Idaho State Museum to host exhibit exploring stories of Japanese Americans during WWII

A new exhibit at the Idaho State Museum includes an exploration of experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II, including stories about the service of the segregated 442nd military unit. (Courtesy of the Idaho State Historical Society)

The Idaho State Museum will host a grand opening for its “ Courage and Compassion: Our Shared Story of the Japanese American World War II Experience” exhibit on Saturday in Boise.

The exhibit, which features i nteractive multimedia elements, artifacts, interviews, rare photographs and archival documents, showcases stories of Japanese American life during WWII, according to a press release from the Idaho State Historical Society. The exhibit includes an exploration of experiences such as Japanese American service in the segregated 442 nd military unit as well as Japanese Americans’ incarceration in Idaho’s arid Snake River Plain at what is now known as the the Minidoka National Historic Site .

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“Explore the origins of Idaho’s Japanese American communities, the experiences of ‘voluntary evacuees,’ life in Minidoka War Relocation Center, and more. Courage and Compassion features artifacts generously contributed by veterans’ families and the National Park Service,” according to the press release. “Highlights include Congressional Medals of Honor awarded to men of the 442 nd , uniforms, and pieces of art created by Japanese Americans incarcerated in Minidoka War Relocation Center.”

Opening day festivities begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and will include drumming performances by Sangha Taiko, crafts for all ages and gallery talks inside the exhibition. A round table discussion will be moderated by Kurt Ikeda , chief of interpretation and community outreach at Minidoka National Historic Site, and it will feature Teresa Tamura, author of “ Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp” ; Emily Anderson, curator from the Japanese American National Museum; and Jim Jones, former Idaho attorney general and Idaho Supreme Court justice.

The exhibition will be open to the public at the Idaho State Museum through spring 2025.

The exhibit is presented by Go For Broke National Education Center and supported by local sponsors Bob and Janet Komoto, Amalgamated Sugar, Judy and Steve Meyer, and the Foundation for Idaho History.

In 1942, the Minidoka War Relocation Center was constructed in Jerome County at Hunt, Idaho. Locally, it was known as “Hunt Camp.” While in operation, the site was the seventh largest city in Idaho, incarcerating nearly 9,400 people at its peak population.
(Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration)

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