Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial

Please consider supporting BIJAEMA through Bainbridge Gives before June 12th!

Bainbridge Gives is an annual community campaign that supports critical needs identified by local nonprofits through the Bainbridge Community Foundation (BCF). Each application is reviewed and approved by trained community volunteers, ensuring that funds are directed to vetted, high-impact projects.

We are in the final stretch of completing the Visitor Center and need your help to cross the finish line. Please consider making a gift today at www.BainbridgeGives.org before the June 12 deadline.

Thank you to the volunteers from Nature Conservancy of WA, who recently spent the day at the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial.

After taking a guided tour to learn more about the history of the Japanese American community on Bainbridge Island and the events surrounding WWII Exclusion, the group rolled up their sleeves and got to work improving the Memorial grounds.

While some volunteers tackled weeding, the majority focused on restoring an area where a social trail had formed between the Memorial and the beach trail. Although well-intentioned, the unofficial path contributes to erosion and disrupts the engineered stormwater and erosion-control systems required to protect the site and shoreline.1

The team removed invasive growth, spread mulch, planted native vegetation, and carefully placed logs and branches to discourage future use of the trail while the new plantings become established.
We are especially grateful to Bainbridge Gardens for generously donating the native plants used in the restoration effort.

Preserving the Memorial means caring not only for the stories it tells, but also for the landscape that surrounds it. Thank you to The Nature Conservancy and Bainbridge Gardens for helping us do both.

We love it when families participate in our educational tours. Yesterday the Jue Sisters joined us for a conversation about their mother's experience in Kauai during WWII in contrast to the Bainbridge Island experience. Great insights, intelligent conversation, and a productive exchange of information. Oh yeah, and lots of fun, too.

A heartfelt “thank you” to Amelia and Sadie Engelson, stewards of Bainbridge Island’s iconic Marshall Strawberry. Through their work with More Marshall, they raised $704 to support completion of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial’s new Visitor Center.

As fellow historic preservationists, Amelia and Sadie understand the importance of protecting stories, places, and traditions that connect us to our shared history. Their generous contribution will go directly toward construction costs as we race toward the finish line on this long-awaited project.

We are deeply grateful for their support—and for everyone helping ensure future generations can learn from this history and carry forward the message: “Nidoto Nai Yoni — Let It Not Happen Again.”

Learn more about More Marshall here: https://www.moremarshall.com/

If you would like to help us complete the Visitor Center, please consider making a gift today:
https://bijaema.org/donate/

More Marshall | Historic Strawberry Plants from Bainbridge Island, WA The Marshall strawberry is a rare and heirloom variety known for its rich, sweet flavor and intense aroma. Plants available for sale on Bainbridge Island, WA.

AMAZING work! Thank you.

Thanks to help from follower Patti Henshaw, we have been able to identify almost all of the "unidentified" children in this 1920's Winslow school picture from the Bike to School Day post! Patti's father, Jim Henshaw, is one of the children in the front row of this photo. Listed below are their names, dates and final resting places.

Front row (left to right):
1. Akira Sakuma (1917-1998), Green Hills Memorial Cemetery, Burlington, WA.
2. Gladys, details unknown.
3. Masakatsu "Bear" Omoto (1921-1979), Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL.
4. Richard Allen "Dick" Cooper (1920-1994), Port Blakely Cemetery.
5. James Frederick "Jim" Henshaw (1921-2006), Kane Cemetery.
6. Shigeru "Shig" Moritani (1921-2016), Port Blakely Cemetery.
7. Peter Iwane Ohtaki (1921-1990), Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, CA.

Second row (left to right):
1. Toshio "Tosh" Chihara (1920-2014), Acacia Memorial Park, Lake Forest Park, WA.
2. George Andrew Johanson (1921-2009), Port Blakely Cemetery.
3. Toshio Terash*ta (1919-2013), Sunset Hills Memorial Park, Bellevue, WA.
4. Masatoshi "Masa" Chihara (1921-1968), Port Blakely Cemetery, Bainbridge Island.
5. George Mitsunosuke Terash*ta (1917-1987), Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Cove, Arkansas.
6. Jack Harding Garland (1920-1971), National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, HI.
7. Satoye Kojima Tsujimoto (1921-2005), Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake City, UT.
8. Eric Leslie Pousard (1921-2007), burial details unknown.

Third row (left to right):
1. Robert Hughes, details unknown.
2. Campbell Boyer McCullough (1920-1955), Fort Lawton Cemetery, Seattle, WA.
3. Michiko Yamash*ta (1921-2003), burial details unknown.
4. Flora H., details unknown.
5. Alice Virginia Johnson (1919-1992), Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Everett, WA.
6. Yoneko Elsie Amatatsu (1917-2011), Olinger Highland Mortuary and Cemetery, Thornton, CO.
7. Emiko Amy Yamash*ta (1925-1949), burial details unknown.
8. Teacher, unidentified.

Photo: Courtesy of the The Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community, the Ohtaki Family Collection.

A big “thank you” to the Nisei Veterans Committee for partnering with the Puyallup Valley JACL and other passionate community members to bring "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A New Musical" to Seattle this past Saturday and Sunday. Supported in person by author Jamie Ford, this passion project promises to bring the well-known novel—with plenty of new musical numbers—to an even broader audience.

This sold-out event comes on the heels of the highly successful Seattle performance of "Defining Courage," also made possible in part by the dedicated work of the Nisei Veterans Committee. They are doing an outstanding job of bringing greater attention to the Japanese American experience during WWII through engaging and innovative new approaches.

Thursday marked the annual visit by Kennedy Catholic High School’s AP History program. 80 students and 2 special guests joined us for a guided educational tour. You can, too: https://bijaema.org/visit/request-a-tour/.

Join us with author Evelyn Iritani as she discusses her new book, “ Safe Passage: The Untold Story of Diplomatic Intrigue, Betrayal, and the Exchange of American and Japanese Civilians by Sea During World War II.” Tuesday, June 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Evelyn Iritani - "Safe Passage: The Untold Story of Diplomatic Intrigue, Betrayal, and the Exchange of American and Japanese Civilians During World War II" | Eagle Harbor Book Co. Eagle Harbor Book Co. is an independent bookstore offering books, author readings, book groups & other events.

Another Spring, another visit from the wonderful 7th graders from Charles Wright Academy!

We were fortunate to welcome to the Memorial the team responsible for community preservation in Historic South Downtown Seattle. This small but mighty group protects the wellbeing of residents of Pioneer Square and the International District, making it possible for residents to stay in the area despite the developments and changes that challenge their way of life.