Nikkei ImagesJapanese Canadian National Museum Newsletter ISSN#1203-9017 Summer 2003, Vol. 8, No. 2

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ContentsContentsContentsContentsContents

A Valuable Addition to the Japanese Canadian National MuseumArchives by Midge Ayukawa

The NEW CANADIAN—Most of us senior Canadian Nikkeihave vivid recollections of its birth,its heyday, and, sadly, its gradualdemise, and final passing. It wasfounded by UBC graduates PeterShinobu Hayashi, Edward Ouchi,Kunio Shimizu, and ThomasShoyama, with Peter and Tommy asco-editors. Since its first issue inNovember 1938, it had been ourvoice, our guide, and our source ofcommunity news. The JapaneseCanadian National Museum is happyto announce that thirty-one boundvolumes of the original copies,covering most of the years from 1942to 1977, are now deposited withthem. Our gratitude is extended toAddie (Tsuyuki) Kobayashi ofRichmond Hill, Ontario, for facilitatingthe donation of volumes 1942-1944by Thomas K. Shoyama and volumes1945-1977 from the estate of hermother, the late Chiyo (Tsuyuki)Umezuki, second wife of the lateTakaichi Umezuki.

In a direct communication,Addie said that the donated volumeshad been in the hands of her motherafter her husband, Takaichi Umezuki,passed away in 1980 at the age ofeighty-two. The books had beenborrowed by a scholar in Japan and,after some fifteen years, have finallybeen retrieved through Addie’spersistent efforts. There are a fewgaps in the collection, since some

bound volumes had been borrowedby researchers and never returned.If anyone knows of these missingvolumes, please contact the JCNM,

A Valuable Addition to the Japanese Canadian Museum Archives 1 Jitaro Charles Tanaka and Sumiko Suga Tanaka Collection 2 My Training on the Koto 4 Otowa Ryu Japanese Dance Group 5 Nishikawa Dance Group 6 An Inventory of Steveston Judo Club Photographs 7 Resources on Internment 8 A Legacy of Stories: Storytelling in My Life 9 JCNM Manager/Curator’s Report 10 Addendum to JCNM President’s Report 2001-2003 11 Museum Formally Merges with NNHCS 12 REVIEW-NFB Documentary, “Sleeping Tigers: The Asahi Baseball Story” 13 Museum Celebrates Successful Event 13 REVIEW-SUTEBUSUTON: A Japanese Village on the BC Coast 14 Kinzie Tanaka, Political Activist, Excerpts from a Memoir 15 Unlucky Sugar Beet Workers 18

or return them with no questionsasked. They are precious and theMuseum would like to complete its

Museum staffer, Daien Ide, examining the newly acquired, bound volumes of theNEW CANADIAN. (Stan Fukawa photo, 2003)

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Nikkei Images is published bythe Japanese Canadian

National Museum

Editorial Board:Stanley Fukawa, Grace Hama,

Frank Kamiya, Elizabeth Nunoda,Mitsuo Yesaki, Carl Yokota

Subscription to Nikkei Imagesis free with your annual

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Individual $20Senior/Student $15Senior Couple $20

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NNMH CENTRE6688 Southoaks Crescent,Burnaby, B.C., V5E 4M7

Canadatel: (604) 777-8000fax: (604) 777-7001jcnmas@telus.net

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Announcements

In September 2002, CharlesK. Tanaka dropped by the museumto present some very valuable papersthat had been compiled by his lateparents. He did so on behalf of hisfamily including his sisters, Helen

Jitaro Charles Tanaka and Sumiko SugaTanaka Collection by Stan Fukawa

Dunn and Dr. Shirley Ikeda, hisbrother, Ron, and his cousin, HarujiSuga.

At the beginning of the warwith Japan, Jitaro Charlie Tanaka andIppei Nishio were appointed as

collection. The JCNM can becontacted at 120-6688 SouthoaksCrescent, Burnaby BC V5E 4M7.Phone: (604) 777-8000.

The NEW CANADIANwas the only Japanese Canadiannewspaper that was allowed topublish during the wartime turmoil.It was published as a weekly in Kaslo,using the printing plant of theKASLO KOOTENIAN and was themain source of information onGovernment directives andcommunity news. I recall how myfriends and I would pour over everyissue, seeking news about our friendsscattered in other camps and in farms,towns, and cities across the country.

Although the NEWCANADIAN had been an Englishlanguage paper since its inception, thepowers-to-be realized that it requireda Japanese language section too.Takaichi Umezuki who had been theeditor of MINSHU [DAILYWORKER] was recruited to be theJapanese editor and later became thepublisher. “T.U.”, as he becameknown to the Nisei, had been the self-sacrificing, dedicated editor of thelabour daily since 1933 after thecharismatic Etsu Suzuki suddenly leftCanada. Suzuki had been theinspiration of the Japanese LabourUnion and had begun the paper inMarch 1924. According to a story ina book about Japanese Canadiannewspapers written by Japanesescholars (Shimpo Mitsuru, TamuraNorio, Shiramizu Shigehiko. Kanadano nihongo shinbun [JapaneseLanguage Newspapers in Canada],2nd Ed. Tokyo: PMC Shuppansha,

1991), a certain person approachedUmezuki and offered a $140 permonth position with the StevestonFishermen’s Association. T.U.turned him down saying that heneeded to stay with the MINSHUsince he was afraid that it would likelynot be able to carry on without him.His wages at that time were notalways reliable $40. The story-tellernoted that the impoverished T.U.was wearing mismatched shoes—abrown one and a black one.

Addie Kobayashiemphasized that the volumes weredonated in memory of both TakaichiUmezuki and his first wife, Chiyo(Masui) Umezuki. It is a tribute tothe second Mrs. Umezuki (Tsuyuki)that her family is following throughon her wish to honour the first Mrs.Umezuki who made many personaland family sacrifices in supporting herhusband’s selfless dedication to theJapanese Canadian labour movementand the community.

Perhaps, one day, a scholarwill pore over the wartime issues(1942-1945) so carefully preservedby Tommy Shoyama and write somelearned treatise of the turmoil of thatperiod. He has, at times, talked abouthow he had to be constantly wary ofthe censors who checked every issuebefore it went to press. And,perhaps, some others will study thepostwar years and note the gradualtransition and changes that tookplace in our community.

Both Umezuki and Shoyamawere appointed to the Order ofCanada in recognitions of their manycontribution to Canada. a

Launch of Community Memoriesof Virtual Museum Canada

NNMHCMay 30, 2003, 10:30-12:30 AM

Stories from our PastNNMHC

June-December 2003

NNMHCS WeekNNMHC

September 13-20, 2003September 13th - Celebration Dinner

September 20th - Nikkei Festival

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advisors to and representatives of the Spanish Consulate,which under the Geneva Convention was charged withthe task of protecting the human rights of Japanese aliensin Canada. This placed the elder Tanaka in a criticalposition to observe and note what was happening to theJapanese, both Canadian and foreign-born.

In the words of his son:The materials were compiled by Jitaro and

Sumiko, generally as the events unfolded and areas follows:

1. A typewritten “diary” of the events that tookplace after December 7, 1941 concerning theJapanese people who were living primarily inBritish Columbia. It consists of pages numberedfrom 1 to 177 except for one page (#46), which ismissing, two pages numbered 121, and one pagebetween 148 & 149, which is not numbered. Thereare also pages 1 through 12 with the heading“National selective service civilian regulation”and also a 34-page document, copyright 1958 bythe National Japanese Canadian CitizensAssociation, containing a short history ofJapanese Canadians in British Columbia.

2. Two “scrapbooks” consisting of newspaperclippings beginning from February 26. 1942, aswell as many other typewritten articles, notes, andletters. Some letters of note are:

a) an original hand-written letter datedNov.21/42 addressed to our father from theSpanish Consulate in Vancouver.

b) a letter dated September 15, 1972 fromTsuneharu Gonnami, Librarian, Asian StudiesLibrary at U.B.C.

c) a hand written letter dated Oct. 10,1975 from our Aunt, June Tanaka, to her brother-in- law (our father).

d) a letter dated January 12, 1978 fromAnn Sunahara, author of the book titled “ ThePolitics of Racism”.

3. An original document written by the NiseiMass Evacuation Group and signatures primarilyin Japanese by members of the Group.

4. One document consisting of two pageswritten entirely in Japanese.

Our father was a member of the 1926 TerminalLeague Champions and appears in Pat Adachi’sbook, “Asahi: A Legend in Baseball”, along withhis brothers, George and Herbie and brothers-in-law Harry Miyasaki, Ty, Kaz and Kiyoshi Suga.

The information in the collection includes statisticson the numbers of people in various forms of detentionand at specific detention centres, clippings on the

disposition of assets of enemy aliens, instructions on howto cope with the postal censors, news of tours by theSpanish Consul to detention facilities, and the creation oforganizations by Japanese Canadians. There are fourpages of single-spaced notes on legal-size paper on theBlack Dragon Enquiry in late 1942 in which the SecurityCommission delved into the rumoured wrongdoings ofEtsuji Morii, with nothing more than hearsay beingreported by informants. The elder Tanaka has a 6-page,single-spaced piece on legal-size paper “EvacuationChaos – 1942” depicting the government handling of theinternees. There is also a 1974 article from theContinental Times written by J.C. Tanaka on the NiseiMass Evacuation Group. The group opposed the breakingup of families as an integral part of the governmentinternment program.

The fact that J.C. Tanaka had played first basefor the 1926 Terminal League champion Asahi baseballteam is an intriguing sidelight to this collection. Afterspending one year with the Asahi, he had to devote allhis energies to starting up his furniture manufacturingbusiness.

An Item from the Tanaka CollectionInstructions for Japanese people and designed to aid thePostal Censors, thus speeding up delivery of censoredmail, has been issued by the Canadian Postal Censorshipin Vancouver.1. Write in English whenever possible. Japanese,being an uncommon language in Canada cannot behandled as expeditiously.2. If correspondence must be in Japanese, it shouldbe confined to essential news and information, avoidinginconsequential gossip. A concise letter gets firstconsideration from your correspondent as well as fromthe Censor.3. Mark on the covers of letters “Written in English”or “Written in Japanese” as the case may be, to eliminateunnecessary handling in the Censorship.4. Do not slow up the Censor’s reading by usingunusual symbols. He postpones examination of suchitems in favour of correspondence written in theconventional style.5. Do not employ Occidental names in addressingmail intended for Japanese nationals. Such items therebybecome non-transmissable.6. Do not enclose in envelopes addressed toOccidentals correspondence to be passed on to Japanesenationals. This places upon the Occidental the duty ofreporting your action to government authorities.7. Do not be responsible for unnecessary delay tothe mail of your countrymen by hampering in any mannerthe operation of the Censorship. a

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My first formal introductionto the koto was on June 6, 1964, atthe age of six in Hiroshima, Japan.This followed a cultural belief that oneshould start learning the arts on thatday and that age in order to prosperin the arts. However, my introductionto koto music had actually startedyears earlier, since my mother,Master Miyoko Kobayashi, startedteaching and performing koto forseveral years prior to my birth.Although our home was always filledwith the sounds of the koto andshamisen, my primary interest wasin Japanese classical buyo (dance),to which I was also introduced at theage of six. I commenced buyo lessonsin Vancouver with Nagasaki-senseiwho taught the Hanayagi-style. Itwasn’t until many years later that Iinformed my mother that I would takepart in one of her performances.Thus began my pursuit of playing thekoto.

Having heard, for manyyears, the melodies and music lessonsof the students who attended theokeiko-ba (studio), I had essentiallylearned how to play the basic piecesfrom memory. I was especiallyproficient in mastering the passagesthat students had encountered themost difficulty with because thesewere the passages that were taughtand practiced the most during theirlessons. Because I had not acquiredformal training, I was neither able toread the notation nor did I use thecorrect fingering patterns to play thecompositions. Initially, having foundthat koto playing was “easy”, Iforged ahead by studying under thedirection of Sensei. Lessons werenot conducted in the usual manner.They took place whenever Senseihad time to teach me, and althoughthe roles of teacher and student wererespected in the okeiko-ba, thespecial teaching method designed for

My Training on the Koto by Sho-ko-to Kobayashi Teresame was as follows: sensei would playthe composition for me once, andthen I was told, “practice the restand listen to other student’slessons”. Having sensei in the samehouse 24 hours a day was and wasnot a blessing. Whenever I practiced,sensei was always within earshot,and, of course, I would knowimmediately if I played the wrongnote! Mind you, with her credentialsin koto and also the tea ceremony,flower arrangement, shigin ,shamisen and buyo, she was the bestsource of advice and coaching.

By 1976, my interest in thekoto was becoming a priority, and myparents presented me with anopportunity to go to Japan to furthermy studies in the koto, shamisen anddance during the summer until myreturn to Vancouver to attend U.B.C.Upon contacting sensei’s teacherYonemaru Sensei, in Hiroshima,Japan, to state the intention of havingme study in Tokyo, I was advised thatprior to going to Tokyo I must firstgo to Hiroshima to study underYonemaru Sensei. Being the Magodeshi (grand student - a student’sstudent), Yonemaru Sensei statedthat she wanted to make sure that Ihad the techniques and basics wellin hand before I went to studyelsewhere; this was to ensure that Ihad obtained my Sensei’sendorsement.

The two months inHiroshima were intense! Becomingan uchi-deshi (live-in student) ofYonemaru Sensei meant practicingthe koto from my waking moment untilbed-time with minimal breaks to eatmy meals. Sensei would “kindly”bring my meals to the okeiko-ba sothat I wouldn’t have to go far andwaste time away from the koto. Theodd occasion when I would go outwas frowned upon as time spentfrivolously. After Hiroshima I

continued on to Tokyo for a monthwhere I was uchi-deshi at the homeof a shakuhachi master, whichimproved my skills in performing withdifferent styles of shakuhachiplaying. I also studied koto with amaster of the Miyagi-style of kotoplaying, dance with a teacher of theHanayagi-style, and shamisen froma master who was a student of thethen “Human Treasure”(exceptionally talented artists arebestowed with this title in Japan). Itwas also during this trip that I waspermitted to be examined by thedirectors of the Kansai OngakuShishinkai Music Conservatory andwas granted a teaching certificate.

Looking back on this periodof my life, although the work washard and intense, I don’t regret it fora moment, nor would I change a thing.If given the chance, I would jump atthe opportunity to be able to delveinto that concentrated atmosphereagain!

After returning to Vancouver,I continued to study, learn andpractice and also made several trips

Kobayashi Teresa playing the koto.(Kobayashi Teresa photo, dateunknown)

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back to Japan to learn newtechniques and participate inperformances. Over the years I havehad the opportunity to performthroughout Canada, the U.S.A. andJapan, live and via radio andtelevision. I ceased dancing after 27years but continue to practice andperform on the koto; 2004 will markthe fortieth year I have done so! Dueto requests for lessons, I am againcontemplating whether or not toactively start teaching. AlthoughKobayashi Sensei, my loving motherand mentor, says otherwise, I willnever be able to play the classics likeher with the kokoro, or “soul”, thatonly comes from living in Japan in herera and the life experiences sheportrays through her playing. I canonly hope to acquire her essence or

try to copy her playing.As for the Vancouver Koto

No Kai, although not very active atthe present, it will remain alive andwell. I presently hold the Master titleof Sho-Ko-To. Because of mymother’s accomplishments, myschool has been recognized by theKansai Ongaku Shishinkai as theCanadian Shibu (branch). Heraccomplishments included herdedication to the koto and theteachings of the Shishinkai. She alsofurthered the introduction of the kotoin North America through herperformances in Canada and theU.S. and the number of students shehas taught over the years.

With regards to my personalpath, I believe that learning neverends and hope to continue practicing,

The Otowa Ryu JapaneseDance Group was founded in 1971in Vancouver, BC, under the directionof Akemi Komori whose professional(Natori) title is Otowa Hinaaki.The members consist of first to fourthgeneration Japanese Canadian of allages. Our goal is to contribute to thediversity of the Canadian culturalsociety as we preserve and enjoy theart of Japanese dance.

In the early 1970’s OtowaRyu became a member of the

Otowa Ryu Japanese Dance Group by Akemi Komori

Canadian Folk Society. Through thesociety, the doors opened to countlessopportunities to participate in variousfestivals and events. In 1979, thegroup was selected to representBritish Columbia in the Canada DayWeek Festivities in St. John’s,Newfoundland. The group performedin several mini-concerts together withother ethnic groups to present themulti-cultural nature of Canada. In1982, six members traveled toManitoba, again to represent British

Columbia, to participate in theCanadian Heritage Festival.Performances were held in Winnipegand Brandon, and a specialperformance in Selkirk in thepresence of Princess Anne. In 1984,2 members were selected to join the10th Anniversary of the CanadianHeritage Festival Production held inKitchener, Hamilton, Windsor andToronto, Ontario. And finally in 1990one member traveled to perform inNew Brunswick for the CanadianHeritage Festival.

In 1977 during the JapaneseCanadian Centennial, Otowa Ryumembers joined the Nikka FestivalDancers in celebration and had theopportunity to perform in variouscities across the country. Regionallythe group took part in numerouscelebrations joining other performinggroups and toured the BC towns ofKamloops, Greenwood and Kelowna.

During EXPO 86, OtowaRyu regularly performed at the JapanPavilion stage. Members also tookpart in the EXPO 86 Opening

performing and studying until myfingers stop moving. Hopefully, mydaughter, Yume’s, interest in koto willkeep growing. For her, my teachingmethod is to play a composition onceand then she is on her own. Soundfamiliar? a

Teresa is married to Yoshihiro Taboand has one daughter, YumeKrystle. Teresa is a Sansei, thedaughter of Yutaka Kobayashi, aNisei, and Miyoko, an Issei bornin Hiroshima. Her parents returnedto Canada in 1955, as her familyhad repatriated to Japan after thewar. Teresa performs under thename of Sho-ko-to KobayashiTeresa. She acquired the Sho-ko-to Mastership title some years afterreceiving her teaching certificate.

Otawa-Ryu dancers. (Akemi Komori photo, date unknown)

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Ceremonies in the presence of PrinceCharles and Princess Diana, the BCCultural Heritage Day at the Plazaof Nations, Canada Day and theVancouver Centennial Celebration.

During the past 33 years thegroup has participated in countlessevents such as multi-culturalprograms, festivals, private and publicorganization promotional events andat schools, hospitals, churches andconventions. The following are someof the group’s highlights:- Canadian Folk Society Festivals -

1971 to the mid-1990’s- Folkfest – 1974 to the mid-1990’s- Japanese Canadian Centennial

Celebration 1977- Dominion Day Celebration, St.

John’s, NFLD – 1979- Folklorama, Winnipeg, MA – 1981,

1995- Powell Street Festival – since

inception, 1977- Canadian Heritage Festivalo Manitoba, 1982o Ontario, 1984o New Brunswick, 1990- Expo ’86- Asia Pacific Festival – 1987 A Tribute To Rick Hansen,

“Sharing the Dream” – 1987- Olympic ’88 (Calgary) Torch

Arrival – 1988

- 9th World Buddhist Women’sConvention – 1990

- Burnaby Centennial – 1992- PANA Nikkei Conference – 1993-National Judo Tournament,

Burnaby – 1995- Canadian International Dragon

Boat Festival – 1995, 1998- GM APEC World Plaza - 1997- The Rhythm of the Rising Sun,

CBC Television Special – 1997- Japan Festival in Vancouver –

1998- National Nikkei Heritage Centre

Grand Opening – 2000- Nikkei Week, NNHC – 2002- 2010 Olympic Rally – 2003- Japan Canada Goodwill Culture

Exchange Concert – 2002- Pacific West Performing Arts

Festival of Burnaby HonorsShowcase – 2003

In 1996 the group celebratedits 25th Anniversary at the Michael J.Fox Theatre with guest performerMaster Otowa Kikuhina, teacher ofHinaaki, and Otowa Kikuhinaji. Thegroup has held annual Maizome(recitals) in early February tocelebrate the New Year withmembers’ families and friends.Otowa Ryu has held number concertsover the years:

- 1977 – Recital – BritanniaSecondary School Auditorium

- 1979 – Minyo no Yube –Vancouver Japanese LanguageSchool

- 1980 – Aki-no Odori – VancouverJapanese Language School

- 1981 – 10th Anniversary – QueenElizabeth Playhouse

- 1986 – Shiki-no Mai (Dance of theFour Seasons) – Robson Squareand North VancouverCentennial Theatre

- 1991 – Concert – Robson SquareMedia Centre

- 1994 – Recital – Michael J. FoxTheatre

- 1996 – 25th Anniversary – MichaelJ. Fox Theatre

- 1999 – Minyo-to Enka no Yube (AnEvening of Minyo and Enka) –Norman Rothstein Theatre

- 2001 – Natsu Odori (SummerDances) – National NikkeiHeritage Centre

The Otowa Ryu JapaneseDance Group has met manyCanadians as it crossed many roads.Its members continue to take part inintroducing the culture with pride andwith great appreciation to those whohave supported us with open armsover the years. a

Nishikawa Dance Group by Tamae Oishi

Members of the Nishikawa Dance Group. (Yoko Matsuno photo, date unknown)

Mrs. Yoko Matsuno hasbeen performing and teachingJapanese classical dance (NihonBuyou or Odori in Japanese) inVancouver for the last 29 years.Besides teaching Nikkei students athome, she holds recitals, performs atmulti-cultural events and seniors’homes, and demonstrates at publicschools and the JapaneseConsulate’s “Touch of Japan”program. In the demonstration shealso teaches how to wear a kimono,as it is the stage costume for NihonBuyou.

She started taking lessonswhen she was 4 years old. She liked

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Japanese fishermen startedreturning to Steveston in the springof 1949 and by 1953 most of the pre-war fishermen had resettled in thevillage. Fishermen who were blackbelt judoka got together in the fallof 1953 to discuss starting judoclasses for Japanese boys andteenagers. This year marks the 50th

anniversary of the re-establishmentof the Steveston Judo Club. Tocommemorate this anniversary, the50th Anniversary Committee wasconvened to undertake severalprojects to preserve the history of theSteveston Judo Club and to honor theoriginal sensei, past club officials andoutstanding judoka. These projectsincluded restoration of a Kanocalligraphy, homage ceremony forthe original sensei, barbeque andbanquet for past and present judoka,as well as a video and bookdocumenting the history of the club.

A component of the clubhistory included an inventory of thephotographs available in theSteveston community. TheAnniversary Committee gatheredseveral large collections includingthose of Art Nishi, the Judo Club,

An Inventory of Steveston Judo Club Photographsby Mitsuo Yesaki and Haruo Hirata

Kuramotos, Haruo Hirata and JimKojima. All these collections containphotographs of judo club personalitiesand activities from the post-war era.These collections containedhundreds of photographs, mostly incolor. The Anniversary Committeealso canvassed senior judoka or theirfamilies for pre-war photographs,including Tomoaki Doi, SeichiroHamanishi, Takeo Kawasaki, KunjiKuramoto, Yonekazu Sakai, KanezoTokai and Soichi Uyeyama. Thesecollections contained only eight blackand white photographs from the pre-war era.

The collected photographswere scanned on a flatbed scannerand saved in their original size andcolour at 300 dpi (dots per inch) astiff (a graphics format) files. Allphotographs in the first post-warcollection were scanned, whereasphotographs in all subsequent post-war collections were haphazardlyculled to avoid duplication. The eightpre-war photographs were scanned:these photographs probably accountsfor almost all the photographsavailable in the larger community. Atotal of 737 photographs were

scanned during this exercise. The 729post-war photographs probablyrepresents only a fraction of all judophotographs available in the largercommunity, but probably includesmost of the judoka, importantevents, visiting instructors and guestsof the Steveston Judo Club.

The PageMaker publishingapplication was used to replicate thepages of the various albums. Thescanned images were placed into thePageMaker pages in the sequence ofthe original albums. The images weresometimes reduced to fit into theletter-sized paper. The PageMakerpages were printed on a black andwhite laser printer. These printedpages were inserted in plastic coversand stored in three-ring binders.These binders provide an easyreference to the photographsavailable in the Steveston Judo Clubcommunity.

The scanned images and thePageMaker albums were burned ontoCDs. The images on the CDs wereretrieved with the PhotoDeluxeapplication, resized to fit full-size ontoletter-sized paper and printed with an

dancing so much that she decided toproceed with the intensive study tomaster the art form. In 1962, shereceived the stage name KayoNishikawa. It is the school’s traditionto take the family name Nishikawawhen one becomes a full-fledgedperformer and teacher.

Nishikawa is one of theschools in odori, and the history ofthe school goes back many centuries.It grew out of various forms of folkdance in the 16th century. Later onsome aspects of Japanese theatricalarts such as Noh, Kyogen andKabuki were incorporated into thestyle. Such forms and styles areupheld by Iemoto or the headmaster.

Mrs. Matsuno not onlydances but also plays shamisen, athree-stringed instrument used foraccompanying odori. In 1973 shebecame a certified shamisen playerspecializing in Nagauta (“longsong”), and took another stage nameKatsuyuya Kineya. In the same yearshe came to Canada.

During the 70’s many AsianCanadians began questioning theirhistory and searching for identity. In1976 she started teaching theJapanese dance as requested bySansei. In the following year shebegan teaching “matsuri-ondo” forPowell Street Festival and theJapanese Canadian Centennial

celebration. Since then she has beenteaching ondo every year for thePowel Street Festival. As a memberof the Nishikawa School, sheperformed 65 one-hour programs atthe Japan Theatre of EXPO 86,Vancouver.

Today, Yoko continues toteach Nihon Buyou to promote abetter understanding of the Japaneseculture. It is a great introductionespecially for young students whotravel from all over the Province. Foranybody who grew up in Japan,odori helps us rediscover ourheritage, which would otherwise beforgotten in modern society. a

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Internment and Redress:the Japanese CanadianExperience: a Resource Guide forSocial Studies 11 Teachers andInternment and Redress: the Storyof Japanese Canadians: aResource Guide for Teachers of theIntermediate Grades will beavailable to teachers in BritishColumbia schools this September.Both resources were produced witha grant from the BC Ministry ofEducation for teachers in the publicand independent schools in theprovince. The developers are a teamof teachers with contributions andsupport from members of theJapanese Canadian and the largereducation community.

A study of the internment ofJapanese Canadians raises manyquestions about human nature,racism, discrimination, social

responsibility and governmentaccountability. The internment wasnot an accident or a mere coincidenceof wartime decisions made underduress or necessity. Life-alteringdecisions were made with little regardto the guilt or innocence of thevictims. The individuals who madethese decisions were unable orunwilling to assess the issue withoutbias or prejudice.

Throughout their studies,students are asked to question andrecognize their own prejudices andbiases so that they will not easily fallprey to the stereotyping andovergeneralization that plagued ourleaders in the winter of 1942.Students will come to understand thatcivil liberties can only be protectedin a society that is open and whereindividuals take responsibility.

The Secondary resource is

designed to be a coherent packageof four lessons that take teachersfrom helping students to developempathy for victims of racism toconsidering redress for past injusticesin Canada’s multicultural society.The Intermediate resource guidefor teachers of social studies andsocial responsibility consists of 14lessons and is designed to assistteachers in helping students developtheir skills in critical thinking andreflective journal writing; develop asense of fairness and socialresponsibility and the need to makereparations for past mistakes. In the3 core lessons students study TheCharter of Rights and Freedoms andthe Treatment of JapaneseCanadians, Living Conditions inInternment, and Redress: How toApologize for Making a Mistake.

The website for this project:

Resources on Internment by Masako Fukawa

inkjet printer. Seventy of the imageswere printed on photo-quality paperand were displayed onto a portablebulletin board. The bulletin board wasexhibited at the Senior Judo

Tournament held at the StevestonCommunity Center in February 2003.Other images will be printed for otherphoto gallery displays at the ReunionBarbeque scheduled for August 2003

Steveston Judo Club members on the steps of the Japanese Language School(Doi Family photo, ca. 1935)

and Banquet scheduled forNovember 2003.

The photo-quality paper andprinter ink used for this project cost$187, or about $2.70 for each print.On the other hand, an 8 X 10-inchblack and white photograph wouldcost approximately $10 to print froma negative. If there is no negative andthe original photograph has to bephotographed, then there is anaddition cost of about $10 for a 35mmnegative. The inkjet-printout displayfor the Senior Judo Tournament costless than one-seventh that of acomparable display with black andwhite photographs. The inkjet-printouts on photo quality paper areof high-enough standard for displaypurposes. They are also cheapenough that different printouts can beprinted for every occasion. With thescanned images stored on CDs, theSteveston Judo Club will be able toreproduce appropriate inkjet-printoutsfor all future events. a

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www.japanesecanadianhistory.net.

Development Team members are:Secondary:Masako Fukawa, Project LeaderRichard Beardsley, Richmond SD

A Legacy of Stories: Storytelling in My Life by Yukiko Tosa

(School District)Bruce Kiloh, Coquitlam SDRichard Per, Burnaby SDJane Turner, Burnaby SDMike Whittingham, Richmond SD

Intermediate:Masako Fukawa, Project LeaderSusan Nishi, Richmond SDGreg Miyanaga, Coquitlam SDPatricia Tanaka, Coquitlam SD a

Continued on page 10

As a Children’s Librarianand Storyteller, I have often thoughtabout how I began this journey ofsharing Japanese folk stories withchildren and adults. I think it beganon my mother’s back as she carriedme about as a young child.

I spent my early years inJapan. Born to a Japanese motherand a Japanese-Canadian father, itwas not only my mother’s great loveof stories and literature that drew meto her. I remember finding suchcomfort, security and happiness in thevibrations of her high-pitched voiceand the warmth of her body.

In many ways my motherwanted me to have some connectionwith the stories she grew up with andshe continued the tradition of oralstorytelling. She did this not only forthe enjoyment of it but also as ateaching tool – instilling morals intoher child. She also used some scarierstories to traumatize me intoobedience. Those Japanese“Obake” or ghost stories can be quitehaunting!

As we moved to Vancouverand back to my father’s roots, myparents wanted me to become“Canadianized” so they encouragedme to go to church where I wastaught the stories of Jesus and cameto love the inspirational Parables ofJesus.

However, at the same time,my mother wanted me to beconnected to my heritage throughstories. She instilled in me a greatlove for literature and especiallyJapanese folktales and legends. Wealso watched a lot of the “MukashiBanashi” stories in Japanese on the

Multicultural channel.As I became acquainted

with Western folktales, the “happily-ever-after” endings often surprisedme. Many of the Japanese tales Ilearned did not share such blissfulendings. They seemed more real andoften echoed the human condition.

I was able to hone mystorytelling skills in church as Ishared the stories of Jesus withyoung children. I was never exposedto a storytelling group until adulthood.

As I began my career as aChildren’s Librarian, there weremore opportunities to share storieswith children, both from a written textand orally. The value of readingaloud to children is immeasurable.

Often I am asked to shareJapanese stories with children. Mymother’s stories were always inJapanese and for years I had beenenjoying the stories collected andtranslated into English by LafcadioHearn and Yoshiko Uchida.

I began to tell more of thesestories, such as “Urashima-Taro”,“The Crane Wife” and “The BambooCutter’s Daughter” and realized thatthese particular stories that I lovedso much had such tragic endings andoften the consequences of life canbe tragic.

So to balance things out, Iwould also share the great stories ofwit and wisdom such as “The ThreeStrong Women” or “The Wise OldWoman” that spoke of positivefemale influences and the wisdom ofour elders.

Recently, I have had theprivilege of working with UzumeTaiko to retell the story of “The

Drums of Noto Hanto” and havecome to appreciate the value andpower of combining music with oralstorytelling.

Also I am now combining mylove of origami with storytelling tocreate what is called “storigamis”.This is a challenging task since youneed to think of how to fold the paperto match the story you are sharing.It is also a wonderful device to teachthe art of origami to children.

Even in her old age, mymother’s influence never ceased - shewas a voracious reader andcontinued being a teller of tales andhad a wonderful capacity to enjoy agood joke or to laugh at her ownhumour. She always encouraged meto tell her stories and to show her thelatest “storigamis” even if it was inEnglish. This gave me a greatappreciation for the art of bilingualstorytelling.

It has now been three yearssince my mother passed away but Itreasure the memories and the storiesshe shared with me. Betsy Warlandin her poignant book “Bloodroot:tracing the untelling of motherloss”wrote these touching words:

Our story ourselves.My mother birthed me & birthedstory in me.She spoke words to me as soon asshe held me.Her placenta of words began toenvelop me.My mother taught me language,which is how to exist.There is no story without mother. 1

My mother created in me alove of storytelling, and this is a

10

legacy I need to carry on and to sharewith others.

Periodically, I am askedabout the rich collection of Japanesechildren’s literature housed at theVancouver Public Library. We arevery fortunate to have this wealth ofchildren’s stories set in Japan andwritten by Japanese authors andillustrators, as well as non-Japaneseauthors and illustrators. Theseinclude picture books, novels,folktales and informational books.There is also a nice representationof Japanese-Canadian and Japanese-American children’s stories. TheLibrary also has an excellentselection of books for children inJapanese that are kept in theMultilingual Collection of the CentralLibrary.

The following is an annotatedbibliography of some of the Japanesefolktales that have been translatedinto English and are held in theChildren’s Library, SpecialCollections and in the Adult Divisionsof the Vancouver Public Library. Ihope that this list will be a usefulguide in starting or in continuing therich tradition of sharing Japanesestories with the children and adultsin your life.

Please contact Yukiko Tosaat the Vancouver Public Library(604-331-3663) if you would like toreceive the full bibliography titled “ASelected and AnnotatedBibliography of JapaneseFolktales at the Vancouver PublicLibrary”.

1Warland, Betsy. Bloodroot:tracing the untelling of motherloss.

Toronto: Second Story Press, c2000:p. 183.

Haviland, Virginia, 1911. Favoritefairy tales told in Japan. Ill. byCarol Inouye. New York: BeechTree Books, 1996. (This is acollection of five traditionalJapanese tales)

Nishimoto, Keisuke. Japanesefairy tales. Ill. by Yoko Imoto.Trans. by Dianne Ooka Torrance,CA : Heian, 1999, c1998. (Acollection in 2 volumes of well-known Japanese tales each with 5or 6 tales included in each andsweetly illustrated by Imoto. Thereis also a Note to Parents on how tocapture a child’s imaginationthrough stories from ProfessorNishimoto of Showa Woman’sCollege.)

Uchida, Yoshiko. The dancingkettle, and other Japanese folktales. Ill. by Richard C. Jones.New York: Harcourt, Brace [1949].(This is one of the first collectionsof fourteen familiar tales translatedand adapted by the well-knownJapanese American author Uchidawith black and white drawings byJones. A Glossary andPronunciation guide is included.These are excellent for oralstorytelling.)

Uchida, Yoshiko. The magiclistening cap; more folk talesfrom Japan. Retold and ill. byYoshiko Uchida. New York:Harcourt, Brace [c1955]. (This isa collection of fourteen moreclassic folk tales collected andadapted by Uchida. Glossaryincluded.)

Uchida, Yoshiko. The sea of gold,and other tales of Japan.Adapted by Yoshiko Uchida. Ill. byMarianne Yamaguchi. New York:Scribner [1965]. Also: Berkeley:Creative Arts Book, 1988. (This isa collection of twelve morefolktales selected by Uchida andenhanced by Yamaguchi’s black andwhite charcoal drawings. Glossaryincluded.)

Hearn, Lafcadio, 1850-1904 andothers. Japanese fairy tales. Withan introduction by Phyllis Fenner[and] illus. in full color by “Kay”.New York, Liveright [1953].

Kawabata, Yasunari, 1899-1972.The tale of the bamboo cutter =Taketori Monogatari.Trans. by Donald Keeene. Ill. byMasayuki Miyata. Tokyo ; NewYork : Kodansha International,1998. (English and Japanese onopposite pages. The classic talebeautifully illustrated by Miyata.)

Kawai, Hayao. The Japanesepsyche: major motifs in the fairytales of Japan. Woodstock, Conn.: Spring Publications, 1996. (newedition of the 1988 edition.Translation of “Mukashibanashi toNihonjin no kokoro”. This studyapproaches the often hauntingdepth of the Japanese soul byinterpreting some major themes infairy tales using a Jungianapproach. Comparative thematicstudies are presented fromJapanese and Western tales.) a

Yukiko Tosa (LTh; BEd; MLS) is aChildren’s Librarian at the CentralBranch of the Vancouver PublicLibrary.

In my short 4 months withthe Japanese Canadian NationalMuseum I have not yet had thepleasure of meeting all of ourmembers and supporters. However,of those I have met I haveconsistently observed a passion and

dedication to the museum, its purposeand its success.

As your employee it is myprivilege to serve such passion andto strive to fulfil the expectations thataccompany that passion. It is in thisspirit that I am pleased to provide you

with a progress report and a glimpseat where we are going in theimmediate future.

Since my arrival in Februarythe bulk of my time has been takenup with restarting or concludingprojects that were begun some time

JCNM Manager/Curator’s Report by Steve Turnbull

11

ago. Among these are:The continuing

partnership with the NikkeiFishermen’s Committee. Thisvery positive relationship will yielda book on the Nikkei fishingcommunity and itsaccomplishments as well as anexhibit at the museum that willreflect upon the community, itshistory and its contributions.

Japanese CanadianPhotographers project. This project,conceived and led by Grace EikoThomson has been ongoing since theSpring of 2001. In March themuseum completed a plan to guidethe project to completion of itsobjectives; a catalogue of photos andessays concerning early JapaneseCanadian studio photographers, anda traveling exhibit on the samesubject.

Leveling The Playing Field. Fundraising and initial planning forthis exhibit on the Asahi baseballteam and its community began a yearand a half ago. To restart the projectI have drafted a plan and recruitedthe assistance of Asahi authority PatAdachi of Toronto among otherknowledgeable individuals. Openingof the exhibit is tentatively plannedfor next Spring.

Museum Kit project. I havebeen working with Mas Fukawa, themuseum’s volunteer EducationCoordinator to assist her with the goalof having the museum’s new school“outreach” kit complete andcirculating to schools in September.

We have also had a numberof new projects in progress including:

? A new exhibit Saved ForOur Future; Stories From Our Past,a temporary exhibit of recentacquisitions to the museumcollection. This is expected to openin late June.

A new “digital” exhibitfunded by the Department ofCanadian Heritage. The museum will“digitize” its existing exhibit OurMothers Patterns, a look at the dressmaking trade within the JapaneseCanadian community, add any newmaterial that ongoing researchprovides, and create an exhibit thatwill be featured on the VirtualMuseum of Canada web site to beenjoyed by Internet surfers worldwide.

Sleeping Tigers premiere. The museum planned and hosted theworld premiere of this fascinatingfilm about Vancouver’s famousAsahi baseball team. This nationalevent included special guests from

across the country and the activeparticipation of the National FilmBoard. It was the largest “sit down”event ever held at the National NikkeiHeritage Centre.

A special presentation byJacqueline Gresko. In honour ofInternational Museums Day (May 18)and Asian Heritage month themuseum hosted Ms. Gesko speakingto an enthusiastic audience on thetopic “Catholic Missions to theJapanese Canadian Community inVancouver and Steveston. Ms.Gresko is a History Instructor atDouglas College in NewWestminster.

Collections Program. Through the efforts of staffers DaienIde and Tim Savage the museum hascontinued its vigorous program ofcollecting and preserving the heritageof the Japanese CanadianCommunity.

The museum is active andbusily pursuing its mandate, so muchso that space does not permit me toreport on everything that ishappening. If you wish to know moreor think we should be doing more Ineed to hear from you. I can bereached at the museum (604-777-8000) or via e-mail atsturnbull@nikkeiplace.org. a

Addendum to JCNM President’s Report 2001-2002 by Stan FukawaIn July of 2002, the Museum

membership voted 95.1% in favourof merger with the NNHCS. TheMuseum Board expected that themerger would take place within twomonths and that the 2001-2002 yearwould be the final year for ourexistence as an independentorganization. The two organizationshave been integrating theiroperations, and for most purposes,are one organization. Even in theannual Mochitsuki, the Museumvolunteers joined with the NikkeiCentre Auxiliary very smoothly tocarry off that special event.

However, one final formality remainsbefore we are officially united, andthat is the signing of the agreement.

Because we were notformally merged, it was decided towrite an addendum to the annualreport for the 2001-2002 year whichwas published in both the JCCABulletin and the Nikkei Voice last fall.

I would like to begin with acorrection which must be made to the2001-2002 Annual Report. TheJapan Tour of Obaachan’s Gardenwas there described as a Museumproject. It was, in fact, a joint projectwith Linda Ohama and apologies are

due to Linda for the misnomer. Weare very grateful to her for hergenerosity in donating her wonderfulfilm to be part of the joint enterprisewhich created a Japanese versionshown to thousands of viewers in 13cities across Japan. Distributionrights to the Japanese version weregranted to us by the NFB for creatingthe Japanese subtitles. In deferenceto Linda’s wishes, these rights willbe transferred to the Onomichi groupin Obaachan’s birthplace which willbe able to utilize the proceeds to

Continued on page 12

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Museum Formally Merges with NNHCS by Stan FukawaOn May 10, 2003, the

representatives of the JapaneseCanadian National Museum Board ofDirectors and of the newly renamedNational Nikkei Museum andHeritage Centre, signed the formalmerger document. Signing for theMuseum were the President StanFukawa and founding PresidentFrank Kamiya; and for theNNM&HC, President MitsuoHayashi and founding President,Robert Banno.

The combining of the twoorganizations had begun six monthsago with the sharing of staff positions.At the end of May 2003, theorganizations will become onefinancially.

There seemed to be someconfusion among a few people in theaudience about whether or not the

merger had been approved. It hadalready been approved by theMuseum membership in July 2002,and the two signing officers had beenauthorized to act on behalf of themembership if they were satisfied thatspecific conditions had been met.

The ballot read asfollows…Resolution for the Mergerof the Japanese Canadian NationalMuseum (JCNM) and the NationalNikkei Heritage Centre Society(NNHCS).“BE IT RESOLVED THAT:1. the Directors of the JCNM beauthorized to merge the JCNM withtheNational Nikkei Heritage CentreSociety (“NNHCS”), in a processwhich includes:

(a) the adoption of a new namefor the merged organization

such as “Japanese CanadianNational Museum and NikkeiHeritage Centre” or similarmutually agreeable name whichclearly expresses the concept ofa Japanese Canadian nationalmuseum.(b) the retention by the mergedorganization of the nationalmandate of the JCNM and theoriginal museum goals outlinedin the JCNM Constitution.(c ) the board of directors of themerged organization to beconstituted, for the first threeyears, of half of the directorsfrom the JCNM, the other halffrom the NNHCS.

(d) the merging together ofthe assets and liabilities of theJCNM and the NNHCS.

2. the President and Vice-President

continue the heritage of AsayoMurakami, and her indomitable spirit.The Canada Friendship Associationof Japan must also be thanked fortheir support without which the Tourcould not have been carried out sosuccessfully in such a short time, asmust our donors: Dept. of ForeignAffairs, Toyota Canada, and theNFB.

This past year and a half hasbeen a difficult time for the Board ofDirectors and the Museum staff.The process of hiring a newExecutive Director took longer thanwe had wished because of thechanges in the job description due tothe merger. We have been able tohire a Full-time Manager/Curator.He has a Master’s degree inMuseum Studies from the Universityof Toronto, has many years ofexperience in Museum curatorial andeducational work, has served asPresident of the BC MuseumsAssociation, and in his short tenurehas already impressed us with hisplanning, budgeting, PR, negotiatingand consultative skills. We are

confident that he will do an excellentjob in managing and developing theJCNM.

Since the arrival of theManager/Curator, the staff has beenactively pursuing Board priorities.Among these are the continuation ofsupport to the Nikkei Fishermen’sCommittee which will lead to thepublication of two books on theNikkei fishing committee andeventually an exhibit at the JCNM onthe community and its history. Theplanning for the Asahi Baseballexhibit “Leveling the Playing Field”which is tentatively scheduled to openin April 2004. As well new exhibitswill fill the gallery while these largerexhibits are in development. Theseinclude an exhibit entitled “Who WeWere” focusing on 20th centuryfishing and dressmaking, and “StoriesFrom Our Past” an exhibit of recentacquisitions to the Museumcollection. This March, the Museumreceived a grant to digitize a pastexhibit “Our Mother’s Patterns”, andmost recently in April, the Museumhosted the world premiere of an NFB

documentary directed by JariOsborne “Sleeping Tigers: The AsahiBaseball Story”.

Although the Museum Boardwill cease to exist as such, theMuseum will remain under its presentname. Most of the current Boardmembers are offering to serve themerged new Board, demonstratingtheir desire to support the Museumand the Heritage Centre. I amconfident that the legacy of this Boardwill be much appreciated for itssuccess in realizing the merger withthe NNHCS and for its steadiness atthe helm in rough seas. My personalthanks to all the Board members fortheir commitment to the Museum andtheir willingness to persevere evenwhen the work was time-consumingand difficult. Thanks also to ourmembers and generous donors, to ourmany committed volunteers, to theNNHCS Board, the CEO of NikkeiPlace, staff members of both theNNHCS and the Museum, and to ourdistinguished National Advisors. Yoursupport has enabled us to get towhere we are. a

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On June 28, 2003, the pre-war Japanese Canadian baseballteam, known as the Vancouver Asahi,will be inducted into the CanadianBaseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys,Ontario. On that special day, KayeKaminishi, now a resident ofKamloops, BC, and a former Asahiteam member, will be present. Tobe sure, where possible, so will all ofthe remaining Asahi players. Othernotable recipients being honoured inthe same ceremony are Joe Carterof the Toronto Blue Jays, Richard

Belec, a founder of Baseball Quebec,and former major league pitcher, KirkMcCaskill.

Most Canadians have neverheard of the Vancouver Asahi, butthey will go down in history as atalented group of athletes, many ofthem nisei, who excelled at a gamethey weren’t supposed to excel in,one that was quintessentially NorthAmerican. The odds were stackedagainst them but they found a wayto win despite that fact; this is whythey were and still are so admired.

Produced by the NFB,“Sleeping Tigers” is an historicalvalentine to the legendary Asahiteam. It is both an uplifting celebrationof a group of young athletes and amoving document of a community andtime in Canadian history thatshouldn’t be forgotten.

The director, Jari Osborne,accomplishes this by includingrecreations of the Asahi playersgathering for practise, silhouettedagainst a rising/setting sun. She alsouses war-era-style music on thesoundtrack, which helps to evoke themood of the time. By incorporatinginterviews with surviving members ofthe team as well as JapaneseCanadians and Caucasians whoremember attending or participating

REVIEW – NFB Documentary, “Sleeping Tigers:The Asahi Baseball Story” by Liz Nunoda

Kaye Kaminishi at the World Premiereof “Sleeping Tigers”. (JCNM photo,2003)

Continued on page 14

of the JCNM be jointly authorized toexecute all instruments anddocuments necessary to carry outand give effect to these resolutions.”PLEASE CHECK THE SPACE

BELOW WHICH AGREES WITHYOUR INTENT

____ YES, I agree with theresolution above, and vote for its

adoption.____ NO, I do not agree with

the resolution, and vote against itsadoption. a

in team games, Ms. Osborne createsan effective overall picture of whothe players were, what theyrepresented to the community, and thesocial and political environment theywere living and playing in. The filmalso recounts what happened to teammembers when the governmentissued orders leading to internmentand forced dispersal of all JapaneseCanadians. While in camp, manyteam members reunited to play yetagain, much to the thrill of their fanswho were interned alongside them.

The documentary also showssome of the surviving membersattending a recent Toronto Blue Jayspre-game ceremony in the Sky Domein which one of the Asahi threw outthe first pitch. A team photo was alsoprinted on all Blue Jays season’stickets issued that year.

I will take this opportunity tothank Jari Osborne for her energy,hard work and dedication in creatingthis important and entertaining filmrecord of these community and sportsicons. In making this she hashonoured them and the history of theJapanese Canadian community, andhas made an important contributionto keeping our history alive for futuregenerations. a

Museum Celebrates Successful Event by Steve TurnbullThe Japanese Canadian

National Museum hosted the worldpremiere of a new National FilmBoard of Canada film at a festiveevent held April 13. The film, entitled“Sleeping Tigers: The Asahi BaseballStory”, directed by Toronto writer/director Jari Osborne, premiered atthe National Nikkei Museum and

Heritage Centre in Burnaby beforea sell-out crowd of 500.

The 50-minute documentarytells the story of Vancouver’scelebrated Asahi baseball team, thepride of the city’s Japanese-Canadiancommunity. During its relatively shortlife, 1914-1942, the team gained ameasure of equality and respect for

the Japanese-Canadian community ata time when Canadians of Japaneseancestry were treated as second-class citizens. The Asahi fans, manyof whom were Caucasian, cheeredthe team on to 5 consecutive amateurchampionships in the PacificNorthwest.

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REVIEW - SUTEBUSUTON: A Japanese Village on theBritish Columbia Coast by Midge Ayukawa

This is Moe Yesaki’s fourth book centring on thefishing industry in Steveston, British Columbia, and is themost comprehensive by far. It is a critical study of thesocial and political atmosphere of the whole industry withparticular emphasis on the vital role that Japaneseimmigrants played in it.

Moe was thorough in his research. He delvedinto BC directories, census data, company ledgers, andwhat may well be every available source of written andoral information. He recruited the expertise of SakuyaNishimura, a volunteer at the Japanese Canadian NationalMuseum, who carefully went through the Japaneselanguage material which is inaccessible to many.

From the earliest Japanese who came to

When Canada declared waron Japan in 1942 everyone ofJapanese descent, including manywho were Canadian citizens, weresent to internment camps in the B.C.interior. The team was broken up asits members were sent to variouscamps. Even then the individualAsahi members continued to playbaseball, organizing games in theircamps, sometimes with localtownspeople and in the processbreaking down cultural barriersbetween them.

In his remarks at thepremiere of Sleeping Tigers, StanFukawa, President of the JapaneseCanadian National Museum Societysaid of the film “…Sleeping Tigersis not just a west coast story but anational story, not just a baseballstory but a societal story, it isinspirational and not just a pagein our Japanese Canadian historybut a chapter in the history of adeveloping multicultural Canada”.Mr. Fukawa concluded by saying itwas very fitting that the National FilmBoard gave the museum the greathonour of premiering the film.

I want to take thisopportunity to thank all of you whohelped make the world premièrescreening of “Sleeping Tigers: TheAsahi Baseball Story” the great

success that it was. From thewonderful receptions we held forinvited guests and later for thegeneral public to the warmth andexcitement of the screening itself theevent was conducted flawlessly andthe evening was a memorable one. The comments from National FilmBoard representatives in attendanceindicated that they were veryimpressed. So too was Director JariOsborne who sent us this messageof thanks:

Dear Steve,What a memorable event! I

want to thank you and everyoneinvolved for the warm and generousreception of Sleeping Tigers. It waslovely! I was quite overwhelmed byboth the numbers and the responseto the film. So many peopleapproached me personally to expressthe nicest things and to thank me—to thank me!— for making the film.As I said, the thanks is all to those inthe community who claim this storyand kept it alive in their hearts so thatI could retrieve it and give it voice.

Please forgive me for notbeing in touch earlier to thank you,but I was sidelined by an injury. Ibroke my leg (!) while still inVancouver and have had to spend alot of time in various emergencywards before and after returning to

Toronto! I’m all braced up andhobbling about on

crutches—but I’m fine! So,please keep in touch and let me knowif and how I can be of

assistance to you in puttingthe exhibit together. Once againplease convey my sincere thanks toall those involved in putting togetherthe screening for Sleeping Tigers.

Yours, Jari

Steveston, the arrival of many more men, especially fromMio-mura, the start of the family unit, the gradualformation of a vibrant Japanese community, and itsdestruction—Moe has covered it all in great detail.

The Fishermen’s Association, with its firstpresident Tomekichi Homma was organized in 1897.From this organization stemmed “medicare beforeMedicare” at the Fishermen’s Hospital. The closely-knit community helped each other with financialorganizations that provided relief funds and loans, religiousinstitutions, Japanese language schools, and even sharedwith the Richmond School Board the cost of building LordByng Elementary School. The Association handled everyproblem that turned up; from strikes, low cannery

Jari Osbourne at the screening ofSleeping Tigers. (JCNM photo, 2003)

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This article contains excerpts from an audio tapewhich I received from Kinzie Tanaka when I wasresearching information for my book “The Exiles”. Muchof the information he provided ended up in the biographiesof his brother George and himself in Chapter 7 of “TheExiles”. Unfortunately I did not date the tape when itwas received, but it probably would have been sometime

Kinzie Tanaka, Political Activist, Excerpts from a Memoirby Yon Shimizu

in late 1992 or early 1993 that he sent it to me. Thefollowing audiotape transcript has been edited for brevityand ease of reading.

“The earliest recollection that I have is whenI was just a little fellow in Vancouver, BC, but I laterfound out that I was born in Japan. How I came to beborn in Japan was a little bit interesting. My fathercame to Canada around 1896 as young man, I believehe was in his early 20s, and a few years later mymother came to Vancouver and married my father.This took place somewhere around 1905-1906.George my brother was born in 1912. The first GreatWar started in 1914 and my mother was carrying meat that time. My father thought it would be better formy mother and George to go to Japan where he felt itmight be safer for them because there were somerumours that German U-boats were in the Pacific.Consequently, I was born in Japan on April the 28th,1915. Mother stayed with myself and George forabout a year because she didn’t want to travel withsuch a young baby. It seemed like the Pacific coast

Kinzie and Terry Tanaka ( Kinzie Tanaka photo, 2003)

Continued on page 16

SUTEBUSUTON by Mitsuo Yesaki. Peninsula PublishingCo., Vancouver, BC, 2003.

payments, to coping with government decisions todecrease the number of Japanese fishers. Moe discussedthe production of salt chum salmon, salt herring, andsalmon roe for export to Japan, and the ship-buildingindustry. He has also clarified why, while many fromother villages retired to Japan, people from Mio-murabecame permanent residents of Canada. It’s all there.

Moe’s latest book is a gold mine of informationnot only for Japanese Canadians who are curious aboutthe pioneers and their society, but also for mainstreamhistory buffs. Everything is well documented so fastidiousacademics can check the sources. My only reservationis that Moe has made a number of references to NIKKEIIMAGES and although he cites the page and the volume,he does not specify the exact article, its writer, or theJCNM. Moe has assured me that he is going to see to itthat copies will be deposited in various suitable locations.However, my greatest concern is that fifty years hence,tracing those articles may become very difficult unlessthere is clearer documentation.

I urge everyone to read the book, learn aboutthe past, and feast your eyes on the great collection ofphotos. Moe is to be highly commended for retrieving amost vital part of our JC history. Perhaps one day hewill research the post-1949 period when many Niseireturned to fishing and gradually “equalized the fishingfield.” a

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was fairly safe, so my fatherarranged for my brother and me,as a baby, to return to Vancouver.These things I didn’t know until Igrew up a little more and as I said,as a youngster all I remember isplaying on Burrard St. nearPender because my father had atailoring establishment at 517Burrard St. There were no cars inthose days or very few cars andmy father was one of the very fewpeople who owned a car and it wasa car called an Allen. I don’tsuppose you ever heard of that,but it was a vehicle that didn’t gomuch above 30 or 40 miles an hour.Anyway, it was rather interestingthat my father would have this carbecause there were so few in thecity and I guess I didn’t realise atthe time he was moreadventuresome than a lot ofJapanese that had come toCanada, because I do rememberhim as a sportsman. He lovedhunting, he would go hunting forducks and geese and snipes andpheasants and so on and I wouldbe so impressed and so happywhen he would come back withthese birds at different times of theyear. My father died in 1924. Hewas about 51 years of age and hehad some problem I think with hisliver that’s what I sort of remember.I was 9 years old at that time, mybrother was 12.

My father had a fairlygood tailoring establishment but ofcourse my mother couldn’t carryon. We subsequently found a littlehouse in Collingwood East nearBurnaby and not far from CentralPark. I attended the public schoolat Carleton, it’s called CarletonPublic School and I graduatedfrom that school, I guess I was 14years of age and I entered theVancouver Technical School andmy brother he was ahead of me andhe went to Vancouver Technical

School also and as he wasgraduating I was just starting. TheDepression was starting to comeinto full force and by the time Igraduated in 1932 or 1933 theGreat Depression was really uponus at that time. You can imaginewhen I went to look for a job, whenI was 18 or 19 years of age andbeing of Japanese heritage, therewere just no jobs available.Finally, I got a summer job in alogging camp up the coast ofBritish Columbia at a place calledStillwater, BC. It actually was ashingle camp, and we were inlanda bit, and the person I worked forwas a Japanese fellow by the nameof Mr. Ide. I think he came fromthe interior of BC somewhere andhe was a very short, wiry, stocky,sort of fellow. He was like thecamp boss of our group of campworkers and, of course we workedfor some larger organisation thathired him, and he hired us. Iremember working in that campand that was my first experienceat real hard physical labour. Iremember during the first week Iwas so physically tired, that afterdinner and after bath, I would liedown on my bunk and fall fastasleep by 8 o’clock. We worked a10-hour day and working a 10-hour day in a logging campcertainly disciplines you to theresponsibility of trying to be aman.

In my late teens I guess itwas, maybe 17, 18 years of age, Ibecame a member of the JapaneseCanadian Citizens League, apolitical action group representingthe Japanese Canadians inVancouver especially and I didparticipate in some of theirendeavours and that is where I firstmet Tommy Shoyama.

When Pearl Harbour cameand the Government decided to dothis evacuation business, I was the

first to be shipped off amongst ourfamily, I think the date was Marchthe 12th, 1942. The CN train that’sjust off Main Street the CN terminalthere, that’s where I embarked. andif you will recall there was a curfewon at that time and any Japanese-Canadians couldn’t be on thestreets after 7 o’clock. I had gottento know my present wife, Terry. Atthat time she was Terry Kitamura,and she wanted to come down tosay good-bye to me, but she hadto leave before the train pulled outbecause she just couldn’t becaught around after 7 o’clock.Three or four of my Caucasianfriends came down to say good-bye, and this was I guess, around7 o’clock, I don’t quite remember.Then the train pulled out and Iremember later Terry saying thatshe and my mother listened for thetrain whistle because we couldhear the train whistle from wherewe lived in Collingwood East.When she heard the train whistlethey said to each other “there goesKinzie”. We were headed for aplace called Lempriere which was2 stops north of Blue River.

I left the project in April ofthe following year. In 1942 mybrother had gone from his roadcamp up in the Schreiber area inNorthern Ontario down to Valettain South Western Ontario nearChatham to work in the harvestingof sugar beets, hay, etc. He wentwith a Nisei group who decidedthat they would rather work downthere than contend with black fliesup at the Schreiber area. DaveWatanabe was one of them, andseveral of the Nisei who laterjoined the Armed Forces also wentdown there. Dave managed to getto Toronto after the harvesting wasover, and I’ve just forgotten howhe managed that. He’d written tomy brother that he should be ableto get into Toronto through Mr.

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Trueman, the placement person inthe Toronto area, and so mybrother arrived in the fall of 1942.He was able to look around forwork for me so I could have areason, a legitimate reason, tomove to Toronto. He found a radiocompany, a radio trade supplycompany, that was looking for aradio technician because most ofthe technicians in the city ofToronto had all gone into theArmed Forces. I had learned radioat the technical school, at least theelectrical part of it, and self-studied a lot, and we had formedthe Collingwood Amateur RadioClub in those early days. Therewas my brother, myself and Jin Ide,Henry Ide’s older brother. Jin wasone of the founding members ofthis little club too. Together with 2or 3 others, we formed an amateurradio club, so I got to know quitea bit about ham radio. I actuallyhad started a little store inCollingwood at that time and I hadthat store until the time we had tobe evacuated. Of course, I had toclose everything down pretty fast.My experience as a radiotechnician stood me in good steadbecause Mr. Harold Weir of theRadio Trade Supply on YongeStreet said sure, send your brotherover, there’s a job waiting for himhere. So I got permission from theCommission to come to Toronto. I’llnever forget the first day I steppedoff the train at Union Station,which happened to be a Sunday,everything was so quiet. I think itwas around 7 o’clock in themorning and my brother took meacross the street to Murray’srestaurant and I had somebreakfast there. We walked fromthe restaurant to 84 Gerrard St.My brother, Dave Watanabe andLouis Suzuki were all boarding inthis 3 storey house, anestablishment run by a fellow by

the name of Mr. McDonald, andthat was to be my home for a fewyears. That’s where the nucleus ofthe political action group inToronto started, at 84 Gerrard St.My brother, myself, DavidWatanabe, Louis Suzuki andseveral other Nisei, who by thattime had got into Toronto, decidedthat we should form some sort ofpolitical action group. RogerObata had come, I think, fromMontreal, and was staying inToronto at that time, and Iremember Roger was part of ourgroup also. We had decided thatwe would have to have aconstitution, so I remember onenight Roger, George and I met withGeorge Tamaki, who was a lawyer.I don’t know whether he hadgraduated completely or not, but Ido know that he had been studyingat Dalhousie and he was inToronto at that time staying for awhile. We got together and withsome input from the three of us, heactually wrote the wholeconstitution for us. That’s how theJapanese Canadian Committee forDemocracy was established. It wasquite an active group. Youremember the shoyu question, theArmed Forces question and all theother controversial questions thatcame up during that period. Wehad very hectic public meetings atthe Carlton United Church and theChurch of All Nations. We had alot of meetings and a lot ofcontroversial discussions went on.Some Nisei were adamantly againstjoining the Armed Forces, but weas a JCCD group felt that if wewere going to be Canadians andrecognised as Canadians, as weshould have been, one way toprove it was that we would take theresponsibility of laying it on theline by joining the Armed Forces.That’s when Roger Obata, mybrother George, Dave Watanabe,

Louis Suzuki, and many others thatwere concerned and connectedwith the JCCD volunteered for theArmed Forces. I did also, but beingborn in Japan they wouldn’t acceptme at that time. When the boysfinally joined up and moved toboot camp, I was left alone with agood group of Nisei girls. We hadestablished the “NISEI AFFAIRS”just prior to that, so it was our jobto try and carry on and keeppublishing the newsletter. Wewould send them out to the boyswhen they were in the ArmedForces in Vancouver. Some of thecopies, as you told me, ended upin the Archives in Ottawa. I spentmany, many hours doing this typeof work trying to keep theorganisation going while all theother fellows were in the armedforces.

When the war ended andthe boys were being discharged, wefelt there had to be a continuationof the political action group we’dstarted. We needed somebody thatwould devote full time towardsorganizing the many aspects thatneeded to be looked after. Themain one, of course, was theproperty question. My brother,George, finally was persuaded totake on the job. I think TommyShoyama was asked to take it on,but I think he was in Winnipeg atthat time and he declined, and soGeorge, took on the job. Heworked very, very hard duringthose years, travelling across thecountry a couple of times as Iremember, going to Ottawa andmeeting with various officials inOttawa about this propertiesquestion and other related thingswhich were very, very prominent atthat time in the minds of allJapanese Canadians. Finally, in1947 I believe, we felt that theJCCD should be organized

Continued on page 18

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In April 1942, our family leftHaney, B.C. on a train which alreadyhad large numbers of evacuees fromSteveston and Vancouver. Wereached Calgary, Alberta the nextmorning where it was still very cold.We finally arrived in Lethbridge thatafternoon where it was nice andsunny, but the wind was a bit cold.We all sat by our belongings alongthe railway platform. There was aB.C. Security Commissioner sittingthere dispatching all the people todifferent farms. There were farmerslined up to pick up the people. Theywere dispatched to Raymond, Taber,Picture Butte and many other places.When we found out that we weregoing to Commissioner Bill Andrews’farm, everybody thought we werevery lucky. And so, too, did we. Theysaid the farm was about five milesout of Lethbridge and I thought tomyself that was not too bad. Therewas a nice truck waiting to pick usup so I thought the farmer must bewell off.

After riding on the back ofthe truck going south towardsRaymond our luck seems to change,because five miles passed into morelike ten miles until we came to theairport. From there we turned off onto

a dirt road and continued for anotherthree miles to the gate to theAndrews’ farm. The truck turnedthrough the gate, passed theAndrews’ house and finally came tostop in front of an old shack. We saidthis couldn’t be it. We asked the driverand he said this is it. We unloadedour things and then the driver said hewas going home. He was a neighbor,so the nice truck went with him.

The shack was only about 12-feet by 12-feet, with single boardwalls. It had two small windows anda sagging door with wooden latch.We had to lift the sagging, creakydoor to look inside. There was an oldbroken-down cook stove that a junkman wouldn’t want to cart away. Ithad only three legs and in place ofthe missing leg were two bricksholding up that corner. The top of thestove sagged and the firebox grateswere burned off with hardly anythingto hold the coal, so we really had ahard time starting the first fire. Afterfour or five attempts, we finally gotthe knack of starting a fire. Therewas an old banged-together table andno chairs, just a few apple boxes. Wehad to get more apple boxes toaccommodate everyone. The shackwas partially divided into 3 rooms.

One room was about 5-feet by 6-feetwith no door. Another room wasabout 6-feet by 12-feet with twowooden beds about 3-feet wide, eachwith a straw mattress. The thirdroom had one bed about 3-feet wideand a straw mattress. Twobedspreads were hung on thedoorways. Breezes coming throughcracks on the single board wallsswung the bedspreads back andforth. We stacked whatever boxeswe had for use as cupboards andcounter top to wash dishes. We hadto go about 200 yards to Andrews’house for drinking water. Water fromthe pond beside the shack was usedfor washing dishes and otherwashing. Horses and cows walkedout into the pond to drink.

The cracks in the walls werenice in the summer when the weatherwas hot; it was like an air conditioner.The spring was time for beet thinning,which was hard work because whenclay soil dries it hardens like concrete.Weeding time came after thinningand then was followed by hoeing.These were all back-breaking tasks.There was a break after hoeing untilharvesting time. Beet harvesting wasanother back-breaking task on a farmwith no machinery, which our farmer

Unlucky Sugar Beet Workers by Yoshiaki Matsumoto

nationally, because there wereJapanese Canadians all across thecountry forming small groups thatwere doing work similar to whatwe were trying to do. We had aConference in Toronto and that’swhen we established the JapaneseCanadian Citizens Association.Mike Masaoka from the UnitedStates came up to speak to us atthat time and gave a very inspiringtalk. So the JCCA was formed, andI was involved in that also.

I wanted to ease out of thisvery hectic period of working inthe JCCA and I wanted to spendmore time on my actual career asfar as earning a living was

concerned. My brother, George,also resigned as ExecutiveSecretary; I think it was around1951. He started to develop hislandscape architect’s business.Now around 1978, 1979, 1980, theRedress question became the focalpoint of most Japanese Canadiansacross the country and I rememberattending a conference inVancouver in 1980 where thequestion of the Redress was beingdiscussed and that’s where theydecided that the JCCA, as anational organization, should bechanged to NAJC, the NationalAssociation of JapaneseCanadians. I felt a little bit

nostalgic that the JCCA namewouldn’t be around any more as faras the national organisation wasconcerned, but the majority rulingwas that it should be changed tothe NAJC, and I guess that’s thepoint when the Redress questionstarted to move forward.”

Today, Kinzie and his wife,Terry, are living in Mississauga,Ontario. His brother, George, and hiswife, Cana, were killed in anautomobile accident in 1982 in whichKinzie and his wife were also injured.The injuries Terry suffered continueto make life very difficult for her tothis day. a

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Dunlop Tires 7th North American Amateur Sumo ChampionshipsDate: Saturday, August 23rd, 2003. Starting at 10:00 AM.Place: The Steveston Community Centre Tennis Court, Richmond, BC, Canada

4111 Moncton Street, Richmond, B.C.Sanctioned by: The North American Sumo FederationPrice: $25:00 per person. Limited seatingContacts for tickets will be: Jim Kojima Alan Sakai

jkojima@compuserve.com asakai@richmond.sd38.bc.ca 604 276-9510 604 271-0037 Fujiya Japanese Food Stores Steveston Community Center Vancouver 604 251-3711 Marty Tanaka Richmond 604 270-3715 604 718- 8080

The Japanese Canadian National Museum wishes to thank the following people who gave so generously of theirtime to make the World Premiere screening of “Sleeping Tigers; The Asahi Baseball Story”, the great successthat it was:Yash AuraFumi AuraAvalon TagamiTom TagamiJosie MatsubaYuki MatsubaKiyo GotoKaz KoyanagiMay IshikawaAkemi Sakiyama

Yumi MatsudaNaomi KamiyaKay KoyanagiDavid HasegawaTyson NakatsuBev YamauraDave YamauraIrene TsuyukiRuby OkanoJordan Usui

Duane KamiyaMiwa KomoriGeorge YoshiharaLillian YoshiharaMits GotoMary TakeyasuFrank TakeyasuHiroshi MizoguchiTamae Oishi

did not have. That first year, the blastof winter came early at the end ofOctober and we still had beets in theground. We finally finished harvestingthe beets; at times we had to work inthe snow.

Nights were very cold withno heater, just that broken-downcook stove. We woke up in themornings with our bed tops whitewith fine snow that came through thecracks in the walls. I finally went tothe commissioner to see if he woulddo something about it. He finally toldus to go to the chicken house to getthe ¼ inch plywood to line the insideof the shack. There was a 4-feet highstack of ¼ inch plywood and yet wewere not to waste any. We finallyfinished nailing them onto the wall. Itwasn’t easy because everything wasso cramped and there was not much

room to move around. It stoppedmost of the wind and snow fromcoming through, but it was still coldwithout tar-paper and insulation.Luckily, I had all my carpenter’s tools,except for a smooth plane I haddonated to a charity. Kate Andrews,Bill’s wife, asked for a donation andas the only thing I had were tools, Idonated the plane. The broken-downstove wasn’t very helpful in heatingthe shack.

Our luck finally turned for thebetter during the third year when one-third of our 25 acres of beets wasdamaged because of heavy rain inthe spring that left us with only about16 acres, which was not enough tosupport our family. Luckily, we wereable to move to another farm. Aftermoving around to two or threedifferent farms in about three years,

we were allowed to move intoLethbridge and get away from beets.

So that was when our luckfinally turned for the better. Wemoved out to Vancouver in 1952, butafter about 18 months we movedback to Alberta. We returned toVancouver again in 1964 and are stillenjoying our life here. Our house isstill standing in Haney, B.C. We had10 acres of land, which is now allsubdivided. We had a water tankabout 30-feet high, which was usedto irrigate the whole farm. We alsohad two chicken houses; each ofthese buildings was 10-feet by 60-feet with tar-paper and siding, electriclights and running water, so ourchickens had a much better place tolive in than our family had on the beetfarm in Alberta. a

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Members are a vital part of the Museum and we welcome your interest and support. List of NATIONAL NIKKEI MUSEUM ANDHERITAGE CENTRE members to May 15, 2003.Robert & Kazue AbeMr. & Mrs. Yoshimaru AbeC Donna AdamsAK Travel Canada Ltd.Kay AkadaEmiko Akai-PangShizuka AkuneMieko AmanoMr. & Mrs. Tats AokiTsuguo & Grace AraiMitsuyoshi & Keiko ArakiMr. & Mrs. Edward ArnetYoshiharu & Fumiko AuraJane AyukawaMichiko AyukawaFrank BabaKohei BabaRobert Banno & Cathy MakiharaMartha BannoDon & Satoko BellRobert BesslerYasuyo BosshardtDebora Burke & Yoshi ArimaCalgary Kotobuki SocietyOwen Toshio ChartersKatsuji & Kuniko ChibaSumika ChildMichael & Ruth ColesMaurice & Tama CopithorneTamiko CorbettChristian Cowley & ElaineYamamotoAlan & Ruriko DavisShoichi & Ayako DeguchiLa DinsmoreAnne DoreJohn & Karol DubitzJohn DuddlesShigeyoshi & Yoshiko EbataGeorge & Reiko EckenswillerKenneth & Nobu EllisTherese EnderleRandy Enomoto & LynnWestwoodDennis EnomotoKana EnomotoSteve & Ellen EnomotoBruce & Vivian EttingerMalcolm & Keiko Fitz-EarleEsther FreemanRobert & Doreen FriesenJoseph FryFujihisa KaiCatherine FujisawaKyomi FujisawaMargaret FujisawaKay FujishimaFumiko FujiwaraKevin Fukawa & Alison OsborneStanley & Masako FukawaMr. & Mrs. Frank FukuiMakoto FukuiYoshiro & Kimiko FukuokaEdwin & Lyndsay FukushimaTerry GalickWilliam & Doris GirardArthur GoraiHiromi Goto & Tamotsu TonguKiyo GotoTomoko GotoKen & Susan GrattonKiyoko HamadaRoy & Kikuyo HamadeTed & Kay HamadeMr. & Mrs. Shoji HamagamiRoy & Audrey HamaguchiJudy HanazawaMr. & Mrs. Arthur HaraThomas HaraYoshizo John & Yae HaradaKazuji & Chieko HaraguchiM. Grace HarlingJames & Helen HasegawaJennifer HashimotoYoshiharu HashimotoMr. & Mrs. William HashizumeMr. & Mrs. Mas HatanakaRodney HatanakaAllan & Minnie Hattori

Motoharu & Sayo HattoriEllen HayakawaMr. & Mrs. Mickey HayashiMitsuo & Emmie HayashiAmy HayashidaSusan HidakaShowney & Jean HigashiMisao HiguchiKimiko HijigaiFukiko HinatsuJay HirabayashiShigeru & Akemi HiraiMr. & Mrs. Toshio HiraiKikuko HiranoTed & Nancy HirotaIsamu & Masako HoriMarie HoriMikio & Midori HoriMitsuru & Jean HoriTakeo & Tsuruko HosakaYoshio HyodoDaien Ide & Hiroshi MizoguchiNaotaka & Noriko IdeMasako IinoSanaye IkariHaruo & Lily IkedaSusan IkedaGordon & Joan ImaiKatsumi ImayoshiTatsuo ImoriMasayasu & Masako InoueBeverley InouyeChiyoko InouyeKimiko InouyeRoy & Betty InouyeTokuko InouyeYoshitomi & Kimiyo InouyeKaz & Mari IshiiMay IshikawaMr. & Mrs. Noboru IshikawaMr. & Mrs. Klark ItoSumi IwamotoDon & Kumiko IwanakaTeruko IwasakiTak IwataRichard & June KadonagaCharles & Lillian KadotaDiane KadotaGordon & Kyoko KadotaDiane KageTatsuo KageLily KamachiSumiko KamachiShizuo KamezawaMr. & Mrs. Roger KamikuraWalter & Jean KamimuraMr. & Mrs. Koichi KaminishiJohn KamitakaharaFrank & Naomi KamiyaJiro KamiyaBryce KanbaraFumio KannoYosh & Gail KariatsumariMr. & Mrs. Paul KariyaDottie KarrPeter & Marie KatsunoGeorge & June KawaguchiMasanobu KawahiraAmy KawamotoHisako KawamotoMakoto & Mary KawamotoKazuo & Mitsuko KawashimaRichard & Keiko KazutaJohn & Jean KitagawaTosh & Mary KitagawaBill & Addie KobayashiGordon KobayashiMatt & Jean KobayashiSato KobayashiKatsuko (Kitty) KodamaMasaoki & Reiko KodamaJim KojimaMr. & Mrs. Albert KokuryoMay KomiyamaKay KomoriAmy Emiko KoyanagiTeruo & Kazuko KoyanagiYoshiko KoyanagiKazue Kozaka

David & Brenda KumagaiYoko KusanoTom & Hydri KusumotoSeiya & Moko KuwabaraTom & Ceo KuwaharaBernie & Ruby LofstrandErnest & Delphine LoweMargaret LyonsRon & Marion MacQueenMamoru & Peggy MadokoroLarry & Sandra MaekawaHiroshi & Yukimi MakiharaToyoko MalletMika ManiwaDavid Martin & Mizue MoriKeisuke MarukiDavid Masuhara & Beverly WestSharon Masui & Gwilym SmithJosie MatsubaYuki & Mary MatsubaTsutomu & Nobuko MatsumotoYoshiaki & Miyoko MatsumotoJanice MatsumuraShizuko MatsumuraDorothy MatsuneSeishi & Kisako MatsunoHisao & Mariko MatsuokaMitsuyoshi & Lily MatsushitaDon & Connie MayedeCarey & Rosalie McAllisterArt & Keiko MikiJoan MikiRoy MikiDavid & Kiyomi MinamataKaoru & Aki MinatoRitz MisumiFlorence MitaniFrances Miyoko MiyashitaFrank & Kyoko MiyashitaTak & Shizuko MiyazakiMr. & Mrs. Ken MiyoshiCindy MochizukiDon & Rose MohorukKazuhiko & Toshiko MoriMasanao & Shoko MorimuraEiko MorishitaElmer & Sofia MorishitaLillian MorishitaNancy MorishitaSteve & Shirley MorishitaRose MurakamiMasuo & Shigeko NagasakaMary NagoToshio & Kazuko NagumoEsther NakadeDaniel & Rury NakagawaFrances NakagawaShoko NakagawaToshio & Tsuyako NakagawaKaz & Mary NakamotoDick & Anne NakamuraMr. & Mrs. Edward NakamuraPeggy NakanoAlia NakashimaLillian NakashimaTed & Yukiko NakashimaYoshiko NakatsuSeiko NakazawaHenry Grant NaruseBrian & Hitomi NasuLinda NasuYukio & Roberta NasuBryan NegoroTakashi & Keiko NegoroCraig & Sharon Ngai-NatsuharaFrancis Motohisa NiiroPeter & Aster NimiRobert & Jane NimiHitoshi NishiVivien NishiShoji & Eve NishihataRon NishimuraSakuya NishimuraShigeko NishimuraDr. & Mrs. Nori NishioJanet NittaAlisa NodaRobert Nomura

Elizabeth NunodaMichiko ObaraGinko OchiaiToshio OdamuraYukihide OgasawaraYutaka Ed OgawaLinda Ohama & Jack DarcusBaco OhamaMary OharaNaoko OhkohchiGeorge & Gene OikawaJoyce OikawaLorene OikawaSadako OikawaToshi OikawaHitoshi & Setsuko OkabeLarry OkadaRuby OkanoAmy OkazakiHiroshi & Sachiko OkazakiJean OkazakiKenji OkudaShinichi & Shirley OmatsuYoshie Omura-KamiteMasao & Reiko OnishiRay & Michiko OtaAkira & Mikiko OyeGraham & Sheri ParkeToshiko QuanAileen RandallLinda ReidJoanne RollinsPatricia RoyBjorn & Vivian RygnestadMr. & Mrs. Philip SaitoMr. & Mrs. Satoshi SaitohAlan & Carol SakaiHelen SakamotoKen SakamotoYoshiyuki & Masako SakaueAkemi SakiyamaBunji & Marilyn SakiyamaNoboru & Elizabeth SakiyamaJoyce SakonJoe & Yoshiko SakuradaArnold & Satomi SaperFred SasakiAllison SatoKathleen SatoLaura SatoVirginia SatoMary SekiYuko ShibataEva ShihoMr. & Mrs. Dennis ShikazeEmiko Amy ShikazeUtaye ShimasakiGeorge & Emiko ShimizuDr. & Mrs. Henry ShimizuKatherine ShimizuRalph & Chiyomi ShimizuTed & Shiz ShimizuMr. & Mrs. Tommy ShimizuMr. & Mrs. Yoshio ShimizuGail ShimodaHoward & Jane ShimokuraYoko ShimosakaSam & Kumiko ShindeKazumi J. & Yurika ShintaniYoshiko ShirakoWataru & Barbara ShishidoKatherine ShozawaKit ShudoTomie ShutoDarin & Susan SirovyakMiriam SmithMike Sokugawa & Fumi HoriiMr. & Mrs. Roy SokugawaTatsuya SudoKanji & Yuriko SugaGeorge & Kuni SugiyamaMr. & Mrs. James SugiyamaPeter SugiyamaEd SuguroSuki’s Beauty Bazaar Ltd.Aiko SutherlandCheryl SuzukiYoshiya Tabata

Tom & Avalon TagamiTom I. & Kay TagamiMary TaharaDavid & Kei TakahashiHisako TakahashiKen & Peggy TakahashiKoji TakahashiAtsuko TakashimaFrank & Mary TakayesuMikio & Aiko TakedaTatsuya TakedaTamie TakeshitaRyuta & Kanoko TakizawaTony & Kimie TamayoseTakao Tanabe & Anona ThorneAkira & Isabel TanakaBud TanakaHenry & Patricia TanakaMr. & Mrs. Masaru TanakaMinoru & Miyoshi TanakaMitsuru & Yuki TanakaShoji & Fusako TanamiRyoji & Fusako TanizawaChuck TasakaJoe & Jean TatebeMr. & Mrs. Roy TatsumiTom & Margaret TaylorSidney & Marie TeraguchiShigeharu & Florence TeranishiGrace ThomsonWilly & Evelyn ToblerToho Developments Canada Co.,Ltd.Katsuharu & Keiko TomisawaGeorge & Hiroko TsuchiyaTomoaki & Yoshiko TsuchiyaCarol Tsuyuki & Craig TomlinsonIrene TsuyukiIkuye UchidaTakuo & Motoko UegakiKen & Kaori UjimotoHirooki & Mieko UshijimaLeslie UyedaAki UyedeMr. & Mrs. Mutsumi UyedeKuniko UyenoKiyoshi & Tomiko UyeyamaVancouver Japanese GardenersAssociationAkiko WakabayashiGrace WakabayashiHenry & Yvonne WakabayashiYoshiko WakabayashiYumiko WeiMr. & Mrs. Mike WhittinghamLawrence & Pearl WilliamsMichael Wilson & Ineke DijksShirley WitherowRichard & Fumiko WoloshynMr. & Mrs. Fred YadaAsano YamadaMamoru & Kikuko YamaguchiShiro YamaguchiHarold YamamotoHisako YamamotoJune YamamotoSam & June YamamotoTats & Barbara YamamotoJoji & Sachi YamanakaEtsuko YamanouchiRobert YamaokaTakeo & Sumiko YamashiroHideko YamashitaK. Stanley YamashitaMr. & Mrs. Shoji YamauchiYasuo & Mieko YamauchiDavid & Beverley YamauraTom YamauraMas & Kaori YanoFukashi & Chiyo YasuiMitsuo YesakiCarl YokotaStanley & Aileen YokotaLin Hee HoonAkira YoshidaMarcia Masako YoshidaYoshiko YoshimaruKen & Joan Yurugi