Discover the History ofWWII Incarceration
120,000 Japanese Americans were unjustly incarcerated during World War II. Learn about this unprecedented denial of civil liberties and why it still matters today.
Explore Personal Stories
Learn about Japanese American history and the legacy of WWII incarceration by exploring personal stories from those who lived through it.
Promote Equity Today
History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes. Join us in putting the lessons of Japanese American WWII incarceration into action today.
Densho Catalyst: History, Essays, & Opinion
Dive into hidden histories and learn why these stories matter today with the latest essays and opinions from Densho and other community voices.
Counting Down Our Top 5 Most-Read Densho Encyclopedia Articles
Since launching the Densho Encyclopedia in 2012, we’ve published 1,500 articles on Japanese American history written by expert scholars and public historians — making it the go-to resource for many...
Ask a Historian: Why Do Some Survivors Say Camp Was “Fun”?
Densho Content Director Brian Niiya responds to a question from a descendant of the camps who wonders why his Nisei father often shared “happy” memories of the wartime incarceration.
Author Maggie Tokuda-Hall Takes a Stand Against Censorship and the “Deeply American Tradition of Racism”
Earlier this month, author Maggie Tokuda-Hall received a troubling offer from publishing giant Scholastic: they would license Love in the Library, her acclaimed children’s book based on her grandparents’ experiences...
Introducing Naomi Ostwald Kawamura
Densho is excited to share that Naomi Ostwald Kawamura will be our next Executive Director! Naomi brings a rare combination of experience in education, museums, nonprofit leadership, and a passion for Japanese American history and memory work.
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Campu: A Podcast
Campu weaves together the voices of survivors to spin narratives out of the seemingly mundane things that gave shape to the incarceration experience: rocks, fences, food, paper. Follow along as hosts Hana and Noah Maruyama move far beyond the standard Japanese American incarceration 101 and into more intimate and lesser-known corners of this history.
Encyclopedia
Thousands of articles about the history of the Japanese American WWII exclusion and incarceration experience. Here are a few to get you started:
Pinedale (detention facility)
Medium sized assembly center located in Fresno, California. Most of its population came from Washington state and Hood River, Oregon.
Paul Takagi
Nisei scholar and advocate who helped develop the field of Asian American Studies.
Farewell to Manzanar (book)
Popular memoir that tells the story of one family's forced removal and confinement at Manzanar through the eyes of a young girl.