Collections
The over 150,000 objects that comprise the JANM permanent collection chronicle the Japanese American experience in its entirety from early immigration to the present. Artifacts related to early immigration to the United States at the turn of the 20th century, early life in Japanese American communities, and the World War II incarceration experience and military service are strengths of the collection.
Cornerstone collections include work clothing that Japanese immigrant women fashioned from the textiles they brought with them from Japan and denim material on Hawaiian plantations; diaries, letters, and other first-person narratives of America’s concentration camps; as well as materials from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion. Although these have been prime collecting areas, they are not the sole focus. Artifacts pertaining to all aspects of the Japanese American experience are welcomed.
The museum’s permanent collection, which includes material culture artifacts (the three-dimensional objects that define daily life and our culture) as well as photographs, documents, and ephemera, is unlike any other collection elsewhere.
Preserving the collection for future generations, with the artifacts’ role as ambassadors and storytellers for the museum, is central to JANM’s ideology.
Reference Materials
Access reference books, films, and certain government records in the Hirasaki National Resource Center.
Collections Access
Learn how you can access the collection for conducting research, licensing, and exhibition loans.
Artifact Donations
Find out how to donate your family's artifacts to JANM.
Featured Collections
Henry Sugimoto Collection
(92.97, 2015.7, 2015.2) Step into the captivating world of Henry Yuzuru Sugimoto, a Japanese American artist whose journey from Wakayama, Japan, to Hanford, California, and ultimately to the bustling streets of Manhattan, influenced his diverse and evocative body of artworks.
Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto and Naomi Tagawa, 92.97.56
Tanaka Studio Collection
(2007.61) This collection includes over 1,000 photographic negatives from Issei photographer Chikashi Tanaka (1888–1977). These photographs, taken for hundreds of clients, document the vibrant and deeply-rooted Japanese American community in Southern California during the prewar era.
A family of four stands in a flower field in front of a farmhouse, June 19, 1937. Japanese American National Museum, (Gift in memory of Chikashi & Asa Tanaka and Yasuo “Clifford” & Yuri Tanaka, 2007.61.46).
Kango Takamura Collection
(91.9 and 2005.76) The online collection of Kango Takamura includes 17 watercolor paintings created during the artist’s incarceration at the Manzanar concentration camp. The artwork depicts daily life in the camps, including scenes of education, living conditions, agriculture, and more.
Image: Gift of Estate of Hazel Ujihara Trust In Memory of Akio and Hazel Ujihara, (2005.76.60)
Miné Okubo Collection
(2007.62) This online collection of 197 drawings by artist Mine Okubo (1912–2001) illustrates her life in the Tanforan assembly center in San Bruno, CA and the Topaz concentration camp in Utah during World War II. Okubo’s drawings served as the basis for her renowned book, Citizen 13660, which was printed in 1946 and was the first personal account published on the camp experience.
Image: Gift of Mine Okubo Estate (2007.62.23)
Jack Iwata Collection
(93.102) The online collection of photographer Jack Iwata includes 166 photographs and copy negatives taken at Manzanar and Tule Lake concentration camps between 1942 and 1945.
Image: Gift of Jack and Peggy Iwata (93.102.159)
Unboxed Videos
Watch MoreUnboxed: Heart of the Museum - Featuring the Kondo and Sakamoto-Sasano Collections
Unboxed: Heart of the Museum - Featuring the Kondo and Sakamoto-Sasano Collections
Other Ways to Explore the Collection
Finding Aids
The Online Archive of California (OAC) provides public access to descriptions of primary resource collections of over 200 contributing institutions. Please check out our finding aids (research guides) for collections such as the Norman Y. Mineta Papers, American Friends Service Committee Collection, and more.
Image: Chiyoko Sakamoto’s locket. Gift of Scott and Jennifer Yoshida (2018.10.10)
Moving Images Collection
JANM has published a trove of rare home-movie footage from the Museum’s historic collections on its Discover Nikkei website.
Image: Still from TOPAZ, filmed by Dave Tatsuno. Gift of Dave Tatsuno, in Memory of Walter Honderich (91.74.1)