Smithsonian Highlights Japanese War Brides
in a New Traveling Exhibition
By Jennifer Schommer
NAP Contributor
Toyo Swartz (second from left) attended brides school after her 1952 marriage in Yokohama, Japan. Photo courtesy of the Swartz family.
The experiences of the nearly 45,000 Japanese women who immigrated to the United States as wives of American military service members after World War II are explored. The new exhibition is titled, “Japanese War Brides: Across a Wide Divide” from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). These young women left their homes to build lives within the complexities of postwar American society. Their experiences reshaped communities by challenging immigration laws and race relations.
“Japanese War Brides” debuted at the Irving Archives and Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, in Irving, Texas, and will remain on view through April 6, 2025. It will continue to tour museums and cultural organizations across the United States through 2028.
The lives of Japanese citizens and occupying American servicemen during the Allied Occupation in Japan, 1945-1952. Photo credit: National Archives.
“Japanese War Brides” examines the lives of ordinary women living in extraordinary times. These women navigated the wide divide between the country of their birth and the country of their husbands. It was a divide of cultural, social and legal differences. The exhibition begins by examining how the lives of Japanese citizens and American service men intertwined during the Allied Occupation of Japan between 1945 and 1952. It outlines the obstacles of U.S. laws banning Asian immigration and the push to change perceptions following WWII.
The exhibition highlights how these women learned to be mid-century American housewives while preserving their cultures. It is a story as varied as their circumstances, from geography and the race of one’s husband, to religion, work or whether the couple had a military or civilian career.
Mixed race couples were often denied service in 1955. Photo courtesy of McConney family.
Through touchscreen displays, visitors can explore a historical and cultural timeline highlighting significant dates relevant to Japanese war brides in both the U.S. and Japan. They can also hear personal accounts from Japanese women and their families that reflect on the themes of the bride schools, moving to the United States, marriage, parenting, identity and community.
Videos showcase segments from 1950 films which helped shape expectations on both sides of the world. Films produced by the Allied forces screened throughout Japan during the occupation period promoted American sentiments and values. While in the U.S., films and other media played a pivotal role in creating new stereotypes of Japanese people and Japanese women, in particular.
The arrival of these brides marked the largest women-only immigration event in U.S. history. By 1960, they had increased the population of Asian Americans in the U.S. by 10 percent. In contrast to other waves of immigrants, war brides did not settle in established immigrant communities with strong Japanese cultural roots. They lived in cities and towns, big and small, across America, often without familial, linguistic or cultural support networks. Not all women lived happy lives nor had intact marriages, but many carved out meaningful lives in their communities despite formidable challenges.
The exhibition draws upon the work of three daughters of Japanese war brides to better understand their mothers’ experiences. Through War Bride Experience Inc., Lucy Craft, Karen Kasmauski and Kathryn Tolbert collected oral histories of war brides and members of their families. The exhibition features these voices and personal reflections on life in postwar Japan and the U.S.
“Japanese War Brides: Across a Wide Divide” is a collaboration between SITES, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and War Bride Experience Inc. The exhibition received federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. Additional funding was provided by the Sachiko Kuno Philanthropic Fund.
The national tour of “Japanese War Brides” will continue through the end of summer 2028. Not all the locations are confirmed at this time. The current schedule is noted below. Updates will be available on the Tour Schedule tab at: sites.si.edu.
Current bookings (as of 12/4/2024):
Irving Archives and Museum, Irving, TX
Dec. 14, 2024 – April 6, 2025
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, Florida
May 1 – Aug. 31, 2025
Louisiana’sOld State Capital, Baton Rouge, LA
March 21 – May 31, 2026
Mills Station Arts & Culture Center, Rancho Cordova, CA
Dec. 19, 2026 – Feb. 28, 2027
The Historical Society of Saginaw County, Saginaw, MI
March 18 – May 28, 2028
The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service | Smithsonian Affiliations (SITES | Affiliations) deepens the impact of the Smithsonian beyond Washington, D.C. It brings high-quality content, resources and expertise to people across the nation in collaboration with museums and cultural organizations. SITES | Affiliations is home to traveling exhibitions, a vast network of Smithsonian Affiliate organizations. It also collaborates with the Museum on Main Street program that brings the Smithsonian to rural communities across the United States and beyond. Visit SITES | Affiliations for more information at: sites.si.edu.
