In addition to the playground and 100-foot mural by artist Trinity Rivard, Satoru Tsuneishi Park in Monrovia offers restful places to sit and read or simply take in the mountain views and surroundings.
By MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS
RAFU STAFF WRITER
Barely a minute after the ribbon had been cut, the brand new park was already filled with kids and their yelps of laughter.
“This is the greatest thing about a park – it’s beautiful, all different shades of kids,” said Lani Tsuneishi about the space newly dedicated to her grandfather.
Nestled in a shady plot between the DoubleTree hotel and a quiet residential neighborhood in Monrovia, Satoru Tsuneishi Park was christened on Jan. 13 with taiko fanfare, speeches from civic leaders, and a host of family and friends to take part in the ceremony.
Mayor Becky A. Shevlin said the city has long embraced a commitment to increase parkland, and jumped at the chance when the 8,600-square-foot parcel became available.
“As we developed and designed this park, we learned so much more about Satoru Tsuneishi, and the amazing man he was,” she said. “One of the most compelling things we learned was his love for haiku poetry, his lifelong passion.”
Along the park’s pathways are imprints of haiku written by Tsuneishi, who adopted the pen name Shisei, including:
A clear autumn day,
Facing my native mountains
I pursue lost dreams.
In addition to play structures and restful seating, the park features a colorful 100-foot mural capturing stages in Tsuneishi’s life and the legacy of Asian Americans in Monrovia, the fourth-oldest city in Los Angeles County.
“This is a wonderful area for the community to join together, and a great step for Japanese Americans to be recognized,” said close family friend Jean Kiso.
In his address during the dedication, Mark Tsuneishi said the story of his grandfather, who was born in Japan in 1888 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1907, is an extraordinary tale of quiet courage, compassion, and unyielding perseverance.
“We are a nation built upon the sweat of our immigrants, and we sometimes overlook the nameless individuals who labored in anonymity, yet whose contributions shaped our communities and our country,” Mark Tsuneishi reminded the gathering of upwards of 100 guests.
He explained that his grandfather’s patriotism and faith remained steadfast, even after his family was forcibly removed from their Monrovia farm and incarcerated at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming for the duration of World War II.
Like many communities, Monrovia was complicit in the wrongs perpetrated against Japanese Americans following the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl harbor. City Manager Dylan Feik acknowledged two local Monrovia resolutions in 1942 and 1943 aimed at keeping Japanese Americans away from the West Coast, supposedly for national security, but that he said were based on racism and hysteria.
“Somehow, the City of Monrovia never considered our own unjust resolutions … until recently,” Feik said, followed by the announcement that just prior to the park dedication, the City Council adopted Resolution 2025-70, formally repealing the earlier discriminatory resolutions.
“We offer our sincerest apologies to the Tsuneishi family, as well as to the Asano, Kuromiya, Uyeda, Kawaguchi, Mimaki and Morimoto families, among others, who were forced to leave Monrovia,” he said.
Also in attendance was Tsuneishi’s 79-year-old son, Yoshi, one of 10 kids to Satoru and Sho, including four who fought for the U.S. in World War II. He described his father as a gentle, studious man who would seek out information on anything he didn’t know.
“He was very educated, but not wealthy,” Yoshi said with a chuckle. “He never could have imagined anything like this park. He would be very yorokobu (delighted).”
Construction on the $1.6 million project commenced last summer, funded by a local measure to improve public spaces. Mayor Shevlin said the inclusion of Tsuneishi’s writing only enhances the quality of the space, quoting his own explanation of the metrical form:
“Haiku is primarily the art of drawing pictures of nature with words. I wish you try to write haiku as you actually see or hear, without philosophizing.”
Shevlin added that she believes the park is a sacred space, a place for gathering and inclusion.
“We hope Satoru Tsuneishi Park — with its playground, paths and public art featuring haiku, will serve Monrovia’s residents for generations, while celebrating the many remarkable unique individuals who helped shape this city.”
Satoru Tsuneishi Park is located at 1111 Encino Ave. in Monrovia, south of Huntington Drive and just east of the DoubleTree Hotel parking lot.