A Granddaughter’s Journey to Her Grandfather’s Art at the Smithsonian
By Kara Jei Tokita
NAP Contributor
My grandfather, Kamekichi Tokita, died at age of 51 before I was born and could ever meet him. Born and raised in Shizuoka, Japan, he ventured across the Pacific Ocean to Seattle, Washington in 1919. He defied his father’s wishes for him to settle in Chicago, Illinois, a twist of fate that changed everything. It was in Seattle that he fell in love with my grandmother Haruko Suzuki. Without this serendipitous detour our family would never have existed.
▲Aaron Tokita, great grand son of Kamekichi Tokita; Stephanie Stebich, director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum; Melissa Ho, curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum; and Kara Jei Tokita, granddaughter. Photo credit: Vincent Konkel.
I know my grandfather had eight children, was co-owner of a sign painting business, survived the Japanese incarceration camps, owned a hotel business, was a writer and intriguingly, was a descendant of a samurai family. I have always yearned to know more — he is the cornerstone of our family. Through cherished stories, photographs, his artwork and writings, I have come to appreciate the discipline and structure he instilled in our family.
▲Untitled (Still Life), 1935-1938, watercolor on paper with pencil by Kamekichi Tokita. Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
▲Inside the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eisenstein Family Gallery. Left side: The Farm, 1934, oil on canvas by Kenjiro Nomura. Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Right side: Self-Portrait, 1935, oil on canvas by Kamekichi Tokita. Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. All photo credits: Vincent Konkel.
My grandfather’s primary source of income was as a sign painter but it was his oil paintings of scenic Seattle that showcased his talent. He was considered a painter of contemporary American life. These masterpieces earned him regular shows in annual exhibitions across Seattle; Portland, Oregon; California; and at the First National Exhibition of American Art at the Rockefeller Center Gallery in New York, New York to name a few. Of his 41 known paintings, many have been lost or stolen over the years. However, several remain protected in permanent collections at various museums throughout the U.S.
I am grateful to my grandmother who carefully preserved my grandfather’s artwork under her bed for safekeeping for so many years. What we did not know until after her passing was that she had also kept a diary my grandfather had written. It told about the day Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was bombed along with his daily recollections from the Japanese incarceration camps during World War II. Our family spent years working on these pieces – translating them from old Japanese to modern Japanese and then eventually to English, thanks to Naomi Kusunoki Martin, a translator. The effort eventually culminated in the book published in 2021, “The Signs of Home: The Paintings and Wartime Diary of Kamekichi Tokita,” by Barbara Johns, Ph.D. My grandfather would be proud to know that readers can now relive his experiences during that difficult time.
Words cannot express my excitement when I discovered my grandfather’s artwork was on display in Washington, D.C. at the Smithsonian American Art Museum! It worked out I had a business event in Virginia Beach, Virginia just an hour airplane flight to D.C. I was determined to see my grandfather’s artwork in person. With some pre-coordination with contacts at the Smithsonian, I set out with my nephew Aaron Tokita and significant other Vincent Konkel on this exciting journey.
We met with Melissa Ho, a curator of 20th-century art at the Smithsonian. She worked tirelessly to bring my grandfather’s work to this exhibit alongside other renowned artists. At her suggestion, we began our visit at the Archives of American Art building where we viewd a couple of my grandfather’s watercolor paintings. I recalled my family’s stories about one of the pieces which depicted a collection of everyday items on the dining room table — a jar, paper, safety pin, candle, and other miscellaneous objects. The piece was stunning. I adored his use of shapes, symmetry, and his choice and use of saturated watercolors. It stood out from his other artwork and I deeply appreciated seeing this unique facet of his talent.
▲From left: Aaron Tokita, Kara Jei Tokita, Melissa Ho. Photo by Vincent Konkel
For our next stop, we were thrilled to hear that Stephanie Stebich, Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, played a crucial role in recognizing and acquiring my grandfather’s work for the museum’s collection. She wanted to meet with us in her office. We had a wonderful time discussing the exhibition.
The highlight was Melissa escorting us to the main Smithsonian building to view my grandfather’s piece displayed alongside his business partner Kenjiro Nomura’s painting. We were pleasantly surprised to see my grandfather’s self-portrait painting prominently placed on the museum’s main floor in a central location. Melissa explained that their frame designer suggested changing the frame because the original was starting to damage the artwork. They executed it well as the new frame closely resembles the original from the 1930s.
They also decided to “float” (raised from the background) the piece which I truly appreciated. This piece was part of a 1938 exhibition organized by the Group of 12, an association of progressive painters in Seattle. The assignment required all participants to create self-portraits which was a departure from my grandfather’s style. Having seen this painting hundreds of times at my father Shokichi Tokita’s house, I now know the meaning behind the piece. I cherish the artwork even more because it offers a deeper glimpse into who he was and makes me feel closer to him. Even more exciting was when Melissa mentioned that she might keep the display up longer, as it ties into one of her other projects.
Thank you, Grandfather, for creating timeless masterpieces that allow us to see the world through your eyes, and for capturing your thoughts and experiences in profound writings that are forever preserved.
The current exhibition is called Artist to Artist. It is in the Einstein Family Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. There are pairs of artwork representing two artists whose work intersected creatively. The exhibition is ongoing until May 18, 2025.
