Wing Luke Museum Announces New Art Exhibit Focused on Pre-WWII Nihonmachi Artists

The Wing Luke Museum announces its latest exhibit, Side by Side: Nihonmachi Scenes by Tokita, Nomura, and Fujii, Aug. 16, 2024, through May 11, 2025. The exhibit features the works of three first-generation (Issei) Japanese artists, Kamekichi Tokita, Kenjiro Nomura, and Takuichi Fujii, at the peak of their creativity. 

The exhibit, the largest featuring all three artists, is sponsored by Art Works, The National Endowment for the Arts, 4 Culture, and the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Characterized in the “plein air” style, the collective work reflects an intimate, extraordinary view of the Nihonmachi’s (Japantown) familiar streets, alleyways and buildings prior to WWII to the permanently gone storefronts, homes and vistas.  Organized by the Wing Luke Museum and curated by Barbara Johns, PhD, the exhibit includes artwork by the artists capturing the Nihonmachi from an era very different from today.  

Complementing the artwork are artifacts from the Museum’s collection and journals of all three artists, who were incarcerated during WWII. These journals, which include the Illustrated Diary of Takuichi Fujii from the Museum’s collection, offer a distinct contrast to the art, as they chronicle each artist’s forced removal from Seattle in 1942 to when they were released in 1945. The journals collectively provide intimate details of camp life from the Issei perspective and have been called one of the most important firsthand accounts of the wartime incarceration experience.

As the largest exhibit by the artists, Side by Side endeavors to reintroduce them after years of obscurity to a new generation and continue the growing appreciation of their art that was lost during WWII. 

“I am deeply pleased to work with the Wing Luke Museum on this exhibit,” says Dr. Johns. “These three artists called this community home, worked in the community, and in their paintings, give us a palpable sense of their connection to it. This exhibit serves as a tribute to the artists’ achievements at the height of their recognition. At the same time, it also serves as a historical record as told from a uniquely personal perspective, a reminder of the strength and vitality of the early Japanese American community.” 

Joël Barraquiel Tan, Wing Luke Museum executive director, applauds the exhibit for its pure, thoughtful look at the Nihonmachi from the 1930s.

“The Museum’s work focuses on preserving Asian American art, history, culture and heritage,” says Barraquiel Tan. “Side by Side, which features these once-overlooked artists and many long-gone structures and sights in the C-ID, perfectly embodies the essence of our work. We hope the community turns out to rediscover these important artists, and to go back in time to see the neighborhood as it once was.” 

About The Wing Luke Museum

The Wing Luke Museum’s mission is to connect everyone to the rich history, dynamic cultures, and art of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders through vivid storytelling and inspiring experiences to advance racial and social equity. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, National Park Service Affiliated Area, and the only pan-Asian American museum in the nation, The Wing Luke Museum is a national treasure, preserving and sharing the personal stories of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. www.wingluke.org