Japanese American Fishing History Comes Alive on the Street

Artist Lua Kobayashi designs school of bluefin tuna adorning San Pedro crosswalk.

By TOMOKO NAGAI
RAFU STAFF WRITER

“Furusato: Home Sweet Home,” a crosswalk designed by Japanese and Uruguayan American artist Lua Kobayashi, has been completed at the intersection of Sixth and Mesa streets in San Pedro.

The nonprofit San Pedro Waterfront Arts District held an unveiling ceremony at the site on Sept. 3, where project participants celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The school of bluefin tuna, rendered primarily in shades of blue, recalls the history of the Japanese American fishing community that once flourished on nearby Terminal Island.

Before World War II, a Japanese immigrant fishing village developed around Fish Harbor on Terminal Island in Los Angeles Harbor. Fishermen from Japan and their families worked in fishing, seafood processing, shipbuilding and related industries, contributing greatly to the growth of San Pedro’s tuna industry.

In 1942, however, the residents were forced to leave the island as Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II, and the community was dismantled. Kobayashi’s artwork brings that history and the memories of its residents back into the everyday landscape.

Kobayashi, who lives in Southern California, researched the history of the Japanese fishermen who helped establish San Pedro’s tuna industry. While looking through historical photographs, she noticed carp streamers, or koinobori, displayed for Children’s Day celebrations.

Traditional Japanese gyotaku fish printing, bluefin tuna and koinobori became the principal sources of inspiration for the work. Kobayashi was also influenced by a scene in Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film “Ponyo,” in which a school of fish surges forward like a wave. Drawing on the film’s vivid colors, she created a lively, playful and eyecatching design.

Kobayashi’s own family history is also reflected in the work. One of her greatgrandfathers immigrated from Japan and worked as a fish peddler in San Pedro. She learned of his connection to the area after her family obtained an FBI file that listed his occupation as “fish peddler.”

The family later operated a flower-growing and nursery business. While they were incarcerated during World War II, neighbors looked after the family business.

Kobayashi’s grandmother was 14 when she was sent to the Heart Mountain incarceration camp in Wyoming. Her grandfather was incarcerated at the Rohwer camp in Arkansas.

After her grandmother’s death, Kobayashi traced her life through the belongings she left behind. That exploration led to “Where a Forest Once Grew,” a work examining what it means to live as an American while preserving one’s Japanese American heritage. Kobayashi has also worked on a project documenting objects passed down within the Japanese American community in the Boston area.

Her father, Kipp Kobayashi, is an artist known for public art and other works, and her mother is an architect. Surrounded by art from an early age, Kobayashi graduated from UCLA in 2019. Since around 2021, the history of Japanese Americans, including her grandmother’s wartime incarceration, has become a central theme in her work.

“Furusato” is Kobayashi’s first public art project.

Among those attending the ceremony were Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker, who represents Council District 15; Kobayashi’s father, sisters and aunt; family friends; members of the Terminal Islanders Association; and local residents. A performance by Improv Taiko added to the celebration.

“Tuna is a symbol of San Pedro, but I hope people will not forget that the Japanese fishermen of Terminal Island were there at the beginning,” Kobayashi said. “They developed new fishing techniques and helped expand both the fishing and canning industries. I want people to look back at those important roots and see the connection between the community that once existed here and the community of today.”

She hopes the artwork will encourage passersby to pause and reflect on the Japanese American history of San Pedro and Terminal Island.

“I hope people will realize that memories continue to live in the places we pass by every day,” she said, adding that she was honored for the artwork to become part of both the present-day community and its history.

The San Pedro Waterfront Arts District began as a committee of the local Chamber of Commerce and was established as a nonprofit organization in 2014. It has promoted community development through public art, including murals and artwork decorating eight storm drains and approximately 25 traffic signal control boxes.

“Furusato” is the organization’s first artist-designed crosswalk.

According to Linda Grimes, executive director of the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District, the crosswalk project began with an open call for designs. Proposals from three finalists were posted on Instagram, and Kobayashi’s design received overwhelming support in a community vote.

In 2017, San Pedro was designated one of California’s first 14 cultural districts, along with Little Tokyo and other communities, through a California Arts Council program supporting distinctive local cultures and artistic activities.

“Lua taught us so much about San Pedro’s Japanese American history and the development of its fishing industry,” Grimes said. She described the way artists of different racial and cultural backgrounds interpret the history and culture of their communities as a “cultural crossroads.”

The crosswalk project began approximately three years ago with a grant from the Port of Los Angeles Community Benefit Trust. It later received additional funding from Arts United San Pedro, a coalition of local arts and cultural organizations. More than a year passed between Kobayashi’s selection through the open call and the project’s completion.

Wellington Signs carried out the installation. Using an intricate system of stencils and specialized traffic-grade paint, the company worked overnight to reproduce the image of fish swimming together across the roadway.

McOsker’s office and Axel Palacios, the council office’s director of harbor and public works, also assisted with permits and other aspects of the project.

George Yamaguchi, media director of the Terminal Islanders Association, praised the artwork as “wonderful.” He invited Kobayashi to collaborate with the association on efforts to preserve the remaining buildings on Terminal Island and on future events sharing the area’s Japanese American history.

“I’ve wanted to connect with the association for some time, so I’m very happy,” Kobayashi responded.

The Japanese word furusato refers to one’s birthplace, hometown or a place that remains close to the heart. The school of fish Kobayashi has released onto a San Pedro street will carry the traces of a long-hidden Japanese American history into the future.