In the eyes of many Nisei parents, being “successful” in life meant…
An Incredible Story About Identity…
Some of my favorite memories of childhood were of eating a slice of Citrus Delite pie…
Author of nearly 30 cookbooks and host of two of the first TV shows…
ShoyuDrip, an internet apparel company featuring modern-day fashion with a distinctive Japanese flavor…
Lisa Joe was a natural musician from a young age. It wasn’t just her talent, her mother once said. It was her…
Step into the shop of gyotaku (Japanese fish printing) artist Naoki Hayashi and you’ll find a vintage Mustang …
“Progress! Things gotta keep moving!” Stella Otsuka said with energy and optimism as Huell Howser interviewed her in 2002.
Soji Kashiwagi was 13 years old when the idea hit him.
Sometime during the 1970s, Nancy Kyoko Oda and her father Tatsuo Inouye visited the sites of former World War II concentration camps…
The brains behind Nisei Week’s coronation production and the mentor…
This is her story. It is told through her written memoir and my own recollections of the tales she would tell me – her granddaughter.
Noel Okimoto is a world renowned jazz musician from Honolulu, Hawaii. He has played with the Royal Hawaiian Band for over 30 years. An accomplished percussionist, …
His name is synonymous with the ukulele, an instrument that transformed his life at age 16…
Bruce Omori's Passion for Photographing “This Incredible Living and Breathing Planet”
Yukie Shiroma Blends Okinawan, Modern and Experimental Dance to Create “Your (Own) Ballet”
The Sagara family’s immigration story began in Japan in the late 19th century as Japan’s isolationism and feudalism….
Loryce Hashimoto is bubbly and enthusiastic,…
It’s been decades, but whenever JoAnn Jamora smells cigars, memories of bustling racetracks…
Hawaii family draws on Japanese roots and island plantation life to create…
In the 1980s, with so few opportunities in a competitive market of actors,…
Urgent:
Help preserve our past.
We need your help! As we noted in our documentary, Paper Chase, the glue that has connected the Japanese American community through the years, has been the Japanese American community newspapers.
The Hawaii Herald after 43 years, and the Hawaii Hochi (111 years) announced earlier this month that they will be closing their doors at the end of December. Read more and donate today.
Japanese immigration stories could last forever.
We could read stories about older generations.
Our children could learn about the lives of Issei, Nisei, Sansei, and Yonsei.
You could contribute to the Japanese American legacy.
The Zentoku Foundation was created to help grow and strengthen the Japanese American community by developing a convenient, user friendly, meaningful path for each generation to connect with one another. We will bring you amazing stories, news and events that enlighten our lives and the world we live in today.
To be valued as an organization focused on strengthening the Japanese American culture for future generations.
To educate and inspire the community by sharing a collection of stories and traditions of Japanese culture past and present.
From stories left behind to stories that are newly uncovered, we want to pass these gems on to younger generations.
Each day a piece of our history vanishes from us because it's too late to listen to the story or to learn from a life-long journey that enabled us to live the life that we have today.
The Zentoku Foundation was just a thought; it was an idea created to document the past, current and future of our JA community. The concept launched in September 2018 which is this site. With continuing excitement and generated interest, phase two and three are underway. Contribute to making stories a reality and let's write about the Japanese American culture. Together.
This will include an array of activities to promote and educate our great purpose and mission.
Location funding for writers and videographers
Internships
Youth and teen development programs
Interactive educational gaming
Support and assist older generations
And much more!
Share your story today. Connect with us at info@zentokufoundation.org
How Zentoku Foundation came to life.
Thank you Don for the wonderful story. Also, featured on www.discovernikkei.org
Calvin & Lynn Chang
Jeff & Namy Folick
Dan & Susan Fukushima
Rick & Patty Hashimoto - In Memory of Mel Hashimoto
The Ikeda Family
Gonsaku & Mine Ito Family
Mitch & Mary Kitayama and Nobumasa & Ikuko Kitayama
In Memory of Ed & Annie Motoyama
In Memory of Robert, Laura & Lola Mukogawa
In Memory of Hideko Nishihara
In Memory of John & Ayako Nomoto
Okura Foundation
The Otsuka Family
In Memory of Norman Sagara
Darryl & Stephanie Taira Ohana Community Charity Fund
In Memory of Hiroyuki Tani
Donald Toda & Janice Larkin
Alliance 360, Hapa Consulting, and Seyfarth Shaw, LLP
