Day 337: Japanese American Historical Plaza, Portland, Oregon

📌APIA Every Day (337) - The Japanese American Historical Plaza, located along the Willamette River at the edge of Portland's Chinatown/Japantown district (APIA Every Day 33), was dedicated and opened to the public in 1990. The memorial remembers and honors the 120,000 Japanese Americans who were forcibly incarcerated during World War II, including the approximate 4,000 Japanese Americans living in Oregon at the time that Executive Order 9066 was enacted, 

Robert Murase, a landscape architect and third-generation Japanese American, was inspired to create the plaza after attending a Day of Remembrance event—an annual observation of the day Executive Order 9066 was signed into effect. In 1988, as Portland was preparing to complete the northern end of Tom McCall Waterfront Park, the city issued a call for design proposals. Murase’s plan, which he submitted with support from local businessman Bill Naito and the Japanese American Citizen League, was selected the same year. 

The design of the plaza features thirteen engraved basalt and granite stones that guide visitors through the history of Japanese Americans, from early immigration to the present. Inscriptions on the stones include the names of ten World War II incarceration camps, as well as a plaque quoting an excerpt from the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which issued a formal government apology for the unjust imprisonment of Japanese Americans. Poems composed by local Japanese American writers, including Lawson Inada, Shizue Iwatsuki, Masaki Kinoshita, and Hisako Saito, are engraved throughout the site. The surrounding cherry blossom trees, a gift from Japan, were planted in honor of the plaza’s dedication in 1990.

Today, the plaza is administered by the Japanese American Museum of Oregon (formerly the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center) and remains open to the public. It continues to serve as a space for remembrance, reflection, and education. Occasionally, events honoring Japanese history, such as the observance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Memorial Day, are organized by local Japanese American organizations and hosted at the plaza.

Written by Avneet Dhaliwal

LEARN MORE:

Oregon Encyclopedia: Japanese American Historical Plaza (Portland)

Japanese American Historical Plaza 

KGW8: History behind Portland's waterfront cherry blossoms

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