The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) mourns the passing of Barbara Kawakami, a respected researcher, writer, and consultant for numerous projects about the first generation of Japanese immigrants in Hawaii.
Born in Okkogamura of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, in 1921, Kawakami came to Hawaii with her family at two months old. Her father worked for the Oahu Sugar Company, and as a young child Kawakami grew interested in the different kinds of clothing worn by the diverse workers in the sugar cane fields.
She earned a dressmaking certificate from Kiester’s Tailoring College in Honolulu at the age of 15, and after decades operating a dressmaking shop and educating her children, returned to college at the age of 53 and began her long and influential career as a scholar of textiles and clothing.
She is author of the award-winning books “Japanese Immigrant Clothing in Hawaii, 1885-1941” (1993) and “Picture Bride Stories” (2016).
In 2004, Kawakami donated her personal collection, including 350 kimono and other rare items of clothing, to JANM, highlighted in the exhibition “Textured Lives: Japanese Immigrant Clothing from the Plantations of Hawai‘i” in 2010.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Barbara Kawakami, who leaves a powerful legacy of scholarship and generosity,” said Ann Burroughs, JANM president and CEO. “Her important collection of textiles and clothing is a cherished part of JANM’s collection, and her donation to the museum ensured it will be an important historical resource for the public and researchers for generations to come.
“Her scholarship on the everyday — and often unsung — experiences of Japanese immigrants and farm laborers, particularly women, remains influential to this day. She will be greatly missed.”