Thomas (Tom) Shigekuni (1929–2019)

Thomas Shigekuni at the 31st Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, April 29, 2000.

Turning Injustice into Action: A Life of Resilience, Service, and Legacy

Thomas (Tom) Nobuyuki Shigekuni was born on August 4, 1929, in Los Angeles, California, to immigrant parents Frank and Shizuyo Shigekuni from Hiroshima, Japan. He grew up in the Seinan district of Los Angeles with his parents and two older brothers, Tunney and Henry, in a home rooted in faith, hard work, and quiet perseverance. His family operated several nurseries in Los Angeles, including Inglewood Park Nursery on La Brea Avenue and another on 37th and Halldale.

In the spring of 1942, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tom and his family were among the more than 120,000 Japanese Americans forcibly removed from their homes. Though his family had committed no crime, the FBI came to their home and cut the wires on their Philco shortwave radio to prevent them from “communicating with Japan.” They were first confined at the Santa Anita Assembly Center, a horse racetrack in Arcadia, California, before being relocated to Amache in Granada, Colorado. To young Tom, Amache felt like “the middle of nowhere.”

Thomas and his family in front of their home at Amache, Barrack 12G, during their incarceration.

At Amache, Tom worked as a farm laborer in the camp fields. He also helped his father cook rice and maintain the mess hall in their block. He recalled playing records in the dance halls, where the older boys would ask him to play Glenn Miller—always the slow songs.

Though soft-spoken, Tom was not afraid to stand up for what he believed. At thirteen, he revised the Pledge of Allegiance by saying “liberty and justice for all… except us at camp.” When questioned by the principal about who had influenced him, Tom answered, “No one. I said it myself.” That same year, he wrote a school essay condemning the injustice of incarceration, an early glimpse of the lifelong advocate he would become.

After the war, the Shigekuni family returned to Los Angeles. Tom initially joined his brother Henry in Elmhurst, Illinois before reuniting with his parents in Piedmont, California, where they were employed by a Chinese American family, his mother as a domestic helper and his father as a gardener. The family eventually returned to Los Angeles, where Tom took a job cooking aboard a tuna fishing boat out of San Pedro.

Military Service and Education

During the Korean War, Tom enlisted in the US Air Force. While stationed in Texas, he came across a Japanese American magazine with photograph of Ruth Yamagishi from Oklahoma City on the cover. He drove to meet her, and that meeting led to marriage in 1954.

In 1952, Tom was deployed to Tokyo, where he served in Air Intelligence, editing reports for the Strategic Air Command. After his military service, he returned to California and enrolled at Pepperdine University. He was awarded a personal scholarship from George Pepperdine himself, who attended services at the Westside Japanese American Church of Christ. Tom earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

While raising a young family and operating his horticultural business, Centrose Nursery, Tom pursued his legal education. He graduated from USC Law School in 1966 and opened a law practice in Torrance, California.

Community Advocacy and Farmers Market Leadership

Tom’s professional and civic life blossomed at the intersection of justice, sustainability, and public good. In the 1970s, as the first Japanese-American member of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, the board was asked to evaluate whether the state should continue its certified farmers market program. Tom was the only board member to conduct firsthand research, visiting markets across Southern California, interviewing farmers and shoppers, and compiling a detailed sociological and economic report.

His findings helped convince the board to unanimously vote in favor of continuing the program. That decision became a turning point in the preservation and growth of California’s farmers market movement—one that still thrives today.

Legal and Civic Contributions

As an attorney, Tom specialized in public service law, international contracts, elder care, and community development. His clients ranged from multinational corporations to aging individuals in need of advocacy. His dedication to community leadership extended far beyond his legal practice.

Tom served on numerous boards and organizations, including:

• Japanese American Citizens League (President, South Bay Chapter)
• Centinela Chapter, California Association of Nurserymen (Two-term President)
• Keiro Retirement Home (Board of Directors)
• South Coast Botanic Garden Foundation (Board of Trustees)
• USC and Pepperdine Alumni Associations
• Rotary Club of Torrance (Director)
• Los Angeles Energy Commission (Appointee)
• Amache Historical Society (Incorporating attorney and longtime board member)

He was especially devoted to preserving the memory of Amache. One of the earliest advocates for establishing it as a public visitation and learning site, Tom worked to ensure that the stories of those incarcerated there would not be lost.

Tom Shigekuni’s life was shaped by the injustice of incarceration, but defined by his lifelong commitment to service, justice, and community. He turned hardship into purpose and became a quiet force for change.

He passed away in 2019. A longtime resident of Palos Verdes Estates and a dedicated member of the Redondo Beach Church of Christ, Mr. Shigekuni is survived by his wife, Ruth, their daughters, Vicki, Cindy, and Leslie, and grandchildren Tiffany, Annie, Gabi, Joey, and Eli. His story remains an enduring part of the Japanese American legacy and the ongoing remembrance of Amache.

Narrative provided by Vicki Shigekuni Wong, an Amache descendant and Tom's daughter.

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