Search

Heritage Tours:

Search for a tour by category:

Search site:

string(50) "https://revisitwa.org/wp-content/themes/revisitwa/"

Nippon Kan (#20)

Built in 1909, the Nippon Kan (Theater) was the cultural center for Seattle’s Japanese American community. The stage hosted international stars of traditional Japanese theater performances, along with local dance groups. Unfortunately, the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II forced the Nippon Kan to board up its doors. It wasn’t until years later, as the wounds of war began to heal, that the Nippon Kan again glowed as a gathering place. The stage offered a platform for actors to tell the story of the incarceration and of the difficult journey back to belonging.

Images

Japanese American Issei (first generation) in front of the Astor Hotel, which housed the Nippon Kan. Wing Luke Museum Collection 2000.015.142.

Directors and members of the Nippon Kan pose in front of the theater’s iconic scrim with advertisements from neighborhood businesses. The scrim is now on view at the Wing Luke Museum (Redlining Heritage Trail waypoint site #7). Wing Luke Museum Collection 2006.038.001.001.

Capital stock certificate for three shares of the Nippon Kan Company. Wing Luke Museum Collection 2000.134.001.

Lotus Young Buddhist Association of the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple performs at the Nippon Kan. Wing Luke Museum Collection 2000.015.159.

Orchestra and dancers from the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple perform at the Nippon Kan, 1938. Wing Luke Museum Collection 2000.015.313.

Program for vocal recital by opera singer Miyoshi Sugimachi at the Nippon Kan, October 9, 1927. Wing Luke Museum Collection 1992.047.