The bond was forged more than 60 years ago, from half a world away.
Franklin has officially been sister cities with Kuji, Japan, since 1960, and the two towns have been linked since long before that. Over the years, the relationship has fostered exchange student programs, opportunities for educators, visits by dignitaries and the relocation of businesses.
Johnson County has been unequivocally molded by its Kuji connection.
“It’s not just this piece of paper that says we picked a sister city, and that’s all. This has been an ongoing relationship, and it’s a wonderful cultural exchange for both places,” said David Pfeiffer, director of the Johnson County Museum of History.
The history between the county and Kuji is the focus of a new exhibition opening at the Johnson County Museum of History on April 29. “Bound by Friendship: The Sister Cities of Kuji and Franklin” tells the story of the two places, and how their relationship has influenced both of them.
Though local residents may be familiar with the sister-city status with Kuji, museum organizers think that exhibit will unveil just how unique this connection has been.
“You look at the cultural exchange that has happened between Franklin and Kuji, and it’s pretty significant. I’m sure most people don’t know about that,” said Emily Spuhler, curator for the Johnson County Museum of History. “You don’t think a small town in Indiana would have this kind of relationship with a small town in Japan.”
On the surface, Kuji and Franklin might seem to have little in common. The city of more than 34,000 residents is situated on the northeast coast of Honshu, the main island of Japan. Being situated on the Pacific Ocean, the main economic engine is commercial fishing, along with some agriculture.
But that has not kept the friendship between the communities from thriving.
The connection between Kuji and Franklin grew from the work of Thomasine Allen, a 1911 graduate of Franklin College. After Allen graduated from the college, she served in Japan as a Baptist missionary. Although she lived all over Japan, it was in the Kuji area that she eventually settled. Alen co-founded the Kuji Christian Center in 1938 to provide education and religious instruction to children in the area.
She repeatedly raised money for the Kuji area during her life, and a junior college was named in her honor. Her influence led to Kuji and Franklin signing an official agreement to be sister cities on Oct. 5, 1960.
Franklin College offers graduates an opportunity to live in Kuji and teach English. Elected officials and business leaders frequently visit each other, and the bond has helped bring Japanese businesses such as NSK, Mitsubishi and KYB. Students from Kuji have been visiting Franklin yearly since 2007, and multiple times Franklin students have spent time in Japan.
Katie Gotshall was an eighth-grade student at Custer Baker Middle School when she was seized on an opportunity to visit Kuji in 1990. She was part of the initial Japanese language exploratory program taught by teacher Kathy Streit, and she had the chance to be a student ambassador, living with a partner family in Japan and attending school in Kuji.
She had the chance to visit Japan when she was 9 years old with her grandmother, who was active in the Japanese community in Indiana. She loved origami and other cultural aspects of the country.
“That was already there, so when they offered that class, of course I was interested,” she said.
Over the course of a summer, Gotshall took part in all aspects of her host family’s life, including playing clarinet in band club and swimming. Though the first week was challenging, it quickly morphed into a chance to immerse in Japanese culture. She felt entirely at home in the city, where people reached out wherever she went.
“That welcoming wonder is what I think of most, even still,” she said.
Gotshall has been back to Kuji twice since that initial visit, and the Kuji-Franklin connection is something that needs to be celebrated, she said. She plans to travel from her home in Seattle, Washington, back to Franklin for the opening of “Bound by Friendship.”
“I’m so glad that Franklin is doing this, because these people mean a lot to me. It was a significant thing that happened, and I want more people to experience that, and that this cute little town on the other side of the ocean is connected to us,” she said.
The idea for exhibit came about around the 60th anniversary of the Kuji-Franklin sister city agreement. A board member who is involved with the Rotary Club mentioned that it might be interesting to do an exhibit looking at the connection.
“I knew a little bit about it, from going over to city hall and seeing the display there, but I didn’t know that much more about the relationship,” Pfeiffer said.
The potential exhibit took another step forward following the death of Yuriko Ling, a Franklin resident and one of the main engines behind both attracting Japanese businesses to Franklin and the Kuji exchange program. After she died in 2018, her husband, Yu-long Ling, donated much of the Japanese cultural material related to Kuji to the museum.
That donation inspired museum staff to look more closely at its own collection.
“Several mayors have gone to Kuji, so we had a collection of material from them. And other people who have worked for some of the Japanese companies here have donated items. It’s given us a lot of pieces to look at,” Pfeiffer said.
In taking these various items, Spuhler started weaving together an exhibit to tell the story of Kuji and Franklin. She recounted Allen’s involvement in connecting the two locales, and the formal agreement linking them as sister cities.
Photos show visits various Franklin mayors have taken to Japan, and the corresponding arrival of Kuji officials as well. Student exchanges, the arrival of Japanese businesses and Franklin College’s teaching program are also highlighted.
To help people better understand Kuji, one display gives background on the people, industry and other aspects of the city.
“For many people, it’s just a dot on the map, so we wanted to give the cultural history of it,” Spuhler said.
Kuji is known for its amber production, so the exhibit will feature pieces of amber jewelry from Yuriko Ling’s personal collection. Traditional Japanese kimonos and other cultural items are also featured, as are uniforms and advertisements from KYB.
The exhibit that has come together is a shift from the types of stories that the museum has traditionally told. But those who have arranged it hope that the unique nature of it draws more visitors in.
“Most of the exhibits we have, we’re focused on American history. We’re not talking about history from another country, so that’s a little different this time for us,” Spuhler said. “We’re incorporating another country into our history, which is unique.”
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“Bound by Friendship: The Sister Cities of Kuji and Franklin”
What: A new exhibit examining the connection between the two cities, which has endured officially for more than 60 years and stretches back even further.
Where: Johnson County Museum of History, 135 N. Main St., Franklin
When: April 29 through fall 2021
Opening reception: The community is invited to a celebration of the new exhibit from 6 to 8 p.m. April 29. This event is free and open to the public. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing guidelines will be in place.
Information: johnsoncountymuseum.org
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