The Wakasa Memorial Rediscovery
On April 11, 1943, James Hatsuaki Wakasa was shot and killed by a military sentry as he was walking his dog near the fence that encircled the Topaz concentration camp. His killing was ruled as “justified” during a military trial although no evidence exists to explain why. Nearly 2,000 Topaz incarcerees attended Mr. Wakasa’s funeral. However, after friends erected a monument in his memory, they were ordered to remove it. Its location was unknown until 2020, when a hand-drawn map was found in the National Archives and two archaeologists found the monument partially buried in plain sight at Topaz. It is an unmarked stone, weighing about half-a-ton and looks quite ordinary. The discovery of this important artifact was significant and discussions began about its future including the production of a documentary film.
In July 2021, the archaeologists published a series of reports about the discovery of the Wakasa Monument, including its exact location, which preservationists discourage due to the risk of defacement or looting. In the midst of anti-Asian racism and previous acts of vandalism at the Topaz incarceration site, the Topaz Museum Board of Directors feared for the safety of the Wakasa Monument and acted swiftly to move the stone from its unprotected location at Topaz to the Topaz Museum courtyard in Delta where it is enclosed and secure.
Some people who had been involved in the discussions about the monument’s future were outraged the Museum had acted without their input and formed the Wakasa Memorial Committee (WMC), claiming to represent the broader community and demanding equal partnership in future plans for the Wakasa Monument and its original site at the Topaz concentration camp.
The Museum Board has effusively apologized for removing the monument without notifying stakeholders, explaining that moving the monument was solely a question of protection.
The Topaz Museum Board is now working to implement recommendations from the National Park Service after requesting one of its teams to assess the current condition of the Wakasa Monument and its original location at the Topaz site. The Board will be reaching out to the community for suggestions on the future display of the Monument and a ceremony planned for April 2023, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Mr. Wakasa's killing.
The Topaz Community Outreach Project
Completed in the fall of 2022. Visit the project website for more details about the project and results of community outreach.
What People Are Saying
“I believe that the Topaz Museum Board’s mission has always been to honor the Wakasa Memorial stone and to continue to sustain the museum. That is my goal going forward and I believe it is goal of other stakeholders and community members.
I hope we can work together cooperatively on the next steps to plan the Wakasa Memorial event in 2023.”
— Ann Tamaki Dion
“As I read about the circumstances about the unearthing of the Wakasa monument, I am saddened by some of the inflammatory language surrounding the event and the innuendo demeaning the character of Jane Beckwith and the Topaz Museum Board. For nearly four decades, these are individuals who have been the eyes and ears, the boots on the ground, in remote Delta. Without their constant presence, compassion, love and fiduciary duty, the Topaz site would likely have remained under many private entities and Main Street, Delta would be devoid of a modest-sized, world class museum.”
— Jonathan Hirabayashi
“In 2022 at a dinner in Delta with local Topaz Museum board members and docents, we sat around a table and spoke about our individual relationships to Topaz. By the time the second person spoke I could no longer suppress my tears. One woman described her father's anger with the injustice of incarceration and about her admiration for her high school teacher, Jane Beckwith. One after another, a local person spoke. I could not stop my tears. These were tears of, I don't know. Amazement? Recognition? A sudden realization that, yes, these strangers who did not look like my parents, who did not have the experience of incarceration, were indeed people who cared deeply about learning and feeling and telling our story.”
-Kay Yatabe
“We believe Obata desired his art legacy be used to promote understanding and consideration for one another, and not be used to foment divisiveness. Our family has had a 25 year relationship with the Topaz Museum and we have been impressed with the evolution of the museum, as it tackles many challenges, under Jane Beckwith’s calm and steady leadership. We look forward to continuing to support the building of community through the museum, learning the many faceted stories of Topaz together, and sharing the history and legacy of Topaz with all Americans.”
—The Estate of Chiura Obata
“I have been to Topaz three times, most recently to visit the new museum. It is excellent and certainly “holds its own” in the pantheon of other camp museums and exhibits. I have known Jane Beckwith nearly 25 years, and a board member and museum supporters nearly 50 years. I applaud the decades of hard work they – and the town of Delta - put in to make the museum a reality. Jane and the board are respectful, knowledgeable, and fully cognizant of the importance of their stewardship of the Topaz site.”
-Jean Hibino
I make an annual donation to the Topaz Museum because of Jane Beckwith. The Topaz Museum and the preservation of the Topaz site would not exist without her dedication and perseverance. She educated her students about the incarceration of Japanese Americans, a travesty that happened in their own backyard. She did not let this history, something the students’ own families might not have talked about, be glossed over.
-Carol Murota
“If Topaz was once regarded sarcastically as “the jewel of the desert,” the Topaz camp site should now be viewed without sarcasm as one of the crown jewels among the incarceration sites recognized as National Historic Landmarks by the National Park Service. Topaz stakeholders owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Jane Beckwith and her tireless efforts to preserve the camp site and to oversee the day to day operations of the Topaz Museum. The work of the Topaz Museum and its board is more important now than ever. So much has been accomplished to date and yet so much still needs to be done.”
— Carol Yoshimoto
“I am confident that the museum is in good hands. I am pleased that the Topaz Museum and site will continue to be a destination for future generations of my family to learn about the history of their ancestors.”
-Florence Yokoi
Media Coverage
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Nichi Bei
Friends of Topaz Museum letter to the community published in the Nichi Bei September 21, 2021.
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Nichi Bei
Statement from Topaz Board September 30, 2021.
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Chronicle Progress
Beverly DeWyze letter published in Millard County Chronicle Progress, December 22, 2021.
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Chronicle Progress
Kimi Hill letter published in the Millard County Chronicle Progress December 22, 2021.
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Pacific Citizen
Dianne Fukami's letter to the community February 4, 2022.
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Facebook
Jane Beckwith re-emphasizes her regret for removal of the monument and again apologizes to the community.
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Rafu Shimpo
Utah Governor signs a bill sponsored by Senator Jani Iwamoto that makes Feb. 19 an annual Day of Remembrance in Utah.