LITTLE TOKYO | Terasaki Budokan Creates Mural Called “Breaking Barriers” Featuring Trailblazing Athletes Wataru “Wat” Misaka and Jackie Robinson in 1947
Forwarded for Terasaki Budokan in Little Tokyo
The Meaning and Impact Behind Our New Mural
Posted on July 9, 2026
Terasaki Budokan is now the home of a brand new mural called “Breaking Barriers” by talented artist, Edwin Ushiro. But what’s the story behind this piece and how does it connect to the Little Tokyo community?
The History
When Edwin was a kid, he had always heard of an Asian American athlete who broke the color barrier in the NBA. However, he was never able to put a name to the face, as this athlete wasn’t widely talked about the time, and Edwin didn’t know where to start with researching him. So, this historical figure remained a half-mystery to Edwin. It wasn’t until he was an adult and had an exhibition at Little Tokyo’s local museum, JANM (Japanese American National Museum), that he finally heard the name “Wataru ‘Wat’ Misaka.”
Inspired with the full story and identity of Wat, Edwin got to work on dreaming up a way to honor his legacy through art. During this research, Edwin learned that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the MLB the same year Wat did- 1947. Jackie and Wat were both playing for LA, but in two different sports and representing two different communities, Black and Asian.
This connection between athletes got Edwin thinking about the deeper history between Asian Americans and African Americans in our neighborhood. Edwin said, “In 1947, this was a segregated community known as ‘Little Tokyo’ to its Japanese American residents, just returned from their unjust wartime imprisonment, and ‘Bronzeville’ to its Black residents, who arrived during the war to work in defense manufacturing.”
These pieces coming together in 1947 represents the complexities and intersections of what this mural conveys- trailblazing athletes, the duality of Little Tokyo/Bronzeville, and the connection between the Black and Asian communities in our city.
Impact
Although this mural honors history, it will also serve and impact the community in many ways for years to come. In fact, this mural has already impacted the youth in Little Tokyo in a very special way.
During the mural installation process, youth from Camp Budokan and Camp Kizuna came together to leave their mark at Budokan- literally! The kids, counselors, and volunteer coaches took turns painting the mural with Edwin and his team’s guidance.
Some of the kids said: “I liked painting the mural, because we all got to do it together, and it was kind of like a team project.”
“I can always show people that I helped with it.”
“We added our own touches, so it’s like a community mural. It makes it special.”
“It was really fun getting to make something that lasts forever.”
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to work with the community. That was really memorable.”
Chris Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Kizuna, said, “It’s really exciting to see the paint day actually take form. Ryan (Budokan’s Director) and I talked about this day in terms of building core memories in Little Tokyo. And for our youth, I think that this is such an important thing- that they can find a place to feel invested in the community. And they can see that there’s a physical representation of that, which I think is a little bit difficult when you’re a child- to find out where you fit into a community.”
“That’s what this place is all about- building community, uplifting our youth, and ensuring there’s a place for them in the future.” – Ryan Lee, Director of Terasaki Budokan