Ruth Aiko Asawa was born in Norwalk, California on January 24, 1926.
Ruth Aiko Asawa was born on January 24, 1926, in Norwalk, California, to Umakichi and Haruko Asawa, Japanese immigrants. Her early life in California would be profoundly impacted by her vibrant upbringing amidst a large, hardworking family, fostering the resilience that would underpin her later artistic achievements despite the adversities of wartime internment she faced during World War II.