Unqualified Allegiance
Senninbari, 2023, 48-star American flag, 14” x 18” x 5”
Unqualified Allegiance (still)
2023
Video
8 minutes and 15 seconds
As a descendant of hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombings, there is a feeling of responsibility that I must tell it right and be an expert. While I was a resident at Cove Park in 2022, I was shocked to learn that on the other side of the peninsula where I was staying was a naval base that contained all of the United Kingdom’s nuclear missiles. This reality pushed me to become more vocal about my family’s history and pursue writing as an extension of my practice. Through narrative spoken word, text overlaid on video, and candid audio recordings, I explore several interwoven themes: intergenerational trauma post-WWII, Japanese American identity, loss, removal, and allegiance. I take a personal and confessional approach, trying to make sense of seemingly inconceivable family histories. I want participants to feel like they know my family, lessening the barrier between them and a not-so-distant past.
My video, Unqualified Allegiance, and fiber work, Senninbari, center on the concept of allegiance. As a descendant of survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, I have long questioned my American identity. While I am not a direct descendant of someone that was incarcerated in the camps, the questioning of Japanese American loyalty has affected all people of Japanese descent. America’s Concentration Camps of WWII uprooted the American identity of Nisei, the first Japanese Americans. The questioning of loyalty led to a push to integrate into American culture, furthering disconnection from Japanese culture and continuing the uncertainty of identity.
Senninbari are waist sashes embroidered with 1,000 red French knots. It is believed that the knots will protect the wearer and give them longevity. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was a segregated Japanese American unit. Historically mothers of these soldiers made senninbari to protect them. I use the senninbari to represent methods and mentalities that Japanese Americans have used to protect themselves and their children in American society. The beginning process of making Senninbari is evident in Unqualified Allegiance. A tattered 48 star flag is disassembled and then reassembled in the form of a senninbari. The filmed process of embroidering the senninbari ends abruptly, while the physical form completes the video as an artifact of movement and repetition.