Nippon Kan Theatre

Nippon Kan Theatre Screen, Wing Luke Museum Collection

Photograph of Directors and Members of Nippon Kan, Wing Luke Museum Collection, 2006.038.001.001

The Nippon Kan Theater opened in Seattle Nihonmachi, or Japantown, in 1909 on 6th Avenue and Washington Street. Both a community center and performance theatre, the Nippon Kan stage hosted visiting master musicians, singers and dancers from Japan, providing continuing connections to the homeland, and emerging performers from within the Japanese American community, ranging from traditional biwa (Japanese bucked lute) performances to swing band orchestras. 

This screen, which hung in front of the stage, served as an advertising curtain for businesses and restaurants in Nihonmachi. Ads that were not renewed were painted out, resulting in many layers of paint. The screen was first displayed with the Theatre's opening in 1909, and remained a touchstone within the community on view throughout the early 1900s. The Theatre continued operating until its closure in 1942 with the incarceration of Japanese Americans along the West Coast during World War II, and remained closed until its rehabilitation in 1981. The screen was uncovered in 1970 and remained on display in the Nippon Kan Theatre, an active performance and event hall, from 1981 until 2005 with the conversion of the Theatre into private offices. The screen subsequently was donated to the Wing Luke Museum's permanent collection to safe-keep this community treasure. With opening our new museum in 2008, the Wing Luke Museum completed conservation of the screen and installed it on display in our Tateuchi Story Theatre — for all to appreciate its artistry, learn its history, and be inspired by its legacy.  

One of the businesses advertised on this screen is still open to this day in Nihonmachi and may have been featured in an earlier Jewels and Gems #tbt post! Can you guess which one? (Hint: Their ad is on the top row and features an animal.)