25 for 25

2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon. The first object accepted into the museum’s collection was the hand-painted kimono Fumi (Marumoto) Sakano wore as the Japanese Community queen in the 1931 Rose Festival Parade. Since then, the collection has grown into one of the nation’s foremost repositories of artifacts, documents, and photographs that tell the story of Japanese Americans in the Northwest, starting with their arrival as immigrants in the late 1800s and encompassing the World War II experience, post-war resettlement, and the present day community. 

In celebration of this milestone, we have created 25 for 25, a digital exhibition that will eventually contain 25 pieces. Throughout the year we will be adding objects from our collection that particularly highlight our history, the Japanese American story in Oregon, and the people who have worked tirelessly to make this museum into an institution our community takes pride in.