The Un-Internable; The Enduring Material Legacies of the Domoto Family

Although Japanese Incarceration denied the Domoto family the right to reside in the Bay Area, the family left a lasting impression within the region’s landscapes that endures. This paper presents the results of an investigation of the Domotos’ material legacies through contemporary survey of the Melrose District of Oakland, permanent garden displays, and the Amache Internment Camp. Paired with the analysis of one curated assemblage, oral histories, and documentary records, this research reveals that many iconic aspects of modern life within the Bay Area (such as the prevalence of certain plants and aesthetics) are markers of the Domotos’ time in this place. Despite systematic discrimination in regards to property rights, the family’s internment, and its subsequent relocation, the extent of the Domotos’ influence, though not widely recognized, is yet starkly visible archaeologically.