The Edison Uno Initiative for Nikkei and Uchinaanchu Studies (EUINUS) aims to deepen understanding of Japanese American and Okinawan diasporas in the United States. Our aim is to contribute to the intellectual and cultural life of Nikkei and Uchinaanchu communities, both locally and nationally, with an emphasis on social justice, community-building, and political activism. Inspired by the life and legacy of Edison Uno — a Japanese American civil rights activist who fought for redress and reparation following WWII incarceration — EUINUS advances research, education, and community engagement grounded in a commitment to social justice.
Edison Uno designed and taught the first classes on Japanese American history at SFSU and helped with the founding of the College of Ethnic Studies. During WWII, Uno was incarcerated at Granada War Relocation Center in Colorado and Crystal City internment camp in Texas for 1,647 days. He was among the last Nisei to be released from camp. Uno dedicated the remainder of his life to civil rights advocacy and political activism. He once described himself as a “non-conforming progressive Nisei” and his commitment to multiethnic and multiracial coalition building for justice animates EUINUS today.
Contact
For more information about EUINUS, please email aas@sfsu.edu.
For more information about donating to EUINUS, contact:
- Alex Sánchez, Executive Director of Development
- Email: alexsan@sfsu.edu
- Phone: (415) 338-1032
Edison Uno posing with his framed 1972 UCSF Chancellor’s Award for Public Service.
EUINUS programming includes
- Research and Publications: Our research and publication activities contribute to the knowledge and understanding of the history, identity, culture and community life of Nikkei and Uchinaanchu in America.
- Public Education: We serve the community by hosting panel discussions, lectures, and other types of events in collaboration with community organizations and education groups.
- EUINUS Community Archive: We aim to preserve and make accessible to others — including scholars, students, and community members — the materials collected during research activities under EUINUS.
"An objective interpretation of our history cannot deny the fact that there is a great disparity in the dispensation of justice, liberty, and equality. It is obvious that the laws which govern the application of these principles give a great deal of latitude to those who are rich and powerful as compared to those who are poor and powerless"
— Edison Uno, Amerasia Journal, 1974.
Student Resources
Offered Classes
- AAS 330 Nikkei in the United States
- The historical experience of Japanese Americans in the United States: prewar immigration and settlement, the struggle against racial exclusion, World War II incarceration, and the postwar return and development of contemporary Nikkei community. Includes mixed race, war brides, Okinawan American, Yonsei and Gosei, LGBTQIA, and other populations not usually included in dominant Japanese American narratives.
- AAS 332 Japanese American Art and Literature
- Examination of Japanese American art and literature through the historical, social, and cultural factors that influenced its development. Specific works and artists representing different genres and periods will be analyzed.
- AAS 333 Japanese American Identities
- Japanese American character, identity, self-image, and behavioral manifestations of the interaction of American and Japanese cultural values.
- AAS 338 Okinawan American Heritage and Culture
- Analyzes the identity formation and cultural preservation of Okinawans in the U.S. and other parts of the Americas. Theoretical frameworks such as racial formation theory and world systems theory will be explored and developed to understand the complex evolution of the Okinawan diaspora within the dual imperial contexts of American and Japanese empires.
SFSU Nikkei Student Union
- Instagram: @sfsu.nsu
- Email: nsu.sfsu@gmail.com
Japanese Community Youth Council Nikkei Community Internship
Are you a college student passionate about making a difference in the Japanese American community? The Nikkei Community Internship (NCI) program is your opportunity to gain hands-on experience while deepening your understanding of the issues impacting Japanese Americans today.
News & Events
News
2025
SFSU welcomes new distinguished chair of Nikkei Studies
San Francisco State University has appointed Cassie Miura as the new distinguished chair of Nikkei Studies — the first endowed chair in the College of Ethnic Studies.
SFSU names Cassie Miura the Takahashi Distinguished Chair in Nikkei Studies
San Francisco State University has named incoming Assistant Professor of Asian American Studies Cassie Miura as the inaugural Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Distinguished Chair in Nikkei Studies.
Highlights from EUINUS History
2008
EUINUS was established in 2008 by Ben Kobashigawa, Professor Emeritus of Asian American Studies, and Wesley Ueunten, Professor of Asian American Studies. For more than a decade, EUINUS has been integral to the development of Nikkei Studies at SFSU, supporting co-curricular opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, community partnerships, and academic research.
2011
On January 1, 2011 EUINUS sponsored the exhibit “Nuchi du Takara: Lessons from the Battle of Okinawa” together with the National Japanese American Historical Society in San Francisco’s Japantown. An inaugural symposium took place on January 29th at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California. The centerpiece of the exhibit included a recreation of a cave similar to the ones where Okinawan civilians hid during the infamous “Typhoon of Steel” that killed nearly one third of the population during WWII. The event increased public awareness of the Battle of Okinawa and of Okinawan history, culture, and art in the diaspora.
Wesley Ueunten plays sanshin at the exhibit opening on January 1, 2011. Photo by Kenji G. Taguma/Nichi Bei Weekly.
The 66th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa commemorated to the community by NJAHS at the Japantown Peace Plaza in San Francisco in 2011. Dance performance/choreography by Mototake Kinuko.
Appearances from two SF Supervisors — Eric Mar (District 1) and Ross Mirkarimi (District 5) — to Rosalyn Tonai, Executive Director of the NJAHS, and Gunjin Bushi, an Okinawan dance performance.
2014
In 2014 EUINUS, together with the Nichi Bei Foundation, led more than 140 university students to the former Angel Island Immigration Station. Since then, grant funding enabled more than 220 students from SFSU’s Asian American Studies Department program to participate in the Pilgrimage to Angel Island.
2025
In fall of 2025, Cassie Miura was named the inaugural Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Distinguished Endowed Chair of Nikkei Studies. This position, made possible by a generous gift from the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation to the College of Ethnic Studies, will support the continued growth of Nikkei Studies at San Francisco State University.
