Ireicho Ceremony
By Kurt Ikeda, Director of Interpretation and Education, Minidoka National Historic Site
“For me, the Ireichō program brings a beautiful closure to an ugly part of our American history… that will never be forgotten because of the ‘Great Book’…”
–Fujiko Tamura Gardner
When asked to reflect upon the installation ceremony Ireichō (a sacred book of names) marking the names of 125,284 Japanese American incarcerees, Minidoka survivor, Fujiko Tamura Gardner reminds us of the beauty of remembering these names, those often missing from American history books. Her sentiments were shared by three other members of the Minidoka community; Robyn Achilles, Executive Director of Friends of Minidoka; Reverend Brooks Andrews, representing the Japanese Baptist Church in Seattle; and Kurt Ikeda, Director of Interpretation and Education for Minidoka National Historic Site.
Fujiko Tamura Gardner viewing the Ireicho
On September 24, 2022, they walked in a sacred procession of some 200 interfaith clergy, camp survivors, descendants, and allies representing seventy-five sites of incarceration, each carrying sotoba (wooden markers) with the names and soil from each site. This soil gathered from around the United States was ceremonially consecrated and installed at the Japanese American National Museum alongside the Ireichō. This book records the names of over 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who were unjustly imprisoned in US Army, Department of Justice, and War Relocation Authority camps during World War II. The Ireichō is part of the Irei: National Monument for the WWII Japanese American Incarceration project funded by the Mellon Foundation and led by Duncan Ryuken Williams director of the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture.
The Minidoka group aimed to represent the sense of community that over 13,000 incarcerees created in the south Idaho desert. Reverend Brooks Andrews processed holding a picture of his beloved father, Reverend Emery Andrews who moved his family from Seattle to Twin Falls, Idaho, to support the Japanese American community of Minidoka. At this private gathering, Fujiko expressed to Brooks how happy she was to finally meet him and how deeply appreciative she was of his father. Similar stories were shared within the halls of the museum as attendees, including many more from the Minidoka family, rejoiced in remembering family, creating community, and participating in the stamp ceremony. Fujiko wishes that thanks to this project the “… names of all the internees [incarcerees] will be kept alive by the younger generation to come”.
Fujiko Tamura Gardner, Rev. Emery Andrews, Kurt Ikea, and Robyn Achilles representing Minidoka National Historic Site at the Ireicho Ceremony
Photo Credits: Japanese American National Museum
To learn more about the Irei National Monument for the WWII Japanese American Incarceration project: www.ireizo.com
To view the Ireicho at the Japanese American National Museum:
“The public is invited to view the names and use a special Japanese hanko (a stamp or seal) to leave a mark for each person in the Ireichō as a way to honor those incarcerated during World War II. Community participation will “activate” it and rectify the historical record by correcting misspelled names or revealing names that may have been omitted from the record. The Ireichō will be on display at JANM through September 24, 2023”.
https://www.janm.org/exhibits/ireicho (Website link and reservation page of the Ireichō exhibition)
To watch a recording of the ceremony:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PbgjGAgaCQ (2 min video of the 9/24/2022 Ireichō installation event by Japanese American National Musuem)