Members of a Los Angeles bungei (poetry) club pose for a group photo, ca 1930-40.
The Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) is proud to announce the launch of the Issei Poetry Project website, a new digital platform dedicated to recovering, preserving, and sharing the Japanese-language literature of Los Angeles’ Issei (first-generation) writers.
Many of these works were thought lost due to wartime displacement and forced incarceration, but through ongoing archival and translation efforts, these important voices are being rediscovered. The website offers a curated introduction to the writers’ lives, creative contributions, and lasting cultural impact.
Visitors can explore the translated work of six writers and gain insight into the broader Issei literary legacy, with new content continuing to be added as the site evolves. The full digital archive of poetry and related materials is scheduled to launch in the first half of 2026. This initiative ensures that the pioneering literary contributions of Los Angeles’ first-generation Japanese writers remain accessible for generations to come.
The Issei Poetry Project is supported, in part, by the National Historical Publications & Records Commission, the Mellon Foundation, and The John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation.
For more information and to explore the website, visit: jaccc.org/issei-poetry-project.