Applications for the Virtual Kokoro2021 Craft Show are available now at kokorocraftshow.com/vendor. The Show will run from November 1 through November 15, 2021.
To apply, please complete the online form or download the application (PDF) and include five (5) product photos with your application. Please be sure to review the Vendor Guidelines and FAQs on the website before completing your form. Applications must be received (or postmarked) by Friday, August 13.
This is a juried show. Notification of acceptance will be communicated no later than Friday, August 27.Thank you for your support!
Photos are courtesy of ColorConscious.com and Simmisu Paper Co.
This online craft show, organized by JANM’s volunteers to support the Japanese American National Museum, returns on November 1 through November 15, 2021. The Vendor applications will be available beginning July 1 to August 13.
Applications will be accepted from local and regional artisans of handcrafted goods and food items. There are limited spaces available, so apply early to join our community of craft-makers. Your participation helps to support the Museum’s many cultural and educational programs!
Flip through the Vendor Catalog for more great gift ideas. You an also watch the Virtual Kokoro2020 video to see some of the vendors talking about their products (find links to all of the vendor’s websites/contacts below the video).
Make sure to write “Kokoro2020” on your orders this month so that your purchases will benefit JANM’s educational programs!
Thank you for your support of Kokoro2020 and JANM. The Kokoro Committee wishes your holidays are safe and most joyous.
Just in time for the holidays, Virtual Kokoro2020 offers a variety of gifts for the home. Holiday ornaments for your tree (Alyson Iwamoto Ceramics and Kirei Cositas), guava jam (Lileeku Jam), crocheted animals (Some Mo Crafts), decorative birdhouse (Simmisu), wall planters (Stacy Wong), artwork for your walls (Pomegranate Designs), tea towels for your kitchen (DaTojos), and coasters for your coffee table (Color Conscious)! Visit Virtual Kokoro2020 for gifts that bring warmth and joy to your home.
Watch the Virtual Kokoro2020 video program (find links to all of the vendor’s websites/contacts below the video) and check out the vendor catalog. Some of the vendors mentioned above talk about their products in the video! Make sure to write “Kokoro2020” on your orders this month so that your purchases will benefit JANM’s educational programs!
It’s finally here! Watch the 40-minute video program below and then use this flipping book catalog to view the vendor’s products at your leisure and to point and click to quickly access your favorite vendor’s website or email address.
Virtual Kokoro2020 runs from November 14 to 30. Make sure to write “Kokoro2020” on your orders this month so that your purchases will benefit JANM’s educational programs!
The Kokoro program schedule with video time stamps and links to their websites/email addresses are below. No sign-in or registration is required.
38:15 – Thank you from Irene Nakagawa, Cochair 39:51 – Goodbye and Credits 40:54 – Catalogue
For more information, please refer to the Customer FAQ below or email us at kokorocraft@gmail.com.
Enjoy the video program! Have fun shopping for holiday gifts and for yourself!
KOKORO 2020 CUSTOMER FAQ
How do I let a vendor know this is a “Kokoro2020” purchase?
Vendors have a variety of methods for accepting sales. The vendors with websites sometimes have a spot where you can add a comment. This is where you can indicate the sale is due to the Kokoro2020 event. If the vendor has a shopping cart with no spot to add a comment, then please email the vendor to let them know you want your purchase tagged as a “Kokoro2020” sale.
If there is a problem with my order, can I contact Kokoro2020 or JANM?
You will contact the vendor directly to make your purchase and to resolve any problems. Please do not contact Kokoro2020 or JANM.
Is there a place to view all the vendors that were in the video?
A flipping book catalog of all the vendors, their products, and their website or email address is available to view and download here. Once the catalog opens, click anywhere on the page and you will be taken to the flipping book site.
How will my purchase help JANM?
Vendors will donate 10% of Kokoro2020-identified sales to JANM, which will benefit JANM’s education programs. While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily halted in-person programs for school groups, education programs have gone on-line and virtual visits are now available to virtual classrooms across the country. Visit janm.org/groupvisits to learn more!
At the heart of Japanese American National Museum is its permanent collection. With over 100,000 artifacts stored within two-floors totaling 7,200 square feet, JANM houses the largest collection of Japanese American material culture in the world. From renowned artwork and artifacts of some of the most notable Japanese Americans, it also contains seemingly mundane objects of ordinary individuals with extraordinary stories to tell. The collection is full of family treasures that anchor narratives of hardship and success, loss and triumph, as well as challenge and resilience.
Located in Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo neighborhood, the heart of the Japanese American community since the 1880s, JANM’s founders and early supporters wanted to create an institution that would tell a lesser-known chapter of American history to help ensure that the violations of civil liberties that resulted in the incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry during World War II would never happened again.
After incorporating as a private, non-profit institution in 1985, artifacts and archival items began to populate the Museum’s permanent collection. With in-depth documentation from the immigration of the Issei generation to unique crafts made in America’s concentration camps, the burgeoning archive was unlike any other of its time. While JANM quickly became a renowned national museum, it was also a community archive—a repository for numerous families’ treasures. On January 23, 1999, the Japanese American National Museum expanded to its current location on the corner of Central Avenue and First Street, constructing at its center two floors for collections storage, as seen in the video Behind the Scenes of JANM’s Collection (see below).
While the permanent collection is encyclopedic, covering a myriad of topics that reflect the Japanese American experience from early immigration to the United States to the present, the majority of the collection conveys the varying experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II. This encompasses the forced removal and subsequent confinement of 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry—two thirds of whom were US citizens—in temporary detention centers and later in America’s concentration camps as well as the military experiences of men and women who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion, 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, the Military Intelligence Service, and Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. Artworks in a variety of mediums, photographs, personal letters, and government documents help to illustrate the experience of the former incarcerees and military personnel.
All of JANM’s collections are significant historical resources for scholars and researchers who study United States history and politics, Japanese American history, trans-Pacific migrations, and other similar topics. Yet, they are also incredibly important to the families that have donated them to the museum. Those who come to research the collections at JANM are not always scholars. Instead, many are descendants of family members who donated historical documents and artifacts to the museum. They visit JANM to learn more about where they come from and the uniqueness of their family history. This is what makes the holdings within the Japanese American National Museum’s permanent collection especially significant and incredibly valuable.
To bring your family’s artifacts into JANM’s permanent collection please email collections@janm.org. Or to help maintain and preserve JANM’s Collection with a donation please click here.
Behind the Scenes
In Behind the Scenes of JANM’s Collection the following artifacts can be seen:
Antique Kodak camera owned and used by Frank Kamiyama of Fresno, CA, Gift in Memory of Frank U. Kamiyama, 2000.335.2
Shell pins from Topaz concentration camp, Gift of Ryo Maruoka and Aiko Yoshida, 93.122.2
Harold Landon’s correspondence with Sohei Hohri, Gift of Harold Landon Family in Memory of Sohei Hohri, 2019.13.9
Suitcases taken to Manzanar concentration camp, Gift of Grace Shinoda Nakamura, 2001.61
The Heart Mountain mystery stones, Gift of Leslie and Nora Bovee, 94.158.1
Suit of Harry Miyagawa, Gift of the Uragami Family, 91.92.3
Citizen USA, Gift of Lois Ferguson in Memory of Charles K. Ferguson, 2002.174.2
JANM’s collection storage, first floorJANM’s collection storage, second floor
General Collection (3D artifacts), second floor, aisles 97 & 98. Frank Kamiyama’s antique Kodak camera [left], Gift in Memory of Frank U. Kamiyama, 2000.335.2
Archives (original photographs; papers and correspondence; diaries and journals; rare books; and ephemera), first floor, aisles 23 & 24. Norman Y. Mineta Papers (45 linear feet) [left], Gift of Norman Y. Mineta, 96.370Archives (continued), first floor, aisle 23, shelves B-D. Professor Masakazu Iwata Papers [center], Gift of Masakazu Iwata, 94.58
Fine Arts Collection (paintings, drawings, and prints from Japanese American artists), second floor, painting racks 63-75, includes artwork by Henry Sugimoto [center], Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto and Naomi Tagawa, Japanese American National Museum, 92.97
Video credit: Behind the Scenes of JANM’s Collection by Shawn Iwaoka
Rolls of washi on display in Kamakura, Japan. Photo by Alex Watson via Flickr.
On Saturday, September 9, JANM will premiere a new jewelry workshop titled The World of Washi. Led by Reiko Nakano, this introductory class will teach participants about washi, a traditional Japanese handmade decorative paper, and how to apply it onto a variety of wooden shapes to create jewelry.
Washi, which literally means “Japanese paper,” dates back to the seventh century, when paper was first brought to Japan from China by Buddhist monks. The Japanese quickly developed their own methods for making paper, using fibers from three plants native to Japan: kozo (mulberry), gampi, and mitsumata. The handmade process was passed down from generation to generation, and the quality of the paper, which was stronger and more versatile than its Chinese predecessor, became highly renowned and sought after. By the late 19th century, there were more than 100,000 families in Japan making washi.
As demand for paper grew, machine-made papers from the West grew in popularity, and handmade production of washi declined. By 1983, there were less than 500 papermaking families left in Japan. Washi, however, remains an important and cherished part of traditional Japanese culture; it is still used in religious ceremonies, and can be seen in a variety of applications from fine books and artworks to stationery and crafts.
Mini Hina Rabbits in a Washi Tube — one of several washi-based products available at The JANM Store and janmstore.com.
Reiko Nakano, a lifelong teacher, discovered what she likes to call “the wonderful world of washi” on her trips to Japan. “Being made from three different plant fibers, washi is natural and resilient,” she enthuses. “It is the perfect medium for calligraphers and designers, who decorate it with historical patterns and modern motifs.”
Nakano discovered that washi is also great for making jewelry because it’s so adaptable. “Washi can cover any surface: round wooden beads, cardboard trays, glass pendants, steel plumbing tools, cork coasters,” she says. Her class on September 9 will focus on making a souvenir washi pendant necklace using wooden beads; in the process, participants will learn techniques of looping and wrapping, how to make an adjustable knot, and how to lacquer washi projects. Another class on December 16 will utilize plumbing hardware, like washers.
Washi is acclaimed for having properties like no other paper: it is strong, light, acid-free, translucent, and uniquely textured. It also absorbs inks and dyes well, and resists creasing and tearing. Nakano is excited to share its possibilities. “With a few simple tools, some ‘tricks of the trade,’ and a lot of patience, anyone can enter the wonderful world of washi.”
This workshop is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information and to register, click here for September 9 and here for December 16.
Aloha! Are you ready? It’s the first Target Free Family Saturday of 2014 and we are excited to see you!!
On Saturday, January 8th from 11am – 4pm, we’ll be celebrating Hawaii with KoAloha Ukulele, who will be leading performances, workshops, crafts, and all things ukulele…and it’s all FREE! (If you have an ukulele, be sure to bring it to join in the fun.)
Not only is Hawaii on our minds, but, we’re also thinking about Valentine’s Day which is right around the corner. All kids can come and think sweet thoughts as they construct a candy lei. We will also have a variety of supplies available for you to make Valentine cards. It’s going to be a fun one so we hope you can join us!
On November 9, 2013, JANM celebrated autumn with many guests at Target Free Family Saturdays: Awesome Autumn!
The day was filled with free activities such as putting together a festive fall salad, banging on a drum in a drum circle, sitting in on a reading of Thanksgiving at Obaachan’s, decorating a furoshiki (wrapping cloth) for a mini omanju (traditional confection), and much more!
The Go For Broke National Education Center also held an important event at their monument. 11 veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team were reminded of France’s gratitude for their efforts during World War II and received the French Legion of Honor Medal. Words of remembrance and appreciation, followed by the pinning of the Medals were presented by Fabrice Maiolino, the Deputy Consul General of France in Los Angeles. Afterwards, exciting activities ensued at the Go For Broke Monument in honor of Veterans Day. Guests were able to view the monument, and enjoy various family-friendly activities as well.
It was an exciting Saturday to celebrate the season, and Veterans Day. Check out these photos from November’s Target Free Family Saturday!
With the help of parents, assembling crafts is easier and more fun!
Making your own owls can be fun, but it’s still a lot of work!
Assembling a festive fall salad using the best that fall harvest has to offer with Kidding Around the Kitchen
Coloring a Veterans Day related coloring page with the Go For Broke National Education Center.
Children and adults alike, enjoy the energetic drum circle.
Each drumming session was packed with guests!
Concentrating on decorating and assembling a custom-made owl.
A pair of JANM guests show off their autumn-themed crafts!
Father and son pose with a caricature of themselves.
Photos by Caroline Jung, Richard Murakami, Russell Kitagawa, and Tsuneo Takasugi
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Don’t miss our next Target Free Family Saturday, “Winter Wonderland” on Saturday, December 14th from 11AM – 4PM! It’s a Winter Wonderland of seasonal crafts & activities including photos with Asian American Santa, a horse-drawn carriage, and kamishibai story-telling! For more information, visit janm.org/target.
If you haven’t gotten a chance to see it already, JANM’s newest exhibition, Go For Broke: Japanese American Soldiers Fighting on Two Fronts is on view until March 2, 2014. For more information on the exhibition please visit janm.org/goforbroke.
Shoppers at the Kokoro Craft Boutique are busy hopping from one booth to another.
On Saturday, October 5, 2013, the Friends of the Museum hosted the Kokoro Craft Boutique at JANM. The boutique showcased and sold a wide variety of unique, artisan-quality items.
Shoppers enjoy the wide variety of crafts at the 2013 Kokoro Craft Boutique.
The 2013 Kokoro Craft Boutique was a huge success. Over 1,300 shoppers visited the boutique! There were 50 Vendors with beautiful, creative, and unique crafts, including Giant Robot merchandise, cultural T-shirts, 3-D & bronze art, vendor-designed jewelry, handbags, tote bags, clothing, scarves, pottery, original artwork, and more!
All shoppers appreciated the perks as they shopped. By spending $10 or more at the Boutique, shoppers received free admission to the Museum’s exhibitions for that day, and a 10% discount during the month of October at participating Little Tokyo restaurants!
Yuujou Taiko gave a powerful performance on the Plaza.
Yuujou Taiko’s performance on the Plaza drew a very large crowd. Their talent and enthusiasm captivated an audience who didn’t seem to mind standing in 93-degree weather!
Thank you to all who came to shop and support the Museum. The Friends of the Museum will be able to donate a generous amount to the Museum’s Educational programs.
Watch JANM’s Events Calendar next year for the date of the 2014 Kokoro Craft Boutique!
Check out these photos from the 5th Annual Kokoro Craft Boutique:
Preparing for a busy day at the Boutique.
The shopping begins!
Adrienne Lee sells “Color Conscious” jewelry at the Boutique.
Crystal Agena displays beautiful accessories from “Aloha Inspired”.
From charms to jewelry, Daniel Aoki sells Clayvision’s unique and affordable gifts.
June Berk manages Fugetsu Do’s sweet booth!
Karolyn Fujimoto sells her wonderful designs at the Boutique.
Every corner of JANM is filled with booths!
Yuujou Taiko perform on the Plaza.
Kaz Ota sets up an extensive display of clay pottery.
Marisela Delgado represents “La Petite Deer”, with a colorful booth.
The Friends of the Museum, including Tachi, Grace, Sande, Janet, and Nobi, organized a wonderful boutique this year!
Photos by Tsuneo Takasugi, Richard Murakami, and Russell Kitagawa.
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Don’t miss exciting events like this at JANM! Stay updated on all our events by visiting janm.org/events or “liking” our JANM Facebook page!
