A History of the Japanese Boyle Heights

    In the late 1880s, Japan allowed its people to emigrate for the first time in 300 years. Japan had begun to become an industrialized nation and was forced to allow some of its agricultural workers to leave because of lack of land. An increase in population also contributed to the Japanese government's decision to end the centuries of isolation and let some Japanese depart from their homeland.

Bridge at the Japanese Garden

Those who emigrated came from various parts of Japan, but in general, they were leaving the southern islands. Since the beginning, thousands of Japanese came to California every year.

    By 1910, the Japanese made up about 2% of California's population. Their knowledge of agriculture had attracted them to the West Coast of the United States because of the vast amount of farmland and job opportunities. One of the chosen states on the West Coast was California. Once here, they chose to settle in small communities such as Boyle Heights, located in the eastern section of Los Angeles. The Japanese faced and overcame many obstacles that have drastically changed their lives. Their experience in America wasn't all that pleasant since they were forced to struggle in order to survive the prejudices acted out against them.

    Once in California, they settled in cities such as Los Angeles because it was compatible with their social and economic standard of living. Boyle Heights was one of the preferred communities that provided the Japanese and other emigrants with reasonable living costs.

Japanese Retirement Home

In Boyle Heights, the Japanese community covered an area from 6th Street to Indiana, from Brooklyn ( presently known as Cesar Chavez) to State Street. Many Japanese families had their children attend Roosevelt High School, located on 4th Street and Mott. During the 1940s the Japanese made up about 1/3 of Roosevelt’s student body.

     It was on December 7th of 1941 that the unthinkable occurred. This day was never to be forgotten, especially by the Japanese who felt the greatest impact. On this day, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, triggering WWII and causing chaos and misconceptions about the Japanese among the American community. The Americans were overcome with fear and despair because they believed the Japanese to be dangerous spies. The Japanese were excluded from the business world, and

Roosevelt High School newspaper

their privileges of participating in any American activies were denied. It was on February 13th of 1942 that Congress requested to remove all Japanese Aliens and Asians from the West Coast and relocate them in internment camps. Roosevelt students and their parents soon had to leave the community for remote internment camps.

     Their experience in these internment camps would mark a turning point in every Japanese life it affected. When released from these prisons, they were faced with a new struggle, the struggle to break through the isolation that had been created for them within these camps. They had to face a society which saw them as unwelcome foreigners, and they had to learn to adjust to a life they once knew. The Japanese returned to their communities in hope of once again being accepted by the country that had imprisoned them.

In front of the Japanese Garden

Many came back to find they had nothing left. Others came back to live in Boyle Heights, where they finished raising their children. Some Japanese made a living by working as grocers in the Grand Central Market, located in downtown Los Angeles. Others preferred to work as fisherman or farmers.

     Throughout the years, the Japanese ethnic group has gradually declined in Boyle Heights and moved up the socio-economic ladder, finding their comfort zone to be in the West Side area of Los Angeles. Regardless of their departure, they have left behind numerous cultural sites that prove the influence that the Japanese once had in Boyle Heights. Recently the Roosevelt High School community decided to right some wrongs. The Japanese Garden which had been destroyed during the war was rebuilt. There was also a graduation ceremony held for interned students who did not graduate with their class due to their forced removal in 1942.

For further information about the Japanese community in Los Angeles visit www.lausd.k12.ca.us/janm/. (Visiting this link will open a new browser window on your computer.)