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.
Importance of Accessibility at Historic Sites
In this guest contribution, historian and PhD student Selena Moon explores the importance of accessibility at historic sites, highlighting how many sites have been and continue to be inaccessible. She...
Educator Spotlight: Satsuki Ina
Dr. Satsuki Ina is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in community trauma and author of The Poet and the Silk Girl (2024). She helps victims of oppression to claim not only...
Remembering Kyoko Nancy Oda and Her Life’s Work
We are heartbroken by the passing of Kyoko Nancy Oda, a giant in the Nikkei community and one of our oral history narrators. Born at Tule Lake in 1945 to...Upcoming Events
Lunch & Learn: Densho’s Oral History Program in the Post-Witness Era
Join Densho for a virtual Lunch & Learn program on Monday, June 16, 12-1pm PT exploring our oral history program and ongoing work. Densho’s oral history program has always evolved in response to the Japanese American community and its needs. This virtual event explores what our work looks like as we enter the post-witness era, in which former incarcerees are passing or no longer with us. In this moment, Densho remains committed to documenting firsthand accounts related to the WWII incarceration, recording the experiences of those who were children during the war as well as those who grew up in its aftermath.
Stay Informed: Join The Mailing List
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:
Documentary films/videos on incarceration
The following is an attempt at a comprehensive listing of documentary films/videos that include a significant treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II, broken up into several broad categories.
Scene (magazine)
Japanese American pictorial monthly magazine that ran from 1949 to 1955. Largely produced by and for Nisei, Scene magazine highlighted "successful" Japanese Americans as well as Japanese culture.
Owens Valley (detention facility)
The Owens Valley Reception Center—later the Manzanar Reception Center—was the first of the WCCA -administered short-term detention camps to open when the first "volunteers" from the Los Angeles area arrived on March 21, 1942.