The Hope of Another Spring: Takuichi Fujii, Artist and Wartime Witness

Art historian and curator Johns (Signs of Home) chronicles the life and art of Takuichi Fujii (1891–1964), a first-generation Japanese American. After moving to the United States in 1906, Fujii made a home in Seattle, where he owned a stall in the city's public market, had a family, and was a practicing artist. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he and his family, along with 100,000 Japanese Americans who lived on the West Coast, were removed from their homes and placed in internment camps. He recorded his experiences while held in Puyallup, WA, and Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho through his paintings and a diary, which his grandson translates for this book. Paintings in black and white and color adorn the book throughout. The title also includes Fujii's artist statement and an exhibition history. His writings provide context to his paintings, which document difficult times in his life and a dark chapter in American history.