Beautiful Spirit: How Japanese Issei, Nisei and Beyond Continue to Shape Our Valley

There’s a concept in Japanese art called “kintsugi,” which means “golden repair.” It’s the process of fixing broken pottery with gold-dusted lacquer, making the piece even more beautiful. As a philosophy, it considers breakage and repair to be part of the process rather than something to be disguised. 

Like other immigrants before them, the Japanese faced times of broken hope and broken trust in their new home. 

Japanese immigrants began arriving in California in the 1880s, following the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which increased demand for workers. More arrived after 1898, when Hawaii became part of the United States, making travel to the West Coast easier. Many came to work in the fields, while others opened businesses to serve neighboring Japanese immigrants. 

The original Fresno Buddhist Church was completed in 1901. The building was replaced by the current building after a fire destroyed the first building in 1918. Photo taken May 18, 1902, just after completion of the roof. Photo courtesy of the Fresno City & County Historical Society.  All rights reserved.

The first Japanese people to come to the Valley, known as “issei,” established three churches in Fresno: Christ United Methodist (1893), the Fresno Buddhist Church (1901), and the Japanese Congregational Church (1908). Located within one block of each other, the churches became the heart of the community, hosting Boy Scout meetings, teaching Japanese language lessons and providing families with familiar community rituals.

Then came 1942.

Panic over Pearl Harbor and WWII led to widespread discrimination against the Japanese, even those who had been born in the United States. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, families were forced from their homes and sent to internment camps.

When the war ended, fewer than half of Fresno County’s Japanese Americans came back. Those who returned faced a different world. Their loyalty had been questioned by their own country, one they willingly fought for and sent their sons to fight for. The heroism of these Japanese American soldiers who bravely served earned deep respect, and slowly, they were welcomed back into society.

Even through hardship, the Japanese American contribution to the Valley never wavered. They became innovators in agriculture, developing new fruit varieties like Harry Hiraoka’s “Hiraoka Flame” peach and Jim Ito’s “Red Jim” nectarine. Kay Hiyama’s “dried-on-vine” raisin method transformed the industry. And in 1971, the Nisei Farmers League—led by Harry Kubo—rose to defend the small family farm, ensuring growers' voices were heard.

Japanese immigrants turned their hardships into beauty here in the Central Valley.

Many local Japanese farmers were proud growers for the Sun-Maid Raisin Company. Landowners were required to have been born on American soil, so Issei (first-generation) often had to wait for their children to become adults before they could purchase property.  Photo courtesy of the Fresno City & County Historical Society and the Pop Laval Collection.  All rights reserved.

To hear firsthand stories about life here before, during and after the internment camps, we encourage you to watch PBS’ Emmy-award-winning documentary, Silent Sacrifice. Learn more about the history of the Japanese community in the Central Valley by visiting the Fresno City and County Historical Society website.

This story is part of the Central Valley Community Foundation’s “Sixty Stories That Shaped Us” initiative to help mark 60 years since our founding. We invite you to join us in celebrating this milestone and this special place we call home. Learn more at centralvalleycf.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn @centralvalleycf.