Gambatte! Legacy of an Enduring Spirit, photo exhibit

Gambatte! Legacy of an Enduring Spirit, photo exhibit

by | May 6, 2025 | Classes & Events, Other News

Gambatte! Legacy

of an Enduring Spirit

Photographs by Paul Kitagaki, Jr.

Exhibit Extended to July 18, 2025

Gallery Hours: Mondays & Thursdays 10 am – 4 pm, and by appointment.

Presented by J-Sei & Friends of Topaz Museum, with support by Topaz Museum

Closing Program

CAPTURING MOMENTS with Photojournalists Paul Kitagaki, Jr and Renée C. Byer

Saturday, July 19, 1 pm, Exhibit open 11-1

For more info on this free event.

BEHIND BARBED WIRE, The Search for Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII

The book Behind Barbed Wire is based on the nationally traveling exhibition “Gambatte! Legacy of an Enduring Spirit.”

Hardcover 152 pages and 137 Illustrations

Published by CityPress Files

Retail Price: $55

Autographed books are now available for pick up at J-Sei. For delivery to your home add $10 shipping/handling. Use button below to place order.

Book Order

Many of the Issei and Nisei never shared their stories with their own families. As some of the subjects recounted their experiences, they were overcome with tears and emotion as long-forgotten memories returned. For many, this was the first time for them to publicly speak about what they endured. – Paul Kitagaki, Jr.

Paul Kitagaki, Jr.

 Gambatte! Legacy of an Enduring Spirit explores the legacy of an enduring spirit as Japanese Americans triumphed over adversity in the WWII incarceration camps.

As he was searching through photos at the National Archives in 1984, Kitagaki found a photo taken by famed documentary photographer Dorothea Lange of his grandparents and father preparing to board a bus in Oakland, Calif., enroute to a World War II incarceration camp. Through slow and painstaking research, Kitagaki has spent 15 years locating and winning the trust of the families who lived through the incarceration, documenting their stories of survival and inner strength to overcome injustice, racism, and wartime hysteria. 

Photographer and videographer Paul Kitagaki Jr. has traveled the world covering natural and human-caused disasters and international athletes competing for gold at ten different Olympic Games. Kitagaki’s work has been honored with dozens of photo awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, and Emmy nominations. He’s been published in news outlets worldwide, including National Geographic, Time, Smithsonian Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Stern, People, Mother Jones, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post, as well as in his home paper, The Sacramento Bee. 

Imagine Nikkei Village Cinema

by | May 2, 2025 | Classes & Events

Imagine Nikkei Village Cinema presents

The Boy and the Heron

Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli (2023), PG-13

Saturday, July 26, 4 to 7 pm

J-Sei, 1285 66th Street, Emeryville

Imagine a space to come to with family and friends. Watch a movie, join a conversation, and participate in a hands-on activity with people of all ages – children, youth, adults, elders.  We invite you to be a part of Imagine Nikkei Village Cinema, a new intergenerational mix at J-Sei.

Our first program will feature, The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka, “How Do You Live?), is written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, produced by Studio Ghibli.  A boy named Mahito Maki moves to the countryside after his mother’s death during WWII, discovers an abandoned tower near his new home, and enters a fantastical world with a talking grey heron. Winner of the Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy of Awards, the BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards and the Japanese Film Academy.

This program is supported by K/T Foundation.

RSVP for the Free Event

SUMMARY

From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes a new critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure. After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.

THEMES

The Boy and the Heron has autobiographical features. The protagonist, Mahito Maki, mirrors Miyazaki’s childhood. Miyazaki’s father, like Mahito’s father, was employed by a company involved in the manufacturing of fighter plane components. Additionally, Miyazaki’s family had to evacuate from the city to the countryside during the war. The hospital fire at the beginning of the film evokes personal parallels with Miyazaki’s loss of his mother, who was known for her strong opinions and is believed to have been a source of inspiration for several of the director’s female characters. Mahito’s emotional connection with his mother parallels Miyazaki’s love for his mother.

Boro Inspired Collage with Sashiko – Spring 2025

by | Apr 29, 2025 | Classes & Events, Other News

Boro Inspired Collage with Sashiko Stitching

Mondays, June 2 & 9, 10 to 12 – The class is full. Sign up for a future session

In this two- day workshop we will create patchwork placemats or a table runner. You will be introduced to various methods to create the collage patchwork from boro-inspired with sashiko hand stitching to quilting methods. Participants will be encouraged to explore their individual style, preferences and methods.

In the spirit of Boro, you can repurpose what you may already have at home. Textile artist Chiyeko Klarman has personally cut up unwanted clothing, pulled out my fabric stash, dyed small pieces of white cloth with tea, coffee, onion skins. Upon registration you will be provided with a materials list of sewing tools and suggested fabric sources.  

Workshop fee: $15  RSVP to jill@j-sei.org with “Boro” in the subject line.  Space is limited. the class is full. Sign up for early notice of the next session.

                  

 

We Are Not Strangers, Josh Tuininga with guest Flora Ninomiya

by | Apr 23, 2025 | Classes & Events, Other News

 

We Are Not Strangers book talk

with Josh Tuininga and guest speaker Flora Ninomiya

Sunday, May 4, 2025, 11 am

 

Jewish Arts & Bookfest

UC Berkeley Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life

2121 Allston Way, Berkeley

 

Author Josh Tuininga traces his family’s Sephardic roots as they flee their home in Turkey, discover opportunities in America, and forge a new community in the multicultural neighborhood of the Seattle Central District. Through a visually rich presentation, Tuininga will share his creative process and research, weaving together narratives of Jewish and Japanese communities united by resilience and allyship during the turbulence of wartime.

Tuininga will be joined by special guest speaker Flora Ninomiya, who will share her powerful family history—from the hardships they faced during World War II and their incarceration, to the extraordinary support they received from a neighbor, who maintained their greenhouse in their absence which allowed the family to rebuild their floral business after the war.

This program is presented in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.For more information, visit the Jewish Arts & BookFest page on the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life website.

A Storied Career in Filmmaking: John Esaki

A Storied Career in Filmmaking: John Esaki

by | Apr 1, 2025 | Classes & Events

A Storied Career in Filmmaking: John Esaki

Saturday, May 10, 2 pm

Filmmaker John Esaki will share selected clips of his work and stories from his long career in film, which was shaped and guided by a community spirit of pioneering Asian American filmmakers.

John Esaki retired from the Japanese American National Museum in 2024 after more than 25 years. At JANM he was videographer, director and editor for several documentaries, including: Words Weavings & Songs, a profile of three Nisei women artists, and Harsh Canvas—The Art & Life of Henry Sugimoto. He later served as Director–Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center, V.P. of Programs, and Senior Philanthropy Officer.

He pursued an MFA in film at UCLA in the late 70’s. Under Prof. Robert A. Nakamura, who had recently founded Visual Communications Asian Pacific Media Arts Center, John volunteered as a production assistant for Hito Hata: Raise the Banner (1980) and eventually became involved with the scripting. The lure of making films about one’s own history and community enticed John to remain in SoCal for the next 5 decades.

For 20 years on staff at Visual Communications, John worked in development and production, directing Yuki Shimoda–Asian American Actor, Maceo: Demon Drummer from East L.A. the taiko odyssey of a Chicano teen, and Stand Up for Justice, a short film about Ralph Lazo, a Mexican/Irish American high school student who voluntarily accompanied his classmates to the Manzanar concentration camp during WW2. John also worked as a freelance videographer and sound recordist and he remains grateful to have been hired and mentored by several prominent Bay Area filmmakers: Loni Ding, Michael Chin, Steven Okazaki, Emiko Omori, Spencer Nakasako, Curtis Choy and Wayne Wang.   

The event is presented by Friends of Topaz Museum and J-Sei, with funding support by Topaz Museum.

Photo credits: Jeff Liu, Visual Communications

RSVP here