Contemplate the legacy etched in steel before you. This is the Sei Fujii Memorial Lantern Obelisk. It honors a man who fought tirelessly for the rights of Japanese Americans.
The Sei Fujii Memorial Lantern Obelisk stands as a tribute to Sei Fujii. He was a civil rights activist and newspaper publisher. He dedicated his life to improving the lives of Japanese Americans. The lantern is located at the entrance to the Japanese Village Plaza in Little Tokyo. It marks the former site of The Kashu Mainichi newspaper.
Sei Fujii immigrated to the U.S. in 1903. He graduated from USC Law School in 1911. Sadly, he couldn’t become an attorney because he wasn’t a U.S. citizen. Laws at the time prevented foreign-born aliens of the “Mongolian race” from obtaining citizenship. Without citizenship, a law license was impossible.
Undeterred, Sei Fujii partnered with J. Marion Wright. Wright was a civil rights attorney and fellow classmate. Together, they challenged discriminatory laws. In 1928, they won a U.S. Supreme Court decision. This allowed Japanese physicians in Los Angeles to build a hospital. It was one of the first Japanese hospitals in the country.
Fujii and Wright also fought the Alien Land Act. This act prevented Japanese and other “aliens” ineligible for citizenship from owning land in California. In Fujii v. California, they challenged the law in the California Supreme Court. In 1952, the court ruled the Alien Land Law unconstitutional.
Sei Fujii also became the publisher of The Kashu Mainichi. This was a daily Japanese newspaper. He used the paper to inform and unite the growing immigrant community in Little Tokyo. In 1931, he began publishing the California Japanese Daily News. It was a bilingual paper. The next year, Japanese gangsters shot him. His newspaper had exposed their crimes.
During World War II, Fujii was arrested by the FBI after the Pearl Harbor attack. He was imprisoned at the Tuna Canyon Detention Station. Later, he was sent to internment camps in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Lordsburg, New Mexico. He wasn’t released until 1946.
In 1954, Sei Fujii finally became a U.S. citizen at 72. Just 51 days later, he died of a heart attack. He passed away at a Buddhist temple after delivering a eulogy.
The Sei Fujii Memorial Lantern Obelisk is an 8-foot-tall galvanized steel structure. Miles Endo of Studio Endo designed it. The design is inspired by lanterns in Fujii’s birthplace in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The Little Tokyo Historical Society raised over $30,000 for the lantern’s completion. In 2017, California’s top court granted him a law license posthumously.
The Sei Fujii Memorial Lantern serves as a symbol of resilience. It stands for justice and the enduring spirit of a man who fought for equality. Remember Sei Fujii’s story. Let it inspire you to stand up for what is right.