PABT Hosts ‘Ireicho Book of Names’ on U.S. Tour

Sangha Members Share Experiences, Emotions on Seeing, Stamping Loved Ones’ Names

More information on the Ireicho, including the national tour and the online list of names, can be found at: https://ireizo.org/tour/

NBC Bay Area reporter and Mountain View Buddhist Temple member Mike Inouye interviewed Rev. Dr. Duncan Williams during the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple tour visit: bit.ly/3GuGeuS

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Issei Hall at Palo Alto Buddhist Temple (PABT) served as a host site June 5-7 for the “Ireicho Book of Names” during its nationwide tour.

The Ireicho contains more than 125,000 names of individuals of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated in camps and detention centers during World War II.

The Ireicho has been accessible at the Japanese American National Museum in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles since 2022. This year, the Ireicho began a national tour with the first stop held Feb. 18-21 — marking the Day of Remembrance Feb. 19, 1942.

The tour, which includes stops at several of the detention camps like Manzanar, Amache, Rohwer, Jerome, Heart Mountain, Minidoka and Topaz, arrived in the Bay Area from June 2-4 at the Berkeley Historical Society Museum. It attracted a crowd of former internees, their descendants, friends and supporters.

When the Ireicho arrived at the PABT on June 5, an opening ceremony was led by Rev. Henry Adams, Resident Minister of the San Mateo Buddhist Temple, on behalf of Palo Alto Buddhist Temple Resident Minister Rev. Dean Koyama, who was recovering from knee surgery. The Dharma talk was given by Ireicho founder Rev. Dr. Duncan Ryuken Williams.

Sangha members from Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Mateo, San Jose and Southern Alameda County temples played an invaluable role by volunteering to help the Ireicho staff with the many visitors, bringing food for the reception and providing general support for the event.

For three days, people traveled from near and far — from Monterey to Sacramento — to stamp names in the Ireicho. They came to stamp the names of family members and friends, ancestors, their own names and of Issei whom they had not met. 

After the last stamping appointment, the Ireicho rested on the altar in a closing ceremony led by Rev. Igor Makasyuk of Palo Alto Buddhist Temple and Rev. Devon Matsumoto of Mountain View Buddhist Temple. 

Representatives for each of the detention camps offered incense and touched the ceramic tile composed of soil from each of the camps, and Rev. Dr. Duncan Williams gave a Dharma talk.

The experience of stamping names in the Ireicho was emotional for many people as it offered a “window” and a way “to connect with the past in a deeply personal way.” 

The following words are excerpts from experiences of PABT members who stamped the Ireicho and, in some cases, also served as host volunteers:

Elisha Davis

“It was an honor to stamp an unstamped internee, Kikue Hamada (born in 1895). Volunteering in the room where people wrote remembrance cards was so powerful! Some were remembering their experience, some remembering loved ones. Listening to their stories reminded me of my father’s stories.”

Shiz Kobara

“I was very impressed with (Rev. Dr.) Duncan Ryuken Williams and his team during the entire Ireicho viewing and stamping process. Having the introduction and history of Ireicho book was very informative and fascinating. It was very emotional to see family members documented and remembered after all these years. The artistry and enormous undertaking to compile all the names from the years of internment was impressive. Thank you to the Ireicho project for keeping their memories alive.”

Lance Matsumura

“Your efforts gave our community a powerful opportunity to connect with the past in a deeply personal way.

“It was a moment to remember the sacrifices and quiet resilience of both unknown Issei and my own relatives. Stamping the book for people I didn’t know reminded me of standing before the Alta Mesa monolith stone and silently offering, ‘Otsukaresama. I remember you. I’m here because of you. Thank you.’ For the names of my grandmother and uncles, family I never had the chance to meet, it was a way to finally connect. Reading their names aloud felt like meeting them for the first time.

“My son’s impression was that the Ireicho was ‘big.’ He felt the introduction and wait before stamping were a bit long. Still, I think the scale and process helped underscore the gravity of what we were doing.

“For my wife, who was born and raised in Japan, this was an educational and emotional experience. Japanese schools don’t teach about Japanese Americans. Through the Ireicho, she learned more about our community’s history and struggles than she ever had before.”

Julia Miyakawa

“My husband and I had an appointment to stamp our own names plus grandparents, parents and siblings. We realized it was a very solemn occasion to remember our grandparents’ and parents’ lives as we were babies at the time and carry no memory of camp days.

“The book with all the listing of the names was very impressive, especially with the ceramic tile in the inside cover with a pinch of soil from all of the camps and detention sites baked in. We are thankful to the volunteer who took pictures for us using our mobile phone as we touched the ceramic tile and stamped the many names. The pictures we will treasure show us stamping the names and even including pictures of our own names.

“Friday and Saturday, I volunteered for 2½hours each day and was asked to take pictures for families if they so desired. 

“At times, as I was taking the pictures, I would have tears in my eyes as they often spoke of their ancestors as they remembered them.

“There was a folder to the side of the book with amendments with corrections as the camp documents were oftentimes blurred, but a lot of the times, the administrators being very unfamiliar with Japanese, often misspelling them. The amendments were made with input by surviving family members.

“But the whole event was such a heartwarming experience. The group that tours the book deserves so much gratitude to take on such a big project.

“It gave us an opportunity to look into a window to our very important history.”

Don Tirsell

“My connection to the Ireicho is personal, stemming from my wife's Sansei Japanese American heritage.

“When we confirmed our chance to stamp the Ireicho at PABT, my wife and I spent time researching her family tree, uncovering the true names of her parents, aunts and uncles, and identifying where they were interned. Seeing their names in print was incredibly emotional; many have passed in recent years and it brought back a flood of memories.

“I had the privilege of stamping my father-in-law's name, a name we share, and my son participated, creating a memory I know he'll carry forever. We all touched the tile at the beginning and hearing about its composition and the origin of its materials was deeply moving.

“My family and I are incredibly grateful to the Ireicho organization. Rev. Dr. Williams and the team are truly dedicated to visually and profoundly honoring the more than 125,000 Japanese Americans whose lives were uprooted and permanently altered. We will never forget this powerful experience and the deep dive into our family history.”

Taryn Tsuji

“As I stood in the room with the Ireicho, there was a sort of weight on my shoulders, knowing that this would likely be one of the most meaningful events that I had ever participated in. 

“Over the course of this year, in particular, I took time to truly explore my family’s history and the history of Executive Order 9066 in more depth. 

“Sometimes, it’s difficult to realize that Japanese American incarceration continues to impact those around me. The same people I visit during the holidays, share meals with and laugh alongside experienced drastically different realities than what I do now when they were my age. My relatives don’t often mention their past, which I can understand, but this underscores the importance of remembering their stories and experiences. The Ireicho project provided this opportunity. 

“As we flipped through the book, my attention was caught by the small dots on each page. When we reached my relatives’ names, there were already many small stamps, likely from my other relatives throughout America. 

“Being able to visually see how this part of history impacts and connects our family and community was nothing short of surreal. In that moment, I felt a profound sense of connection — not just to my relatives, but to the broader community that shares this history. This served as an important reminder of the importance of our stories, though often unspoken, that bind us together across time and distance.”

Carl Yanari

“On a bright sunny day in June under a cloudless sky, our family congregated in Issei Hall to experience the stamping of the ‘Ireicho Book of Names.’ 

“How fitting, I thought, that this event was held in a building dedicated to the Isseis who perhaps suffered the most during the internment ordeal. How ironic, I thought, that the weather be so perfect compared to the harsh conditions that my ancestors endured during their time in the incarceration. And how fortunate that I was able to make this connection with my ancestors to remind me of the atrocities that they endured and survived.

“Never before had there been an effort to collect all the names that were a part of this process. Having the names is essential to provide a sense of individuality to the internees rather than just being a part of a statistic. 

“Through the process of allowing descendants to place a stamp, an ink dot, next to the name of their ancestors allowed for a sense of connection to the past and ensures the ancestor will not be forgotten.

“For me, the experience of stamping my grandparents’ names stirred up memories of my childhood. An innocent time when I had no clue what they had endured a few decades before. 

“My Nisei parents carried the burden of having been incarcerated and though they tried to shield us from the dark side of their experiences in the camps, the stigma carried onto my generation and beyond. 

“It is this stigma, however, that allows us to never forget what our ancestors went through and drives our hope that this will never happen again to any group of people. This experience was truly moving and meaningful. I am grateful that I had this chance and hope that others will have this experience as well.”