Aloha Sakura: A Living Symbol of Friendship
Updated: 48 minutes ago
More than seven decades after the Aloha Sakura were brought to Maizuru, its story continues to connect people in Japan and Hawaiʻi. On October 9 to 12, 2026, the 4th Aloha Sakura Photo Exhibition, titled “Aloha Sakura: From Yokohama to Hawaiʻi, and then Maizuru (アロハの櫻 写真展 〜横浜からハワイ、そして舞鶴),” was held at Minato Mirai Gallery B in Yokohama, Japan. The first two exhibitions were held in Osaka in October 2020 and October 2023, followed by an exhibition in Maizuru in 2025.
Held in Yokohama this year, the exhibition recognized the city’s historical significance as a departure port for Japanese emigrants to Hawaiʻi. In 1868, the Gannenmono (元年者), the first group of Japanese emigrants to Hawaiʻi, departed from Yokohama. In 1885, the first group of government-contracted Japanese emigrants to Hawaiʻi also departed from the city.
The Aloha Sakura photo exhibitions are organized by members of the BCo/100Bn/442RCT Reenactment Group, who also volunteer with the Aloha Sakura Preservation Society (アロハ桜保存会). It features photographs by Toshikazu Hayashi, who has documented the activities of the Aloha Sakura Preservation Society since its founding in 2017. Hayashi is a member of the BCo/100Bn/442RCT Reenactment Group and was present at the gallery all four days to greet visitors and answer questions. The display boards, printed in English and Japanese, also highlighted the history of the Aloha Sakura and ongoing efforts to preserve its legacy, along with information about the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), and Military Intelligence Service (MIS).
The exhibition also showcased the activities of the BCo/100Bn/442RCT Reenactment Group, based in Japan. The group began its activities in 2003, established by Taichi Nakanishi, Hidenori Koda, and several others. Koda’s interest in World War II history led him to learn about the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He became interested not only in the uniforms and equipment of American soldiers of Japanese ancestry (AJA), but also in reenacting aspects of their wartime lives, including military routines, regulations, and activities, to the extent possible in the present day. His interest was rooted in respect for the soldiers and appreciation for their service and sacrifices.
As Koda shared the reenactment group’s activities online, he established contact with the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans (Club 100) in Honolulu. In September 2012, he was invited to attend the 100th/442nd/MIS/1399th Joint Memorial Service at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl. During his week in Hawaiʻi, he visited the Clubhouse nearly every day, spending time with AJA veterans, sang with them, and conducted interviews.
Nakanishi continues to serve as the group’s representative, while Koda serves as its manager. Together with many other members, they continue working to preserve the history of the 100th Infantry Battalion and share it with people in Japan. The group’s members study and reenact the experiences of AJA soldiers who served in the U.S. Army during World War II, with a particular focus on the 100th Infantry Battalion. Using historically researched uniforms and equipment, along with their knowledge of the battalion’s history, they participate in activities that simulate aspects of the soldiers’ lives and the physical demands and hardships they faced, including digging foxholes, conducting night patrols, and training in cold and snowy conditions.
Although reenactments cannot fully replicate what the veterans endured, they offer members a glimpse into the soldiers’ experiences and help them better understand and preserve their history. Through these efforts, the group seeks to honor the soldiers’ service and sacrifices and educate people in Japan about the experiences and contributions of the AJA soldiers. Several of its members have visited the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans (Club 100) Clubhouse in Honolulu to meet with 100th/442nd veterans and their families over the years.
The 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans (Club 100) provided a congratulatory message for the exhibition to express its support for the organizers and their efforts to preserve the legacy of the 100th, 442nd, and MIS, and strengthen the bonds between Japan, Hawaiʻi, and the United States. Club 100 Board Director and Communications Chair Amy Kwong, granddaughter of Masanobu Eugene Kawakami, who served in Company A of the 100th Infantry Battalion, attended the exhibition on behalf of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans organization.
The Story of the Aloha Sakura
After World War II, Military Intelligence Service (MIS) personnel, many of them Americans of Japanese ancestry (AJA) from Hawaiʻi, were assigned to duties throughout occupied Japan. Among them was Fujio “Wymo” Takaki, a Nisei from Mokulēʻia, Oʻahu, who served in the U.S. Army’s Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC). He was assigned to the port city of Maizuru in Kyōto, where he interviewed Japanese soldiers being repatriated from Soviet captivity.
Takaki wanted to build a lasting bond with the people of Maizuru and leave behind a peaceful reminder of the Nisei soldiers who had served there. Moved by the beauty of Japan’s sakura, or cherry blossoms, he believed that donating sakura trees would bring joy to the war-ravaged city and serve as a lasting gesture of friendship.
About 100 sakura saplings were obtained on Takaki’s behalf and sent to Maizuru. By the time they were planted in 1950, Takaki had been reassigned to another post and had left the area. Local residents planted the trees at several locations, including approximately 70 saplings in Kyōraku Park (共楽公園), which overlooks Maizuru’s port.
The trees eventually became known as the Aloha Sakura (アロハ桜), in tribute to Takaki and the MIS Nisei soldiers from Hawaiʻi. In 1994, Maizuru officials honored Takaki and invited him to visit the city, giving him the opportunity to see the sakura trees he had helped bring. A monument in Kyōraku Park commemorates the trees as a symbol of friendship and peace between the people of the United States and Japan. It reads, “Hawaii Nikkei Nisei wo shinobu - Yuukou Heiwa no Sakura (In memory of the Hawai‘i Japanese American Nisei - Sakura of Friendship and Peace)” and explains the origin of the Aloha Sakura.
Preserving the Aloha Sakura Legacy
Over the decades, many of the original Aloha Sakura trees have aged or died. In 2017, Hidenori Koda and Noriko Noguchi connected through their shared interest in Japanese American history and respect for the service and sacrifices of the Hawaiʻi Nisei soldiers. Recognizing the importance of protecting the remaining trees and sharing their history with future generations, they established the Aloha Sakura Preservation Society (アロハ桜保存会) in December 2017 to care for the surviving trees, plant replacements, and preserve the story of the Aloha Sakura.
On March 10, 2018, the Aloha Sakura Preservation Society and the BCo/100Bn/442RCT Reenactment Group organized a commemorative tree-planting ceremony at Kyōraku Park in Maizuru. MIS veteran Glenn Arakaki and family members of 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team veterans traveled from Hawaiʻi to participate, including representatives of the Military Intelligence Service Veterans Club of Hawaiʻi and the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans (Club 100). A signboard was installed to explain the origin of the Aloha Sakura and their significance as a symbol of friendship between the people of the United States and Japan.
In February 2024, the Aloha Sakura Preservation Society organized the transplanting of the sakura trees planted in 2018. After six years of growth, the trees had outgrown their original location, so volunteers, including members of the BCo/100Bn/442RCT Reenactment Group, helped move them to a more spacious area where they could continue to grow.
A Legacy That Continues to Grow
The story of the 100th Infantry Battalion continues to connect people across generations and around the world. Through the Aloha Sakura project, historical reenactments, and photography, the history and legacy of the Nisei soldiers are being preserved and shared with new audiences. The efforts of the Aloha Sakura Preservation Society and the BCo/100Bn/442RCT Reenactment Group help keep these stories alive, allowing younger generations in Japan to learn about the experiences, service, and sacrifices of the American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who served during World War II.
![Toshikazu Hayashi and wife Yukari Hayashi (seated), and Yoshiyuki Wada of the BCo/100Bn/442RCT Reenactment Group with Amy Kwong of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans at the Aloha Sakura exhibition on October 10. [Photo by Tomomi Wada]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ddc888_29bd22fa398a48b291c6fc9fb448f7a9~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_735,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/ddc888_29bd22fa398a48b291c6fc9fb448f7a9~mv2.jpg)
Scenes from reenactment activities by BCo/100Bn/442RCT Reenactment Group.
What began with Fujio “Wymo” Takaki’s wish to plant sakura trees as a symbol of friendship has grown into a lasting bond between people and places once separated by war. As the Aloha Sakura continue to grow, they stand as living reminders that even in the aftermath of conflict, compassion, understanding, and friendship can take root and flourish. Through these trees and the stories they carry, the legacy of the AJA soldiers will continue to bring people together and inspire future generations to remember the past and build a more peaceful future.
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