Art Inspired by Wakasa

Artists have created works that explore the intergenerational trauma of James Wakasa’s murder and the joy and wonder that the discovery of his monument brought to camp survivors and descendants. These pieces express the monument’s history, attempts to control it and the ongoing struggle to preserve Mr. Wakasa’s story and legacy.

A person sitting outdoors on pebbled ground near a large blue origami crane with painted faces on its wings. The crane has the message "Seeking asylum is not a crime" written on it. The person is wearing a black t-shirt with a design featuring the text "Tsuru for Solidarity."

Akemi Yamane: Painted Tsuru for Justice
Born in the Topaz concentration camp, Akemi Yamane paints large-scale tsuru to protest injustice and honor those who suffer from racism, incarceration, and war. She has created hundreds of hand folded paper flowers to protect and honor the Wakasa Memorial site at Topaz.

A person standing on a wooden deck surrounded by large origami cranes. Each crane is decorated with social justice messages and artwork, including phrases like "End Racism," "Black Lives Matter," and "Stop Asian Hate." The person is holding a dog and is in front of a wooden fence with trees in the background.
Exhibit with black and white photos of individuals at Alcatraz, informative text, and a yellow kite displaying slogans like "MORE INDIAN POWER" and "51ST ANNIVERSARY."
Origami crane with Native American imagery and text "Indians of All Tribes," depicting a tipi and cityscape in monochrome colors.

Yoshinori Asai is an artist from Osaka, Japan, known for his work with natural materials, including paper mache. He created the Wakasa Spirit Stone lantern using rattan and washi paper, inspired by the original monument that honored James Hatsuaki Wakasa. Asai’s lantern evokes remembrance, resilience, and the quiet power of handmade forms.

Person sitting in a desert landscape, wearing a blue sweater and green cap.
A smiling person working on a large paper lantern structure outside, wearing glasses and a sleeveless shirt.
Silhouette of a person standing in front of a large, glowing, abstract paper lantern sculpture in a dimly lit room.
Moonlit sky with clouds and a glowing figure on the ground at night.

Glenn Mitsui is a descendant of Tule Lake, Heart Mountain, and Topaz. Glenn creates films projected onto the Wakasa Spirit Stone at the very sites where men were killed in the U.S. concentration camps—illuminating erased histories through light, memory, and motion.

An art installation features a translucent structure with illustrations of a silhouetted man, a dog, and a large identification tag. The background displays projected text about Japanese ancestry during World War II. A person stands next to the installation, observing it. Potted plants are visible in the reflection on a mirrored wall.
Art installation featuring a tapestry with a cross made of roses, barbed wire, and a newspaper headline about a killing. The word 'WAKASA' is prominently displayed at the bottom. Colorful paper flowers hang above the artwork.
Two people standing in front of a tall obelisk with Chinese characters, situated in a barren, cracked terrain. A watchtower looms in the background, set against a mountainous, dark sky.
A man with long hair and glasses standing in front of a bookshelf.

Brandon Shimoda is a yonsei poet and writer. His book The Afterlife is Letting Go opens with the story of James Wakasa and the removal of the memorial stone at Topaz. His work explores memory, ancestry, and the legacy of incarceration.

“The stone… was being made to witness and endure something beyond its control. It was humiliated. . .Since its removal, it had inspired distress, re-division. It seemed that another stone was warranted, a second stone to console the spirit of the first.” 

— BRANDON SHIMODA

Book cover featuring a monochrome image of a person holding a rope, with the title 'The Afterlife is Letting Go' and author name 'Brandon Shimoda'.
Smiling person wearing a headband and overalls standing in a library with bookshelves and colorful wall art in the background.

Erin Shigaki is a Seattle-based artist, Minidoka descendant and activist whose community-centered work explores the Japanese American incarceration experience and its ties to present-day injustices. Through public art and storytelling, she reclaims history, uplifts intergenerational resilience, and advocates for social change.

Photo by Barry Johnson

Outdoor setting with a large stone featuring Japanese characters, placed on a decorated tablecloth. A jar with white powder is in the foreground. Cameras and empty chairs are visible in the background under a blue sky.
Memorial setup featuring a large rock, smaller decorative stone objects, origami, and a historical photo from a funeral at Topaz Concentration Camp, with text indicating "Funeral for James Hatsuki Wakasa, April 19, 1943, Topaz Concentration Camp, Utah." Colorful papers and decorations are arranged on a table next to the stones.
Vintage black and white crowd photograph on cloth, hanging with red rope and clothespins, accompanied by paper flowers and other art objects.

Patrick Hayashi was born in the Topaz concentration camp. He is an artist who works in many mediums, including collage, oils and watercolor. His paintings reflect on memory and loss, and include a series inspired by hinotama—ghostly fireballs seen in the skies above Topaz after the 1943 killing of James Wakasa.

Smiling person seated outside, holding a sheet of white paper, surrounded by greenery.
Abstract painting with swirling colors including red, yellow, white, and black.
Abstract painting with swirling colors on a dark background
Abstract painting with bold splashes of black, white, yellow, red, and pink colors on a textured background.
Barbed wire silhouette on a black background.