After attending the 2022 Heart Mountain Pilgrimage in Cody, WY, siblings Katey Terumi and Finn Kaoru Laubscher were inspired to find a way to preserve the many stories they heard during their experience. Combining their editorial (Katey Terumi) and artistic (Finn Kaoru) expertise, the two siblings assembled the first volume of Kioku, a Japanese American cultural journal, including their essays, poetry, illustrations, and more. Following a warm reception from the community, the siblings released the second volume of Kioku including submissions from a dozen talented artists in the Japanese American community.
As they prepare to begin work on the third volume, NikkeiWest sat down with Katey Terumi and Finn Kaoru to discuss the origins of Kioku and what comes next.
What is the purpose of Kioku?
Kioku is a place to keep what we carry with us. Our goal is to provide a family scrapbook for nikkei from all backgrounds and generations to explore and express their identities and family history through storytelling and art in a tangible way. Kioku is a cultural journal and a living portrait of the incredible stories, talent, and connections in our community.
How did you come up with the idea for Kioku?
We were inspired by our experience at the 2022 Heart Mountain Pilgrimage in Wyoming. It was our first ever pilgrimage and we attended, along with our grandmother, partly to honor our great-aunt Dorothy who was incarcerated there. While there, we were amazed by the variety of the people we met and the stories we heard, and knew that we wanted to capture the artistry and history that we witnessed. We also felt that whatever we created should be able to grow and change with the community; at the same time, we wanted to create something that could act as a keepsake. It all converged in the idea of a magazine. Making something tangible for our community has particular resonance in the context of our shared history, where Executive Order 9066 caused many Japanese Americans to lose their heirlooms and documents.
What does “kioku” mean?
“Kioku” can be translated from Japanese as memory, recollection, or remembrance. We also considered using the word “omoide,” another word for memory, but comparatively, “kioku” has more permanent connotations. We felt it was the more apt word for what we wanted to express.
What can people expect when they read Kioku?
Our first volume is a sampler of all of the types of story and art we wanted to be able to include in future editions — we have collages, nonfiction essays, poetry, illustrations, comics, interviews, and even sudoku. The first volume is all work from the two of us, and we really enjoyed curating work that we felt expressed our stories but that would also appeal to other Japanese Americans.
The second volume contains amazing illustrations, collages, poetry, essays, and more from 12 incredible contributors in addition to our own work.
What comes next for Kioku?
Kioku is currently a labor of love that we take on alongside our full-time jobs, so we are releasing it twice a year for the time being. In the long-term, we would love to be able to release it more frequently and to make it financially self-sustaining to the point where we can pay contributors. We’re also hoping to collaborate more with other Japanese American organizations, artists, and publications in the space; it’s already helped us connect with so many amazing people in the community. Our goal is for Kioku to be a mirror and a window into Japanese American stories and identities.
To learn more about Kioku, visit www.kiokumag.com
