limitations. Their postures reflect one another – one wing pointing upwards, the other downwards, mirroring each other and representing the
duality of the universe. Pressing their bodies against one another and seeming to hold onto the barbed wire, the birds show individual effort to escape restraint with the need for communal support and interdependence on one another.
There is an "Honor Wall" central within the memorial which lists the names of the 800-plus Japanese Americans in the U.S. Armed Forces who were killed in action during World War II.
According to the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation, the memorial:
...is symbolic not only of the Japanese American experience, but of the extrication of anyone from deeply painful and restrictive circumstances. It reminds us of the battles we've fought to overcome our ignorance and prejudice and the meaning of an integrated culture, once pained and torn, now healed and unified. Finally, the monument presents the Japanese American experience as a symbol for all peoples.
Veterans honored
The memorial honors Japanese American veterans who served in the
100th Infantry Battalion
The 100th Infantry Battalion ( ja, 第100歩兵大隊, ''Dai Hyaku Hohei Daitai'') is the only infantry unit in the United States Army Reserve. In World War II, the then-primarily Nisei battalion was composed largely of former members of the Haw ...
,
442nd RCT,
Military Intelligence Service
The Military Intelligence Service ( ja, アメリカ陸軍情報部, ''America Rikugun Jōhōbu'') was a World War II U.S. military unit consisting of two branches, the Japanese American unit (described here) and the German-Austrian unit based ...
and other units.
The 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team would become the most decorated unit of the war for its size and length of service.
The 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd together earned seven Presidential Unit Citations, two Meritorious Service Plaques, 36 Army Commendation Medals, and 87 Division Commendations. Individually, Soldiers earned 21 Medals of Honor, 29 Distinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, more than 354 Silver Stars, and more than 4,000 Purple Hearts, as noted by Chief of Staff of the Army General Raymond T. Odierno during a November 2, 2011, ceremony in Washington, D.C. at which 40 Japanese Americans were presented the Bronze Stars they had never received. A year prior to this ceremony, President Barack Obama signed legislation on October 5, 2010, to grant the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
Dedication on November 9, 2000
![Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II sign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Japanese_American_Memorial_to_Patriotism_During_World_War_II_sign.jpg)
The U.S.Department of Defense described the November 9, 2000, dedication of the memorial: "Drizzling rain was mixed with tears streaming down the faces of Japanese American World War II heroes and those who spent the war years imprisoned in isolated internment camps..."
The Department of Defense Armed Force Press Service reported on November 15 that an estimated 2,000 people attended the dedication "to commemorate the heroism and sacrifice of Japanese Americans who fought and died for the United States...They also came to honor the more than 120,000 men, women and children who maintained their loyalty even though they were put in desolate internment camps."
Deputy Secretary of Defense Rudy de Leon spoke at the dedication, noting, "one of the great ironies of World War II was that Japanese Americans of the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion were among the first allied troops to liberate several sub-camps of the Dachau concentration camp complex.
They liberated prisoners of war while some of them had family members kept in internment camps back in the United States"
United States Attorney General
The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the 78th United States attorney general. She held the position from 1993 to 2001, making her the second-longest serving attorney general, behind only Wi ...
also spoke at the dedication of the memorial, where she shared a letter from President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
stating:
We are diminished when any American is targeted unfairly because of his or her heritage. This memorial and the internment sites are powerful reminders that stereotyping, discrimination, hatred and racism have no place in this country.[
]
"Golden Cranes" sculptor, Nina Akamu
Nina Akamu
Nina Akamu (born 1955) is a Japanese-American artist known for her sculpture. She is presently living in Rhinebeck, New York.
Early years and education
Nina Akamu was born in 1955 in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Her father was a career Air Force ser ...
is a third-generation Japanese American artist and former vice president of the
National Sculpture Society
Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding members ...
. Akamu created the sculpture entitled "Golden Cranes" of two ''
Grus japonensis'' birds, which became the center feature of the Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II.
Akamu's grandfather on her mother's side was arrested in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
during the internment program. He was sent to a relocation camp on
Sand Island
A sand island is an island that is largely made of sand. The largest sand island in the world is Fraser Island, Australia. Other examples of large sand islands are Moreton Moreton may refer to:
People Given name
* Moreton John Wheatley (183 ...
in
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
. Suffering from
diabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
upon his internment, he died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
three months into his imprisonment. This family connection — combined with growing up for a time in Hawaii, where she fished with her father at Pearl Harbor — and the erection of a Japanese American war memorial near her home in
Massa, Italy
Massa may refer to:
Places
*Massa, Tuscany, the administrative seat of the Italian province of Massa-Carrara.
*Massa (river), river in Switzerland
* Massa (Tanzanian ward), administrative ward in the Mpwapwa district of the Dodoma Region of Ta ...
, inspired a strong connection to the memorial and its creation.
Memorial inscription
The following is inscribed on the memorial:
The following additional quotes are inscribed on the memorial:
The names of the ten major internment, or incarceration, camps and the number of Japanese Americans confined in each camp also are engraved in stone on the memorial:
See also
*
*
Day of Remembrance (Japanese Americans)
The Day of Remembrance (DOR, ja, 追憶の日, ''Tsuioku no Hi'') is a day of observance for the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Events in numerous U.S. states, especially in the West Coast, are held on or near February ...
*
Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project
*
Empty Chair Memorial The Empty Chair Memorial ( ja, 空席の椅子の記念碑, ''Kūseki no Isu no Kinenhi'') is a memorial located at Capital School Park in downtown Juneau, Alaska, United States. It is dedicated to the 53 Juneau residents of Japanese origin who were ...
*
Fred Korematsu Day
The Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution is celebrated on January 30 in California and a growing number of additional states to commemorate the birthday of Fred Korematsu, a Japanese-American civil rights activist best known ...
*
Go for Broke Monument
*
Harada House
The Harada House ( ja, ハラダハウス, ''Harada Hausu'') is a historic house in Riverside, California. The house was the focus of a critical application of the California Alien Land Law of 1913, which prevented foreigners who were ineligible ...
*
National Japanese American Veterans Memorial Court
The National Japanese American Veterans Memorial Court ( ja, 日系米国人退役軍人慰霊碑, ''Nikkei Beikokujin Taiekigunjin Ireihi'') is a National memorial (United States), national memorial court in Los Angeles, California, honoring the ...
*
Sakura Square
Sakura Square ( ja, サクラ・スクエア, ''Sakura Sukuea'') is a small plaza located on the north/east side of the intersection of 19th Street and Larimer Street in Denver, Colorado. The square contains busts of Ralph L. Carr, Governor of C ...
*
Japanese American redress and court cases
The following article focuses on the movement to obtain redress for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and significant court cases that have shaped civil and human rights for Japanese Americans and other minorities. These c ...
*
Japanese American service in World War II
During the early years of World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes in the West Coast because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage. As the war progressed, many of the y ...
*
List of documentary films about the Japanese American internment
*
List of feature films about the Japanese American internment
Feature films about the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans include:
Feature films
* '' American Pastime'' (2007) Focuses on internees' use of baseball as a source of entertainment while living in camp
* ''Bad Day at Black Rock'' ...
*
List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 6
This is a list of public art in List of neighborhoods of the District of Columbia by ward, Ward 6 of Washington, D.C.
This list applies only to works of public art accessible in an outdoor public space. For example, this does not include artwor ...
*
''Topaz'' (1945 film)
References
Further reading
* Moeller Jr., G. Martin. ''AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C.''. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 4th ed., 2006. .
* Pencak, William A. ''Encyclopedia of the Veteran in America: Volume 1''. Greenwood, 2009. – Features the memorial and others dedicated to the American veteran.
External links
Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II– National Park Service
National Japanese American Memorial Foundation websiteGo For Broke National Education CenterJapanese American National Museum
{{Authority control
2000 sculptures
Sculptures of birds in the United States
Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C.
Japanese-American culture in Washington, D.C.
Japanese-American memorials
Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C.
National Memorials of the United States
Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C.
National Park Service areas in Washington, D.C.
Internment of Japanese Americans
World War II memorials in the United States
2000 establishments in Washington, D.C.