Motoko Fujishiro Huthwaite


Motoko Fujishiro Huthwaite was an American teacher. She served during World War II, with the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program. In 2015, she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Fujishiro Huthwaite also worked closely with the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art and its founder Robert M. Edsel to continue the mission of the MFAA and preserve their legacy.

Life

Huthwaite was born in Boston. She graduated from Radcliffe College, University of South Carolina, and Wayne State University. In 1941, she was sent to Japan as an exchange of nationals and was unable to get out of Japan after the outbreak of World War II. In 1945, she was recruited by Langdon Warner for the Japan division of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program, working under George L. Stout. She later taught at the American School in Japan. She died from COVID-19 in 2020.