John A. (Tony) Sheets
Issei No Yme
1986
Project Area: Little Tokyo
Project: Tokyo Villas
Project Location: 222 S. Central Avenue
Project Type: Developer
Description:
Standing in a small landscaped area in front of Tokyo Villas is "Issei No Yme" by Tony Sheets. The sculpture stands on a slate and tile base and is made up of a thick 9'h x 4'd bronze columnar sculpture reminiscent of a ship's smokestack. The columns feature full-length relief figures of Japanese immigrant families dressed in traditional Japanese and Western dress and leaning against a ship's railing while peering out at the horizon. On one side of the sculpture is a poem written in Japanese. The English translation of the poem is:
Our forefathers,
the Issei
Leaving their Motherland to America
Full of hope in their future
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