Japanese Americans
May 29, 2022
Stolen beauty
The story of the shocking theft, destruction and replacement of George Tsutakawa’s sculptural gates at the Washington Park Arboretum.
For the next generation
After 26 years leading Densho, a nonprofit organization committed to preserving and sharing Japanese American history, executive director Tom Ikeda, ’76, ’79, ’83, is retiring
November 19, 2021
Rising above hate
A Japanese American UW grad turned businessman, Harry Kawabe was a humanitarian who built economies in two U.S. cities and dedicated his life to building community.
September 4, 2021
The Nisei story
‘Boys in the Boat’ author Daniel James Brown’s new book depicts the heroism of World War II-era Japanese Americans.
December 16, 2020
Honoring our roots
In celebration of the Seattle Japanese Garden’s 60th birthday this summer, a number of local artists created works honoring the landscape and the people involved.
March 5, 2020
Wonder of Warashina
The Smithsonian honors Patti Warashina, ’62, ’64, whose humor and innovative perspectives on the human condition put a new face on ceramics.
November 24, 2019
Legacy of ‘No-No Boy’
Decades ago, he built a foundation for Asian American literature; now, a UW professor is still protecting an alumnus’s classic novel.
March 1, 2014
'Silence is a coping mechanism'
Teresa Tamura captures poignant stories of hardship from a World War II relocation center in her book "Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp."
March 1, 2012
Gordon Hirabayashi, 1918-2012
For 45 years, Gordon Hirabayashi, ’46, ’49, ’52, who died Jan. 3 at the age of 93, waited for justice after he was imprisoned for challenging the internment of thousands of Japanese Americans after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor at the start of World War II.
December 1, 2010
Special collection
The Henry Art Gallery, UW Libraries and UW Press are teaming up to bring the beauty of the Seattle Camera Club to the public.
March 1, 2006
Stolen years
After Pearl Harbor, as the U.S. imprisoned thousands of its own citizens in internment camps, more than 400 Japanese American students had to drop out of the UW.
Long memory
"I don't think the majority of Americans are aware of the internment camps," Ruth Purkaple says. "Some have learned about it in school, but it's still pretty unknown."
December 1, 2005
Detective story
The assignment was straightforward, but it felt like mission impossible: Find out what happened to more than 400 students forced to leave the University of Washington when the federal government incarcerated Japanese Americans in 1942.
The stolen years
After Pearl Harbor, as the U.S. imprisoned thousands of its own citizens in internment camps, more than 400 Japanese American students had to drop out of the UW. This is the story of some forced to leave — and the efforts the UW made to protect them.
Well-earned salute
Every time Hiro Nishimura, ’48, passes the William Kenzo Nakamura Federal Courthouse in Seattle, he raises his hand in a salute. The courthouse was renamed four years ago to honor Nakamura, who earned the nation’s highest military award—the Medal of Honor.
December 1, 2000
A civil action
Almost a century after snubbing Takuji Yamashita, the state's legal establishment is taking steps to honor the first Japanese graduate of the UW Law School.
June 1, 1990
Unlocking beauty
Renowned furniture artist and designer George Nakashima is the UW’s 1990 Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus.