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Nippon Kan Theatre photograph, moving image, and ephemera collection, approximately 1900-1989

Overview of the Collection

Title
Nippon Kan Theatre photograph, moving image, and ephemera collection
Dates
approximately 1900-1989 (inclusive)
Quantity
221 photographic prints, 12 negatives, 76 slides, 1 film reel, 1 video cassettes, 2 audio cassettes, 34 items of ephemera
Collection Number
PH0508
Summary
Photographs, textual materials, audio-visual materials, and ephemera regarding the Nippon Kan Theatre and the Japanese American community.
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries’ Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Request at UW

Languages
English, Japanese
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Historical Background

The building that housed the Nippon Kan Theatre, located at 622-628 Washington Street in Seattle, Washington, was designed by the architecture firm of Thompson and Thompson and was constructed in 1909. The theater, which was in the basement, shared the building with the Astor Hotel and ground floor shops. Sometimes referred to as Nippon Kan Hall, it would endure as a community focal point of Seattle's Nihonmachi ("Japantown") for over thirty years. Performances held at the Nippon Kan were both Western and traditional Japanese music, dance, and theater. Among the many notable performers who graced the stage were the internationally acclaimed soprano Miura Tamaki and Japanese composer Shisui Hiyashita, conducting the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. The theater was also used for wedding celebrations, community group meetings, religious gatherings, movie nights, sumo wrestling events, and lectures delivered by people such as orator Booker T. Washington.

In 1942, when Japanese American communities were forcibly removed en masse to internment camps during World War II, the theater building was boarded up and left largely unused. Ownership of the building changed hands multiple times over the years until 1971 when Seattle architect Edward Burke purchased the building with his business partner Leon Bridges. Over the next ten years, Burke and his wife Elizabeth worked toward the building's restoration, which was completed in 1981. The revitalized building once again became a thriving cultural center, hosting a myriad of musical and theatrical performances, cultural festivals, and private events. It was also used as the base for The Chinatown Tour , a slideshow and lecture on Seattle’s Asian-American history followed by a walking tour of present-day International District.

The Nippon Kan Theater building was placed onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, securing its place in Seattle's rich history.

In 2005, the building was sold and converted into an office.

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Content Description

The collection consists of photographs of the Nippon Kan Theatre building. The images document the theater structure, its performances and events in the years after its construction in 1909 through the early 1940s, and events before and after its restoration in the 1970s and 1980s. Also included are written materials, maps, architectural drawings, and photographs of historical Seattle and the International District, as well as the history of Japanese Americans in Washington and California. In addition, photographs believed to have been in a photo album containing images of Nippon Kan Theatre performances and events, as well as clubs and community groups associated with the theater from the early 1900s through the early 1940s, are included. The disassembled album also includes images depicting the building before and after its restoration. Also included in this collection are materials relating to The Chinatown Tour given by Elizabeth Burke in the early 1980s and includes slides, audiocassettes, videocassettes, and a film segment.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Donor: Edward M. Burke, December 28, 1994.

Stock Certificate donated by Janet Hibiya Murayama on May 5, 2017.

Processing Note

Processed by Jessica Jones, 2015, Beck Prigot, 2016; processing completed 2016.

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Detailed Description of the Collection