Sogabe Receives Foreign Minister Commendation
By Barbara Mizoguchi
NAP Editor
Left to right: Mrs. Yuko Iyori, Con. Gen. Makoto Iyori, Aki Sogabe with her commendation, and Aki’s son Steve Sogabe holding her flowers. Photo credit: Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle.
What an exciting evening at the Consulate General of Japan in Seattle, Washington, Makoto and Yuko Iyori’s residence. Local artist, Akiko Sogabe, received a commendation by Takeshi Iwaya, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, in a ceremony for her 47+ years of kiri-e (art of papercutting). Nearly 3,000 pieces of artwork throughout her career have been disseminated to private collectors, public institutions, public art, galleries, and museums throughout the West Coast, Hawaii, and Japan.
Born in Mishima Shizuoka, Japan in 1945, Sogabe taught herself kiri-e as a youth. She worked at the National Genetic Institute of Japan and then as a professor at the University of Hawaii. She moved to the Republic of Singapore after getting married in 1974. Sogabe moved to the U.S. in 1978 and gradually introduced her kiri-e to the Pacific Northwest (PNW) by showing her artwork at galleries and art clubs. She was then able to begin selling them on the side. Her influence of 18th century ukiyo-e (woodblock) artist Katsushika Hokusai’s cartoons (draft drawings) helped Sogabe develop body shapes for her children’s books. However, the publisher was demanding, and the work was not fun. She frequently had to make changes, e.g., have the figure cooking in the kitchen or have the figure face toward the reader. Sogabe was frustrated with the multiple changes and thought maybe she was not a kiri-e artist.
Sogabe in her studio 1991. Photo courtesy: Aki Sogabe.
By 1997, Sogabe became a naturalized U.S. citizen. In 1999, the Seattle Japanese American Citizens League submitted Sogabe’s name for a public art competition at Pike Place Market in Seattle. She was nervous about the competition but became a finalist.
It was her first public piece called “Song of the Earth” and can still be seen today. At the main entrance, looking up toward the edge of the roofline, are five porcelain, enamel murals about the history of Japanese American farmers who sold their produce at the market before World War II. The first mural is about digging the land; the second one is about the farmers cultivating their vegetables; the third one is about selling produce; the fourth is about the empty feeling being sent to the incarceration camps during World War II in 1942; and the last one is a family with their son wearing a U.S. military uniform saluting the sunset.
In 2024, Sogabe was one of the selected artists along with Lauren Iida, Lawrence Matsuda, Erin Shigaki and Mari Shibuya to create artwork at the entrance of the Wilburton light rail station in Bellevue, Washington. It tells the story of Japanese American farmers in the area before World War II.
Autumn Path, 2025, kiri-e, by Aki Sogabe. Photo courtesy: Aki Sogabe.
The Mayor of the City of Bellevue, Lynn Robinson, also attended the Con. Gen.’s ceremony and provided a sake toast to Sogabe. The mayor mentioned there is a city commendation letter that she will be giving to Sogabe for her work building bridges between Bellevue and the Japanese American history.
Glenn Tamai, member of the Kent-Auburn sister-city Tamba, Japan and longtime friend of Sogabe spoke about how devoted Sogabe is to kiri-e. Her passion is part of a unique artistic world. She has an amazing ability to see light and shadow which shows us something new each time. Sogabe also has the ability of bringing Japan and U.S. culture together. Tamai continued by translating his words into Japanese.
Sogabe became known for “depicting Japanese customs, traditions, and the beauty of the changing seasons. Through her art, she has shared Japanese culture widely and devoted herself to promoting kiri-e by offering free workshops at cultural events, schools, and libraries,” said Con. Gen.Iyori.
Sogabe has additional public art in Seattle, an illustrated book, and has published her own children’s books since 1993.
Her artwork has been in numerous exhibitions, featured in television programs, and she has received many awards including the Consul General of Japan Commendation Award (in Seattle by Hisao Inagaki). As Con. Gen. Iyori said, “Ms. Sogabe has not only advanced the art of kiri-e but also fostered cultural exchange and friendship between Japan and the United States.” Her artwork can be found at community events such as the annual Japan Fair in Bellevue, several galleries in the PNW, and online at: www.akisogabe.com.
