(Nov. 12, 1939 – June 28, 2026)
Iku Kiriyama and Lloyd Inui, long-time leaders of the Japanese American Historical Society of Southern California, were recognized at the group’s final community luncheon in 2015 at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute.
By GLEN KITAYAMA
Iku Kiriyama wore many hats during her life, but her curiosity and passion for education were perhaps the common thread that connected everything.
She was a beloved English and Japanese language teacher at Monroe High School, co-founder of the Japanese American Historical Society of Southern California (JAHCSC), campaign manager and consigliare for her husband George Kiriyama during his run for the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, and organizer for several conferences on the Japanese American experience.
Iku never described herself as a feminist, but she clearly understood sexism when she saw it. In the early stages of her teaching career in the 1960s, she applied to become the first Japanese-language teacher in a pilot program at Monroe High School in Los Angeles. Her mentor, USC Professor Theodore Chen, recommended Iku for the position since he created the pilot program and wanted the most qualified candidate to get it started.
The principal at Monroe, however, objected to her hiring because he felt that a man would be better suited for the job. In her own words: “Knowing his sentiment about a man being better than a woman, I set out to make him eat his words! I lived, ate, and slept my job teaching Japanese. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I gave my life to my students 24/7.”
Iku took her students out to weekend lunches at the Far East Cafe in Little Tokyo, cooked dinner at her apartment for them once a week, and instructed them in Japanese cultural practices after school on her own time.
Iku noted that she never told her principal about her extracurricular activities with the students and that such practices would be banned today due to liability issues. Teachers in the 1960s, however, had more autonomy to go above and beyond their official responsibilities in the interest of their students.
According to Iku’s daughter traci, former students kept in touch with her mom long after their high school graduation and into their own careers because they loved and appreciated her so much.
Iku never described herself as an activist, yet she used her platform to speak out when she saw something was wrong. In an interview with Megan Asaka of Densho, Iku recalled that the student body president at Monroe High School made an announcement over the public address system about Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7.
Iku Kiriyama with daughter traci akemi kato-kiriyama and son George T. Kiriyama at the 2019 JACCC gala.
“I had some Sansei in the class, very few, because Monroe was still highly, majority white still. And so anyway … it really upset me. And so even though that was the English period, I spent the whole time talking about the injustice, the loss of liberty, no due process, I went through the whole thing.”
Iku was also a strong supporter of the Manzanar Committee from the 1970s. She admired Manzanar Committee founder Sue Kunitomi Embrey and discovered that they were kindred spirits. Embrey was also a teacher in LAUSD and used her position as chair of the Manzanar Committee to educate the public about Manzanar and the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans.
When Iku and her husband George founded the JAHSSC, Sue and other prominent educators signed on to the board of directors and immediately implemented in-service professional development opportunities for teachers to learn about Japanese American history.
In Iku’s interview with Densho, she was adamant about providing context to the Japanese American incarceration. To Iku, the Issei and Nisei internalized the Japanese cultural values of gaman (to endure) and shigata ga nai (to carry on without complaint) that helped them to cope when they had lost everything. Iku commented: “I think all the Issei, if they were still here, and the Nisei … would just be happy … for the younger generations to really understand [and contextualize] what happened [before, during, and after World War II].”
Educator and longtime Manzanar Committee member Jenny Chomori remembered Iku as a role model for younger teachers and activists. Like Iku, Chomori also organized professional development classes for teachers through her union, United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA).
Chomori remembered, “Iku always made time to speak to students at the annual ABC Unified School District’s Day of Remembrance and to teachers at UTLA.” Chomori and the teachers were especially thankful that Iku also spoke eloquently about the resettlement years after camp since there wasn’t much written about the subject until Iku spearheaded the inaugural issue of Nanka Nikkei Voices: The Resettlement Years, 1945-1955.
Kiyo Fukumoto was a longtime friend of George and Iku who served on the board of the JAHSSC. “I knew Iku through my close friendship with George in LAUSD and being involved with the JA Historical Society. I already knew that George was a go-getter in the district. So, it’s no surprise that Iku was always thinking of ways to work for the betterment of our community.
“When she chaired the Publication Committee of Nanka Nikkei Voices, she was adamant that the stories be written in our own words from our point of view. She was an amazing person. I loved working with her and JAHSSC and I loved that she brought us together every month with her delicious meals. She will be missed.”
In the eyes of close friends, Iku was “a force of nature.” Chris Aihara, former executive director of the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, wrote: “Once moved to action, Iku was unstoppable. You wanted her on your team if you were doing an event, putting together a project, starting an organization, or even running for political office. No one was going to work harder, be more organized, pay greater attention to detail, or be more committed.
“I worked with Iku on several projects in the community, many of them revolving around the work of the Japanese American Historical Society of Southern California. You couldn’t say ‘no’ to Iku. It was always a worthy endeavor and a pleasant experience. Iku was bright, quick to laugh, and she always fed you the best home-cooked meals. Thank you, Iku, for all you did for our community and for your friendship.”
Award-winning writer and community historian Naomi Hirahara agreed with Aihara: “Iku was a force of nature. I got to know her well when her husband, George, made a successful bid for the LAUSD school board. I was the editor of The Rafu Shimpo at the time and Iku, his campaign manager, would often contact me. Her email address at the time started off with “go iku” and that personified her in her prime: action-oriented, persevering and innovative.
“Later after I left the newspaper, Iku and I worked together on many projects. We shared many things in common — our love for community, being raised in a Japanese-speaking family, and our independent streak.
“She was the main person behind the Japanese American Historical Society of Southern California, which was largely supported by the South Bay Nisei community. She was devoted to documenting Japanese American stories through producing books and writing conferences before this history was lost, and she definitely achieved her goals through the Nanka Nikkei Voices series.
Iku Kiriyama with daughter traci akemi kato-kiriyama (right) and author Naomi Hirahara in 2013.
“Later, when I interviewed her for “Life After Manzanar,” I learned that she was the first Asian and second female to be elected student body president of North High School in Torrance in the 1950s. That she broke down ethnic and gender barriers at that time was not a surprise because she worked toward that goal her whole life. She was a good friend and a part of her will always reside inside of me.”
Longtime community activist and JAHSSC board member Jenni Kuida was inspired by Iku to become involved in the community: “I often referred to Iku as my community mom. We first met in 1992, the year of the 50th anniversary of E.O. 9066, when the community was planning a ‘Future of the Nikkei Community’ conference. Iku, her husband George and I were co-chairs. I was new to the JA community, but eager to learn. Iku and George quickly took me under their wing and invited me to join the JAHSSC.
“For Iku, her love language and organizing tool was food, and her newsletter. Every month, Iku cooked a full spread of delicious JA foods for the board meetings. She was a force, with her monthly JAHSSC newsletter highlighting everything good that was going on in the community. We organized community forums, four Nanka Nikkei Voices books, and countless JAHSSC Community Award dinners, honoring artists, activists and community folks in the1990s.
“Everything I’ve done in the past 34 years, and just about everyone I know who is JA, has been because of Iku. These connections also brought me to the Manzanar Committee, Great Leap, and Little Tokyo Service Center, the three organizations nearest and dearest to my heart to this day. Iku would have never allowed this, but she is the one person who probably deserved that JAHSSC award the most.”
After her husband George passed away in 2005, Iku began organizing a series of seminars called “Death Is a Sure Thing: Are You Prepared?” As organized as was throughout her entire life, she felt overwhelmed with the paperwork and bureaucracy she had to deal with as she was grieving George’s death. Because of this, she was sure that others would benefit from her experience.
At each seminar, she brought a box of documents that included bank statements, passwords, trust account information, insurance claims, and other information. The box quickly became known as “Iku’s Box” since the information and advice that she provided became a template for others to use to make sure that they were prepared for the inevitable.
She gave many of these talks over several years — partnering with orga-nizations including Little Tokyo Service Center, Keiro, and Gardena Valley JCI — and served well over a thousand attendees from the community.
On a personal note, I know that I’m going to miss Iku once the dust settles. I don’t have much to add outside of what everyone else has already expressed except to say that I’m thankful for her friendship.
I was also part of the Japanese American Historical Society of Southern California and was the beneficiary of her monthly feasts at the meetings. In this group, we had Iku, the true leader of the JAHSSC; George, who was on the LAUSD Board of Education; Jack Fujimoto, president of West L.A. College; Lloyd Inui, founding director of Asian American Studies at Cal State Long Beach; Kiyo Fukumoto, a high-ranking LAUSD administrator; Wakako Yamauchi, the award-winning Nisei writer; Sue Embrey, chair of the Manzanar Committee, and me.
Brian Niiya was a part of this group, but since he was moving to Hawaii with his wife, he needed to follow Iku’s unwritten rule and find a replacement. And since he couldn’t find anyone qualified, he asked me to join. As I write this, I really can’t remember what I contributed to the group outside of having the privilege of driving Sue Kunitomi Embrey to and from the meetings.
So why did Iku want me to be part of JAHSSC? Or Brian Niiya? Or Jenny Kuida? I think that Iku really wanted the younger generation to document our history and tell our stories. And now, with Iku gone, we can honor her memory by continuing her work and passing it on. Rest in Power, Iku.
The service for Iku will be held on Sunday, Aug. 16, at 12 p.m. at Senshin Buddhist Temple, 1311 W. 37th St., Los Angeles, CA 90007.
Glen Kitayama is a retired teacher and vice chair of the Manzanar Committee. He was a member of JAHSSC from 1997 to 2006.