The Case:
A California man hopes the Japanese characters on this hand-carved cane will unlock the mysteries of his family’s past.
The cane belonged to his grandparents who were sent to an Arizona relocation camp after Pearl Harbor. He can’t read the words carved into the cane, and his grandparents have passed away.
He asks History Detectives to uncover the story behind this cane.
An interpreter translates the Japanese words. A curator of art from Japanese internment camps places this cane into the tradition of “gaman” – the art of living with the unbearable.
The investigation unravels a surprising clue about the cane’s original owner.
More Information
Hirasaki National Resource Center at The Japanese American National Museum LA
369 East First Street
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 625-0414
http://www.janm.org/nrc/
Gila River Camp
View images from the Gila River internment camp where 13,000 people were incarcerated.
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