NOREN Exhibition, JACCC, Los Angeles, CA | June 10 – Aug 17, 2025

Location: JACCC, 244 S. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Date: June 10 – Aug 17, 2025 – 11am

NOREN Exhibition, JACCC, Los Angeles, CA

Created by calligrapher Kuniharu Yoshida, with assistance from Mimi Wada and Kohei Matsuno, this installation showcases 24 norens, which are fabric dividers traditionally displayed in doorways.

About

Each noren is inscribed with a word or phrase that welcomes visitors into the space.

Students from the Shodō for Little Tokyo Class of 2025 chose, practiced, and wrote these expressions. This class is a complimentary Japanese calligraphy program for senior residents, organized by the Sustainable Little Tokyo initiative. Over a span of seven months, students met weekly to learn and practice shodō, or “the way” of artistic Japanese calligraphy.

Yoshida was inspired by his childhood memories of living with his grandmother, in a home where norens separated daily life. He was touched by the dual function of norens, serving not only as physical barriers but also as subtle symbols of welcome that connect individuals to a broader community. Their simple, intentional forms partially obscure doorways, shaping the environment and inviting people to enter and engage.

This installation encourages contemplation on our relationship with space, tradition, and community, and offers a quiet hope for deeper connections between neighborhoods and the individuals who reside there.

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