THE IREICHO

By: Kathy Collins

NVMC research archivist Melanie Agrabante radiates reverence and awe, as she recounts her brief trip to Los Angeles for the launch of Irei: National Monument for the WWII Japanese American Incarceration at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM). Melanie was one of nearly 200 participants in the consecration and installation of the Ireichō (The Book of Names), the first of three planned components of the Irei Monument. The monument name was inspired by the Ireitō (Consoling Spirits Tower), a monument built by internees at Manzanar to remember those who had died while incarcerated.

The Ireichō contains over 125,000 names and is the first comprehensive listing of the Japanese American internees. Irei Monument Director Duncan Ryūken Williams described the ceremony in an emailed update to supporters:

“In late September (2022), we invited camp survivors and descendants from 75 WWII confinement sites, along with an array of religious clergy… We walked from the historic Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple (where, 80 years ago, Japanese Americans boarded buses to the camps) to JANM’s Aratani Central Hall, each holding tablets with the name of the camp they represented, as well as a small jar of soil from that site, leading the path for the Ireichō, which was carried by four distinguished Buddhist and Christian clergy… The ceremonial installation of the Ireichō marked the beginning of an ambitious one-year campaign to invite everyone to visit JANM and acknowledge the names of those who have come before us, until all 125,284 individuals contained therein are seen and remembered with a small hanko (Japanese stamp/seal) mark placed under each name.”

The Haiku Camp Detention Station was one of the 75 sites selected by the Irei project organizers. “They contacted people across the nation, trying to get soil from each of these sites,” Melanie said, “and it got down to four sites left… they had no idea who to contact for the Haiku camp.” Eventually, after many inquiries and referrals, the team reached out to the NVMC.

Melanie recalled, “Deidre mentioned it to me, and I said ‘Oh, I know whose property that is; that’s Kyle Watanabe’s brother-in-law’s place!’… So Kyle went out with Charlene Doi – she took pictures, because they wanted pictures taken of the soil being gathered – and we sent the soil samples and pictures to California.

Shortly thereafter, we got an invitation (to the Ireichō installation ceremony).”

Thanks to a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation, the Irei team provided transportation and lodging for representatives of all 75 sites: internees, descendants, and those who assisted in obtaining the soil samples. The Haiku Camp delegation included Oahu resident Ruth Hamanaka, whose grandfather had been detained there, the Reverend Shinkai Murakami of Wailuku Hongwanji Mission, and Melanie on behalf of the NVMC.

“The whole thing was so moving… starting the procession at Nishi Hongwanji had great significance. Duncan said he chose this area because this is where the Japanese Americans lost their names, lost their identity. And he created, with his group, this book of names to give them their names back. Very chicken skin.”

Dr. Williams, who is also Director of the Shinso Ito Center at the University of Southern California and a Soto Zen Buddhist priest, said in his update, “A names monument has the power to not only evoke remembrance, but to repair the racial karma of a nation. The work of repair and healing, though, is premised on making sure that we are not leaving anybody out. We also can’t honor the community if individuals’ names are inaccurately spelled. To ensure that we have the most accurate and comprehensive listing of all those of Japanese ancestry incarcerated in WWII, this campaign is also one of repairing the historical record, inviting amendments for any missing person or misspelled names. While our team is confident that we already have 99% accuracy with the names in the Ireichō, the goal is to have a second printing of the book of names in 2025 that reflects all the amendments.”

The other two facets of the Irei Monument are the Ireizō (The Online Archive) and the Ireihi (The Light Sculpture).

The Ireizō, an interactive and searchable website hosted by the USC Shinso Ito Center, may be found at www.ireizo.com. It features all of the names listed in the Ireichō, along with additional information about each name. A camp directory is also included, as well as an amendment form through which corrections or additions may be submitted. Later this year, in partnership with Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project, the Irei project team will add photographs, camp newspapers, and other materials to the Ireizō.

The Ireihi light installation memorials will be displayed at eight internment camps – Amache, Jerome, Heart Mountain, Manzanar, Minidoka, Poston, Rohwer, and Tule Lake – starting next year. In 2025, an Ireihi sculpture replicating the dimensions of the Manzanar Ireitō will be installed at JANM.

The Ireichō will be on display at JANM until September 24, 2023. Visitors are welcome to stamp up to six names in the book. You do not have to be a former incarceree, descendant, or relative; however, reservations are required to stamp the book. Information on the display and a link to stamping reservations may be found at janm.org/exhibits/ireicho.

And if you’d like a brief glimpse of Melanie’s “most amazing 28 hours,” go to https://youtu.be/7PbgjGAgaCQ for highlights of the Ireichō installation ceremony. Chicken skin guaranteed.

Scan the QR Code

for information on The Ireichō on display at JANM until September 24, 2023.

Information on the display and a link to stamping reservations may be found at janm.org/exhibits/ireicho.

Scan the QR Code

to watch highlights of the Ireichō installation ceremony, Melanie’s “most amazing 28 hours.”