Midtown in Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Kuni Wada Bakery Remembrance

Photographed by Steve Masler

1. Kuni Wada Bakery Remembrance Marker

Inscription. "When nothing else subsists from the past, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered. The smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls. Bearing resiliently, on tiny and almost impalpable drops of their essence, the immense edifice of memory”

On December 9, 1941 in a climate of fear and distrust from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Kuni Wada Bakery located at 1310 Madison Avenue was shut down. The two Japanese families, the Nakajimas and the Kawais who ran the bakery, were arrested and forced to leave Memphis. This remembrance attempts to honor the Bakery. The contributions of the Nakajimas and the Kawais to Memphis and to those whose lives were touched by a small bakery known for its exquisite doughnuts. —Sonjit Sethi 2007 This project is made possible by the UrbanArt Commission through the generous support of First Tennessee Bravo Awards, the Hyde Family Foundations, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Dupree Family Foundation, Waddell and Associates, the Tennessee Arts Commission, ArtsMemphis and the Memphis Area Transit Authority.

Erected 2007 by Memphis UrbanArt Commission.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans

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• Civil Rights • Peace • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is December 9, 1941.

Location. 35° 8.353′ N, 90° 1.063′ W. Memorial is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in Midtown. It is on Madison Avenue just east of Claybrook Street. The memorial is in a lot which contains a power unit for the Madison Avenue trolley line. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 1310 Madison Avenue, Memphis TN 38104, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in West Tennessee.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in the Upper South,

in the Mississippi Delta,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Jane Terrell Hospital (approx. 0.2 miles away); St. John's United Methodist Church (approx. half a mile away); The Antenna Club (approx. half a mile away); The Memphis 13/Bruce Elementary (approx. 0.6 miles away); Annesdale Park Subdivision (approx. 0.6 miles away); Bettis Family Cemetery (approx. 0.6 miles away); Pigeon Roost Road (approx. 0.7 miles away); Russwood Park (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Memphis.

Another marker is no longer nearby. First Congregational Church (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Additional commentary.
1.

Kuni Wada Bakery Remembrance Marker next to Power Station image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Steve Masler, October 5, 2015

2. Kuni Wada Bakery Remembrance Marker next to Power Station

When the work by Sanjit Sethi was installed, the box contained a system that spread a scent twice a day that smelled like bread baking in the area. The goal was for someone in the area smelling the scent to follow it to the marker, which remains at the site today.

From the Memphis Daily News, Nov. 1, 2012 By Bill Dries

— Submitted October 6, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee.

Back Side of Kuni Wada Bakery Remembrance Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Steve Masler, October 5, 2015

3. Back Side of Kuni Wada Bakery Remembrance Marker

Wide View of Site of Kuni Wada Bakery Remembrance Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Steve Masler, October 5, 2015

4. Wide View of Site of Kuni Wada Bakery Remembrance Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 6, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,098 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 6, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.