How is it Remembered?

The Japanese American National Museum was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1985 by community members. It opened to the public in 1992 in an historic site, the former Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, included in the National Registry of Historic Places. The Temple was built by the Japanese American community in 1925 as a place of worship but was used as an assembly center for Japanese Americans removed and incarcerated during World War II.

In 1999, the Museum opened a new pavilion, which together with a plaza and the Historic Site constitutes an important public space in Little Tokyo. The core exhibition is entitled “Common Ground: The Heart of Community”. Constantly updated, it presents the history of Japanese Americans from 1876 to today. Personal life histories of multiple generations of the Japanese American community reveal how Americans of Japanese ancestry resettled and forged their identity and contributed to the redefinition of this country.

One gallery is devoted to the Japanese American World War II experience. It includes an original barrack from the Heart Mountain concentration camp, a scale model of the Manzanar concentration camp, and many other historical artifacts and constructions.

The Historic Site will be renovated and will open in Fall 2004 as the home of the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, an affiliate of the National Museum. It will be equipped with significant media broadcast technology and will be used as public forum to promote principles of democracy and civic participation.

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How is it Remembered?