Gennosuke Kuninaka

Even though it was a relatively short period of time, I have gained in-depth knowledge and many first-hand experiences through this immersive research project. In the guest talks during our first two weeks, we got a basic understanding of the history of Japanese American incarceration. Although I am from Japan, before participating in this project, I did not know the history of Japanese American incarceration. Often when we learn Japanese history in Japan, the history of emigrants tends to be overlooked. At least from my experience, it was my first time learning about Japanese American history and incarceration in detail. Therefore, it was a great opportunity to learn about the history of hardships that people sharing the same roots have experienced and overcome. 

In relation to the overall Japanese American history, it was also very eye-opening for me to learn about the use of specific terminologies and the relationship between Japanese American incarceration and euphemisms. Various speakers, including Dr. Stephanie Hinnershitz and Ms. Emma Lincoln Saito, explained to us the importance of being aware of the use of specific terms that may sometimes downplay what actually happened during the incarceration. Although there is no consensus on the use of the terms, I learned that it is very important for us to be mindful of the use of words in order to avoid misrepresentation of history and passing down that to the next generations. 

Also, from the standpoint of a college student in the Illinois area, learning about the history of Japanese Americans in the Chicago area was also really a valuable opportunity. As many of the people we met during the project said, the narrative of the Japanese American experience is often centered on the experiences of the west coast Japanese Americans, which, compared to the “mainstream history”, is already not being paid much attention to. I still remember that Ms. Takako Day said that Japanese Americans in Chicago were “triply ignored”. They were ignored by mainstream history, Japanese American history, and even by Chicagoan history. From this perspective, learning about how Japanese American communities were formed in Chicago, and transformed over time through resettlement after the second world war and so forth was a great learning experience. Especially it was really interesting to learn that since they were not allowed to congregate as a community, a lot of Japanese American connections were made not physically by having a Japan Town but rather by having organizations such as Buddhist temples, Christian churches, and other organizations such as JASC and Japanese Mutual Aid Society. 

Meeting with guests and visiting many places, and learning about the history of Japanese Americans and how people tried to preserve the history of themselves and their families have provided a chance to reflect on my own background not only as Japanese but also as Okinawan as well. In places we visited, we had some chances to hear about the incarceration from actual people who experienced that, including Ms. Jean Mishima from CJAHS and Ms. Ruby Tsuji at the Buddhist Temple of Chicago. It was a very valuable opportunity for us, especially since we might be the last generation who could really learn the history from the actual person who experienced it. My home island Okinawa, too, is having a similar situation with preserving the narratives of the people who experienced the Okinawan war and the peace education related to that. In the situation of a lot of people who experienced the war passing away or becoming more difficult to talk about their experiences due to their health conditions, we, the last generation to hear the story from them, should take a proactive role to preserve that and pass down to the next generation, and I strongly feel that this should be the same in the Japanese American history too. 

Therefore, for this research project, I would like this online exhibition to take a role of a gateway for people, especially younger generations, to learn and get interested in this topic of overall Japanese American history and Japanese American history in Chicago.

Gennosuke(Gen) Kuninaka - Class of 2025
Major in Economics, Minor in Computer Science and Philosophy
Beliefs, Map(Top Page)

Gen (He/Him) is a student from Okinawa, Japan. While he is passionate about learning economics, his interests also branch to computer science and philosophy. He likes to read, listen to music, and create graphic designs during his free time.