JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM MOURNS THE PASSING OF HITOSHI SAMESHIMA

The Japanese American National Museum is deeply saddened by the death of long-time volunteer, beloved friend, and outstanding American citizen Hitoshi Sameshima, who passed away on May 15. He was 93 years old. Sameshima was a cherished member of the JANM family and will be greatly missed.

Sameshima was born in Pasadena in 1921. In 1942, his education at USC was interrupted by the incarceration of his family at the Gila River concentration camp. Two years later, Sameshima was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served until 1946 as a member of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). MIS was a U.S. military unit mostly comprised of Japanese American Nisei who provided translation, interpretation, and interrogation services in the Pacific during World War II. While Sameshima eventually earned his degree from the University of Denver, he was also awarded an honorary degree from USC in 2012, along with eight other Japanese American former students.

Sameshima began volunteering at JANM in 1990. His regular day of service was Friday, when he could be found giving docent tours to visiting school groups. He also came in on weekends to give Japanese-language tours to adult visitors from Japan. As a proud veteran, Sameshima served as president of the MIS Club of Southern California for many years and spoke on many JANM panel discussions about his wartime experiences. He served on the Southern California Community Committee of American Heroes: Japanese American WWII Nisei Soldiers and the Congressional Gold Medal, a traveling display that was shown at JANM in 2013; helped coordinate JANM’s Nisei Week Parade entry; rode on a 2013 Rose Parade float commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War; threw the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium for the 2013 Japanese American Community Heritage Night; and much more.

In 1994, Sameshima was honored with the Miki Tanimura Outstanding Volunteer Award, established by JANM to honor those who have made exceptional contributions to the museum. He was much beloved by the staff and fellow volunteers for his unflagging graciousness and generosity. Although he was a busy man, active in community groups in Little Tokyo as well as his native Pasadena, Sameshima always made time for the museum.

“Hitoshi was a kind man who honored the Japanese American National Museum with his commitment and service,” said Dr. Greg Kimura, President and CEO of JANM. “He was always ready to engage anyone in conversation, share his experiences, and further the museum’s mission. Hitoshi exemplified what makes the JANM community so special.”

In April, despite being in poor health, Sameshima attended JANM’s 2014 Gala Dinner, which happened to fall on the day before his birthday. Kimura led the room in singing a rousing “Happy Birthday, Hitoshi!” Although the museum will miss him greatly, all who attended the Gala are thankful they were able to enjoy this moment of joyous celebration with him.

Photo by Daryl Kobayashi of Hitoshi Sameshima at the 2013 Japanese American National Museum Gala Dinner.

About the Japanese American National Museum (JANM)

Established in 1985, the Japanese American National Museum promotes understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. Located in the historic Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles, JANM is a hybrid institution that straddles traditional museum categories and strives to provide a voice for Japanese Americans as well as a forum that enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Since opening to the public, JANM has presented over 70 exhibitions onsite and traveled 6 of its exhibitions to over 30 locations, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America.

JANM is located at 100 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles. Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. Admission is $9 adults, $5 students and seniors, free for members and children under age five. Admission is free to everyone on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and every third Thursday of the month from noon to 8 p.m. Closed Mondays, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For more information visit janm.org or call 213.625.0414.