NJAHS Debuts New Exhibit “The Go For Broke Spirit” by Shane Sato, at the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center

The Go For Broke Spirit by Shane Sato

November 11th, 2023 – March 31st, 2024

On display at the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center

640 Mason Street, Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129

Open from November 11th, 2033 – March 31st, 2024, Weekends from Noon to 5PM

Located in the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning
Center | Building 640, 640 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94129

$10 General Admission | Free for veterans and children under 12

FREE Admission during opening weekend.

Additionally, the book series, including “The Go For Broke Spirit: Portraits of
Courage” and “The Go For Broke Spirit: Portraits of Legacy”, will be
available for purchase in person on opening day.

About the Exhibit

NJAHS is excited to announce the newest exhibit at the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center: The Go For Broke Spirit, an over twenty year long photography project by Shane Sato that explores both his Japanese American identity, and the “untold” histories of the Nisei and Japanese American veterans of World War II.

The series of portraits features Nisei and Japanese American veterans, dressed in military uniforms similar to the ones they once donned during the war. The juxtaposition between their age and their vintage dress offers viewers a chance to “see into the past” and “equate these men, in the twilight of their lives, to the vets who fought in WWII” (Sato, The Go For Broke Spirit). Each portrait captures the feelings of these men, and what it might have been like fighting for a country that imprisoned their family and friends, the racism they endured for looking like the enemy, and their ultimate triumph.

Sato aims to inspire the audience through the triumphs of the Nisei, and also show the complex range of emotions these men must have felt fighting for this country . . . a country that did not fight for them.

The Go For Broke Spirit now also includes Japanese Americans who fought after WWII, in the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars. Simultaneously, it provides awareness to the Japanese American War Memorial Court in Little Tokyo, CA., and the MIS Historic Learning Center in the Presidio of San Francisco. Through his portrait series and gallery exhibitions, Sato hopes that everyone will remember the diversity of the American soldiers who served this country, as well as those Japanese Americans who gave their lives for this country’s freedom.

About the Artist

Shane Sato is a Los Angeles based photographer who has been photographing for the past 30 years. His works range from more somber and historical themes such as The Go For Broke series, to creative and experimental fashion shoots. Find his portfolio at Shane Sato Photography + Video, and learn more about The Go For Broke Spirit here.