LOS ANAGELES — Beginning June 3 and running through June 23, 2026, the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center’s Doizaki Gallery will host KOYOMI Installation, a community-centered exhibition that reconceives the traditional Japanese calendar as a living archive of Little Tokyo’s history and everyday life. The gallery is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the exhibit opens with a public reception on June 3 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Admission is free; no RSVP is required.
KOYOMI Installation is the 2026 iteration of KOKORO no SHO, an ongoing collaborative project led by Japanese calligrapher Kuniharu Yoshida. Since 2018, KOKORO no SHO has emphasized preserving local memory through shared artistic practice. This year’s presentation foregrounds work created by participants of the Shodō for Little Tokyo Class of 2026, a free bilingual English-Japanese calligraphy program offered through the Sustainable Little Tokyo initiative.
Over seven months, the class convened weekly under Kuniharu’s direction, with assistance from calligraphers Kohei Matsuno and Mimi Wada. Students studied shodō—the disciplined practice of Japanese calligraphy—and translated those techniques into pieces that map personal and collective histories onto seasonal cycles and neighborhood places. Organizers say the project treats the koyomi not simply as a sequence of days but as a vessel of shared wisdom shaped by seasonal change, memory and human relationships to land and community.
Central to the exhibition is the ritual of “carving the koyomi,” a contemplative process that functions as both artistic method and social practice. The works on view propose a new calendar rooted in Little Tokyo’s spirit, pairing traditional aesthetics with contemporary narratives of community identity and belonging. By connecting handwritten marks and communal storytelling, the installation aims to deepen visitors’ sense of place and historical continuity.
Kuniharu Yoshida’s artistic approach informs the project. Raised in Tokyo in a family of master calligraphers, he began formal training at age six with Master Yoshiko Kawakita. After decades of traditional practice, Kuniharu expanded his work into interdisciplinary collaborations that fuse classical calligraphy with contemporary art forms. His varied background—including involvement in hip-hop—reflects a commitment to creating cultural intersections that broaden audiences and foster cross-cultural understanding.
Co-instructors for the Shodō for Little Tokyo program, Kohei Matsuno and Mimi Wada, brought complementary perspectives to the class. Matsuno, who began practicing calligraphy in 2018, frequently shares messages of mindfulness in public settings, while Wada, trained in Tokyo from childhood, works across fashion and media to incorporate calligraphy into broader cultural projects. Together they helped students turn technical training into site-specific works that resonate with Little Tokyo’s cultural life.
KOYOMI Installation invites visitors to witness the intersection of calligraphy, communal practice and neighborhood memory. The George J. Doizaki Gallery is located at 244 S. San Pedro Street, Lobby of Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, Los Angeles, CA 90012.