Thank You to All That Participated

EmptyThe Chair The Forced Removal & Resettlement of Juneau’s Japanese Community, 1941-1951 The forced removal of Japanese and Japanese-Americans from the West Coast during World War II is an often overlooked piece of American history. This relocation not only impacted the families removed but also the communities from which they were taken. The Juneau community stood in quiet defiance as their friends and neighbors were taken from their homes. They welcomed the Japanese-American families back into Juneau society after the war, a welcome that was not seen by all returning to their West Coast communities. In an attempt to rebuild, repair and move on, the forced removal was never discussed as a community. This exhibit tells the stories of eight Japanese-American families that were taken from their homes in 1942 and Thank you relocated to the Minidoka Internment toAlbert all Shaw thatJim Triplette participated Camp located in Idaho. All of the Alice (Tanaka) Hikido Margie Alstead Shackelford families lived in Juneau between 1941 and Andy Pekovich Marie Hanna Darlin 1951 either before and/or after the war. Betty Echigo Marriott Mark Kanazawa Brent Fischer, Director Marsha Erwin Bennett This exhibit, curated by Jodi DeBruyne, CBJ Parks & Recreation Mary (Tanaka) Abo is based on first-person narratives and Connie Lundy Nancy (Fukuyama) Albright would not have been possible without David Gray Randy Wanamaker the willingness of the Akagi, Fukuyama, Dixie Johnson Belcher Reiko Sumada Fumi Matsumoto Karleen Alstead Grummett Kanazawa, Kito, Komatsubara, Greg Chaney Roger Grummett Kumasaka, Taguchi, and Tanaka families Haruo “Ham” Kumasaka Ron Inouye to share their stories, photographs and Janet Borgen Pekovich Rose (Komatsubara) objects; nor would the exhibit have been Janie Hollenbach Homan Wayne possible without the partnership with the Jackie Honeywell Triplette Sam Kito, Jr. Empty Chair Committee. John Tanaka and the Empty Chair hen he and his family were removed Wfrom Juneau and relocated to Minidoka, John Tanaka (1924-1978) was a senior in the class of 1942 at Juneau High School and class valedictorian. Knowing he would not be able to attend the May commencement, the school organized a special ceremony on April 15th at which John received his diploma. At the official graduation that May, John’s classmates left an empty chair in honor of him and as a symbol of the community void caused by the removal of the Japanese families. Classmates remember the chair was a simple wooden folding chair painted black for the occasion. While at Minidoka, John volunteered for the U.S. Army. He served with the 442nd Infantry Regiment in Europe. After the war, John first came back to Juneau to assist his family. He then attended the University of Washington and was a member of SYNKOA, John Tanaka receiving JHS diploma from Russell Hermann and A.B. Phillips at a Japanese-American student organization. He special assembly, April 1942. continued his education by attending medical Image provided by the Tanaka family. (Inset photo, left) Mary Tanaka Abo meeting with artist Peter Reiquam, July 2012. school in Saint Louis, Illinois. John married Image provided by the Empty Chair Committee. Jeanne Aoyama in 1956. They lived in Saint Louis while John was in school and later returned to Washington State living in both Spokane and Tanaka. When the Japanese families returned, Seattle. John and Jeanne had five children and the community helped the families restart their as of 2014, seventeen lives and businesses in Juneau. The Empty Chair grandchildren. Committee, named for John’s graduation chair, was established in 2012 to create a memorial uring World War II, recognizing the Japanese and Japanese-Americans DJuneau stood together as forcefully removed from Juneau during World a community. They left War II. The memorial sculpture is a larger John’s chair empty at than life bronze chair set on boards the 1942 Juneau reminiscent of a gym floor. The names High School of the locally interned are etched on Graduation. They the floor boards. This work was created by provided affidavits of Peter Reiquam, a Seattle artist, and dedicated loyalty on behalf John Tanaka’s Senior Photograph on July 12, 2014 at the Capital School Park (corner and Caption from 1942 Totem of Shonosuke of 5th and Seward Streets) in Juneau. The Empty Yearbook (page 14). Planning Illustration by Peter Front cover of 1942 Totem Yearbook, Reiquam of Empty Chair Memorial. Chair Memorial is the first of its kind in Alaska. designed by John Tanaka. JDCM Reference 3251 Image provided by the Empty Chair Committee. City Cafe and Juneau Laundry he City Cafe was opened Construction of the Juneau Laundry building, Tby Shonosuke Tanaka still standing at 112 N. Franklin Street across in 1912. It was located in a from the Baranof Hotel, began at the end of building leased by Ole Orsen 1929 and was completed in the spring of 1930. on what is now South Franklin When announced, the construction project had Street (then Front Street). an estimated cost of $10,000. Over the years, the The Mount Roberts Juneau Laundry provided pick-up and delivery Tram building service using dog drawn sleds, horse drawn carts, now stands where a panel truck and man power. Man power was the City Cafe was used for delivery service between the Juneau originally located. Laundry and the San Francisco Bakery owned Open 24 hours a by Gustav Henry Messerschmidt and Gertrude day and seven days a Hermle Messerschmidt, grandparents to current week, it was known Juneau resident Albert Shaw. The bakery used City Cafe Interior with Tanaka Family, 1938. Left to right, for hearty food at 1st row: Alice, Teddy, Bill, Nobu; 2nd row: Shonosuke and John. the Laundry to keep clean white aprons available a reasonable price. Image provided by the Tanaka family. daily for the bakery employees, as well as for Despite defense the all of the family’s laundry. Located where testimony from office Governor Egan was among those who the Silverbow is today, the bakery was only a Juneau residences would go to the Cafe for just that reason. couple blocks from the Juneau Laundry and such as John Hermle, Takashi Kono making City Cafe meal Albert’s mother, Katherine Messerschmidt delivery, 1940. he Juneau Laundry was an operating Cash Cole and J.F. Image provided by the Tanaka family. Shaw, remembered seeing the Japanese laundry Mullen, Shonosuke Tbusiness in Juneau for 40 years between workers carrying the bundles of laundry on was among the Japanese-born men arrested 1902 and 1942. Originally owned by three their heads when they walked between the two in reaction to the bombing of Pearl Harbor other Japanese nationals, Walter Hikohachi stores. The Fukuyama family was among those and sent to Camp Santa Fe in New Mexico. Fukuyama joined the business in the 1920s. removed from Juneau and housed at Minidoka Shonosuke’s wife Nobu and son John, assisted Walter eventually became sole proprietor of Internment Camp during World War II. The by Mike Monagle, were left to close the City the business and through the assistance of the family never returned to live in Juneau, but Cafe, before they and the rest of the family were First National Bank, he was able to purchase retained ownership of the building after the war. sent to the Minidoka Internment Camp. Upon land and build a new building for the Laundry. A 1980 Gastineau Bygones article includes an returning to Juneau, the Tanaka family received announcement regarding the assistance to regain their home and restart closure of the Juneau Laundry their business from the Tanner family and John in March 1942. Hermle, owner of the Home Grocery, among others. By 1946, the City Cafe was once again in full operation. In 1950, Sam Taguchi and Katsutaro Komatsubara became partners with Shonosuke Tanaka. The City Cafe moved to a new building across the street from its original location in the 1960s and closed its doors in 1982. Juneau local Marie Darlin remembers the City Cafe as the place to go if you wanted to hear the news and gossip of the day. She gave Interior of Juneau Laundry, 1929. Image provided by the Fukuyama family. a laugh as she recalled that during his term in Cement Forms for Juneau Laundry, 1929. Image courtesy of the Fukuyama family. Juneau during WWII by Marie Darlin, lifelong Juneau resident y 1940 Juneau had a population of of a ride. Any place beyond that sentry Bapproximately 5,700, and all of us point was considered a part of the military living here knew the U.S. was preparing reservation. The military was also found in for war. For Juneau this meant many of downtown Juneau. Femmer’s Dock, located our residents had already off of Willoughby Avenue, relocated to Sitka to work where Coast Guard dock on a military project and is today, became the our National Guard had subport – an embarkation been re-activated. After port for military supplies the Pearl Harbor attack headed to the westward on December 7th we were ports of Seward and the told to cover our windows Aleutians. for the nightly blackouts ordered by the government Juneau did their best to for the entire Pacific make the soldiers feel like Coast and the community a part of the community. Army parade in Juneau, 1941. We had a USO club and began to change. Our Image courtesy of the Kumasaka Family. Japanese families were sent an Officers Club, and to internment camps in Washington and families always invited soldiers to dinner elsewhere. Families of federal employees left and other family activities. Dances were Juneau and traveled back to the lower 48, provided by the local service clubs and a trip that was very different then than it is other organizations.

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