Mikko Haggott Henson Remembered for Introducing Japanese Culture to U.S.

Mikko Haggott Henson of Redondo Beach, who dedicated her life to serving as a bridge between the U.S. and Japan, passed away on June 20. She was 85.

Born in Tokyo in February 1937, she was the youngest daughter of Shiro Arimoto, founder of Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo.

In 1962, Henson participated in a two-week English-language immersive program in Karuizawa.  Ben Haggott, a resident of Torrance, was the instructor. He sponsored her to come to the U.S. to go to school in 1964. Three years later they were married.

Soon after settling in Torrance, Henson began her pursuit of preserving flowers and establishing herself as an artist. Her work, “The Art of Preserving Flowers,” has been exhibited at many places including the Los Angeles County Natural Museum (1968) and L.A. County Botanic Gardens. Her work has also been featured in the news, including on the Channel 7 (1975) and in newspapers like The Los Angeles Times (1969) and The Daily Breeze (1974).

In the 1960, many Japanese companies began establishing offices in the Torrance area, which resulted in the influx of Japanese families. Having grown up in Japan during World War II, Henson realized that a number of misconceptions existed between both countries and saw the need to increase cultural awareness with the hope that through mutual understanding people could live in harmony. As such she began volunteering in the community to introduce Japanese culture, visiting elementary schools to present lectures to students.

She created the Japanese-language book section in the Torrance Library in 1975. In 1980, in collaboration with the Torrance Unified School District and the City of Torrance, Henson organized a 10-day cross-cultural education event for all fourth-graders. As a result of her efforts, she was recognized as “Volunteer of the Year” from Torrance by the National Recreation & Park Association in 1980.

In 1973, Henson helped establish a sister-city relationship between Torrance and Kashiwa in Chiba Prefecture. She founded the Torrance Sister City Association, became its first president in 1976 and established many annual programs such as Bunka-Sai, a student exchange, and sending an English teacher to Kashiwa, which continues to this day. Under her leadership from 1976 to 1990, the Torrance Sister City Association received eight awards from Sister Cities International and is regarded as a model sister city in the U.S.

Henson received several awards over the years in recognition of her community volunteering efforts, including South Bay YWCA Woman of the Year in 1986, Woman in the History of Torrance in 1988, the Sidney Jared Torrance Award (the city’s highest honor) in 2002, and the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce and Japanese Businessman’s Association’s Friendship Awards in 2009. 

From 1978 to 1984, she worked as a curriculum associate at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at USC and an evaluator of the Bilingual, Bicultural Teacher Certification Test.

From 1980 to 1982, Henson worked with the UCLA Fine Arts Department on a special summer project to bring notable classical dance, music and drama masters from Japan. She even took hayashi (classical percussion) lessons herself taught by Grand Master Katada Kisaku, a designated National Treasure of Japan. This art form had died down in the U.S. after the war, and she wanted to revive it in Southern California.

After many years of training, Henson became natori and was given the name of Katada Kikusa by the grand master in 1986. She performed, lectured and taught at many places, including the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo, and was recognized as a master artist by the California Arts Council. She received Fine Arts Awards from Torrance in 1987.

In 1992, she founded a nonprofit called the Japanese Traditional Performing Arts Organization (www.JTPAO.org) to introduce, promote and preserve Japanese traditional cultural arts in the U.S. As president of JTPAO and as a musician, Henson received many grants and lectured at many schools. She also produced performing arts programs at the Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo and the Armstrong Theatre in Torrance, and invited a number of renowned artists from Japan.

Henson became involved in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Committee and the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Committee as a Japanese-language specialist and advisor. She also volunteered at both Olympic events.

In 1988, Henson became a contracted interpreter for the U.S. State Department. In that capacity, accompanied Japanese politicians and other VIPs visiting the U.S.

Her skills in organization led her to be a project director of many events such as “Tomihiro in L.A.,” a 10-day art exhibit in 2001. Tomihiro Hoshino is a famous mouth artist and poet in Japan. Henson also worked as a project director of the 100^th anniversary celebration of the Japanese American Church Federation of Southern California, which took place in 2013. Both events took two years of planning.

Starting in 2007, Henson began to introduce Japanese historical movies made by Gendai Production in L.A., such as “Fudeko and Angel’s Piano,” “Thank You, Daddy Ishii,” “Before the Dawn” and “Nostalgic for Homeland.” All proceeds generated by this movie project were donated to charities like Little Tokyo Service Center, Keiro Nursing Home, a special education school in Torrance, and the Japanese American Church Federation of Southern California.

In 2010, Henson established the Arimoto Memorial Scholarship Endowment at UC Irvine to honor her father and to encourage Japanese youth to study in California. She supported over 20 students with scholarships that allowed them to participate in a three-month study program at UCI.

In 2016, Henson published a book, “Rokuichi and Yasuko’s Shonien,” in Japan. She spent ten years researching the history of Japanese immigrants to Los Angeles and the story of Joy Kusumoto and his adopted daughter, Grace Kusumoto, who established a home for orphans 100 years ago in Los Angeles and 80 years ago in China with the support of the Southern California Japanese community. She had been lecturing whenever possible to introduce the story of this inspiring individual.

In 2017, her lifelong dedication of fostering Japan-U.S. relations was recognized when she was named as a Woman of the Year by the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and Japanese Woman’s Society of Southern California.

Henson became a naturalized citizen in 1977 and her husband Ben Haggott, vice chairman of the Metropolitan Water District, passed away in 1982. She remarried in 1985 to a veterinarian, Barry J. Henson, who passed away in 2020.

At the time of her passing, Henson was working on the 50^th anniversary of the Torrance-Kashiwa sister-city program, which will be celebrated in 2023.

Survivors include: older sister, Chieko Endo; nieces, Atsuko Ogawa and Keiko Wada; nephew, Tomohiko Endo; nephews, Tatsuo Inamasu and Fumio Inamasu; niece, Mikako Inamasu; nieces, Eriko Arimoto and Yumiko Arimoto; sister-in-law, Noriko Arimoto; nieces, Konomi Yagi, Kurumi Arimoto and Megumi Arimoto; former sister-in-law, Yoko Arimoto; stepsons, Toran Henson and Vincent Henson; stepdaughter, Andrea Henson; sister-in-law, Kendra Juliet Sponsel; stepdaughter, Sharynne Klein; step-granddaughter, Kaylynn Klein Garland.