By David Yamaguchi
The North American Post
At long last, the documentary, “Paper Chase: Japanese American History Through the Lens of Vernacular Newspapers,” will be screened in Seattle. The film is the first on Japanese community newspapers in the United States. It reviews their past while considering their future.
First scheduled to open at the National Japanese American Museum in April 2020, its premiere there was delayed until October 2021. It was later shown in the Bay Area (Aug 2022), in Orange County (Sep 2022), in the San Fernando Valley (Jan 2023), and in Honolulu and Maui (Aug 2023).
Throughout, the showings have been sponsored by the Zentoku Foundation, a Santa Ana-based nonprofit. Two Zentoku representatives, Mark Nakakihara and Stacey Yoshinaga, will be on hand to introduce the film, then lead a brief discussion following it.
New to Seattle readers, the Zentoku Foundation’s website taglines read,
“Writing the stories for future generations…
“We help share inspiring memories about… Japanese American culture.”
“Imagine a place where…
“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. …”
The Zentoku Foundation was… created (in 2018) to document the past, current and future of our JA community.”
In short, the Zentoku Foundation is something like an incipient “Densho” or “Discover Nikkei.”
“Paper Chase: Japanese American History Through the Lens of Vernacular Newspapers” (54 min, followed by Q&A), Sat Oct 28, 4 PM, Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, 206-329-2629.
Registration by Oct 23 (limited seating): By email to paperchase@zentokufoundation.org
