Nippon Kan Theatre
Encyclopedia
The is a former Japanese
theater in Seattle, Washington, USA. Built in 1909 as a hotel, it was boarded up in 1942 during the Japanese American internment
, but reopened in 1981. It is located in the Kobe Park Building at 628 S. Washington Street, in the former Japantown
section of Seattle's International District
. In 2005 it was sold to ABC Legal Services and was converted into a messenger office. Its closure has been attributed to the decreasing number of people of Japanese descent in Seattle.
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The theater's original stage curtain (used 1909–1915) survives, and now serves a similar purpose on the stage of the Tateuchi Story Theater of the nearby Wing Luke Museum. The curtain covered with advertisements was rediscovered in the 1970s. Because it used an asbestos
material, it is now encased in a resin
.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
theater in Seattle, Washington, USA. Built in 1909 as a hotel, it was boarded up in 1942 during the Japanese American internment
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
, but reopened in 1981. It is located in the Kobe Park Building at 628 S. Washington Street, in the former Japantown
Japantown
is a common name for official Japanese communities in big cities outside Japan. Alternatively, a Japantown may be called J-town, Little Tokyo, or Nihonmachi , the first two being common names for the Japanese communities in San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively.-North America:Japantowns were...
section of Seattle's International District
International District, Seattle, Washington
The Chinatown-International District of Seattle, Washington is an ethnic enclave neighborhood and is the center of Seattle's Asian American community. The neighborhood is multiethnic, consisting mainly of people who are of Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino ethnicity...
. In 2005 it was sold to ABC Legal Services and was converted into a messenger office. Its closure has been attributed to the decreasing number of people of Japanese descent in Seattle.
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The theater's original stage curtain (used 1909–1915) survives, and now serves a similar purpose on the stage of the Tateuchi Story Theater of the nearby Wing Luke Museum. The curtain covered with advertisements was rediscovered in the 1970s. Because it used an asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
material, it is now encased in a resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
.