Nikkei NIKKEI national museum & cultural centre IMAGES Nikkei national museum Nikkei FRANK KAMIYA & GRACE EIKO THOMPSON AT OPENING OF cultural cenNATIONALtre NIKKEI HERITAGE CENTRE IN 2000 A publication of the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre ISSN #1203-9017 Winter 2015, Volume 20, No. 3 Welcome to Nikkei Images Contents Nikkei Images is a tri-annual publication produced by the Nikkei Nikkei National Museum that focuses on Nikkei history national museum and culture with articles in keeping with our mission to & cultural centre honour, preserve, and share Japanese Canadian history Nikkei Images is published by the Nikkei and culture for a better Canada. We invite you to tell us your Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre story. We accept submissions of memoirs, short stories, or short Editorial Committee: Sherri Kajiwara, Frank Kamiya, Linda Kawamoto Reid, academic papers relating to Japanese Canadian history, culture, and Kaye Kishibe, Howard Shimokura, Edzard Teubert, arts. Our values include inter-generational leadership, community, Mitsuo Yesaki, Carl Yokota and professionalism; to respect and honour Japanese heritage: to Design: John Endo Greenaway nurture, build, and honour our commitment to community involvement; Subscription to Nikkei Images is free (with pre-paidN ikkepostage) with i to embrace humility and compassion and to encourage innovation yourna yearlytion membershipal muse to NNMCC:um and inclusiveness. Family $47.25 | Individual $36.75 Senior Individual $26.25 | Non-profi t $52.25 Message from the Director Preserving our Japanese Canadian The Last Living Asahi: Kaye $2 per copy (plus postage) for non-members Page 4 History & Heritage | Page 5 Kaminishi | Page 8 Nikkei Images is edited by a volunteer committee who has been NNMCC dedicated to the preservation and sharing of Nikkei stories since 6688 Southoaks Crescent Burnaby, BC, V5E 4M7 Canada 1996. Submissions are juried by the editorial committee. Articles must TEL: 604.777.7000 FAX: 604.777.7001 be between 500 - 3000 words maximum and we highly recommend www.nikkeiplace.org submitting relevant high resolution photographs with proper photo Disclaimer: Every eN ort is madeikke to ensure the accuracyi of the information credits along with your fi nished work. For our publishing guidelines, containedcultu withinr alNikkei cenImages. However,tre due to the possibility please send a brief description or summary of the theme and topic of human or mechanical error, Nikkei Images is not responsible for any errors or omissions. Opinions expressed in this of your proposed article to [email protected]. Our publishing publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily refl ect those of the editors or of the NNMCC. agreement can be found online at centre.nikkeiplace.org/nikkei-images NNMCC Membership form The Museum in Photos | Page 12 Roy Tomomichi Sumi: Architect of Treasures from the Collection Name (Ms. Mr. Mrs. Mr. & Mrs.): ________________________________________ Japanese Gardens | Page 16 Back Cover Address:__________________________________________CITY___________ PROVINCE___________POSTAL CODE_______ Tel: (_____)______________ E-mail:_______________________________________ Roy Sumi was always very thoughtful in his approach to designing a garden, considering Individual: $36.75 Senior Individual: $26.25 (65 or over) Non-profit : $52.25 (legally registered) the subtleties of the location, proximity to natural surroundings and to urban structures. He Family: $47.25 (member, spouse or common-law partner and children) all prices include GST incorporated natural elements wherever he could. He considered the soil type, climate, and Check one: FREE: I would like to receive the Nikkei Images at my email address a balancing of the natural and social aspects of the garden. He possessed an encyclopedic I would like to include postage to receive Nikkei Images at my mailing address $6 (Domestic) / $10 (US) / $20 (Intl) per year knowledge of garden designs in Japan that he used in his creations. He created designs that Membership $_______ x _____yrs = $ ___________ Please make cheques payable to: were pleasing from all directions, levels and angles, and used indigenous plants in keeping Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre Nikkei Images Postage (optional) $_______ x _____yrs = $ ___________ with the Kansai style. 6688 Southoaks Crescent Donation $10 $25 $50 $100 Surprise us! $ ___________ Burnaby, BC, V5E 4M7 see page 16 T 604.777.7000 F 604.777.7001 Please find enclosed a cheque TOTAL $____________ [email protected] www.nikkeiplace.org Please debit this amount from my credit card: Expiry Date: Name of cardholder __________________________________ Signature of cardholder ________________________________ 2 3 Celebrating Over Thirty Years Preserving our Japanese Canadian The Nikkei National Museum, as part of History & Heritage the Nikkei Centre family, has a mission to honour, preserve, and share Japanese by Frank Kamiya Canadian history and culture for a better Canada. Although only fifteen years in he Centennial of 1977 celebrating the arrival of tape recorders, a transcriber, a 35-mm camera, a filing its current location, the museum’s legacy Manzo Nagano, the first Japanese to land in cabinet, and some archival supplies. Gradually, through is only possible through the dedication Canada, inspired many younger nisei to start fundraising, and with some financial assistance from the of its foundational members who in learning about their history and heritage. In the Japanese Canadian Redress Committee and GVJCCA, the early 1980’s formed the Japanese Tearly 1980s Frank Hanano formed the Japanese Cana- the committee was able to upgrade the equipment Canadian Historical Preservation dian History Preserva- that included a used Committee and had the foresight to tion Committee (JCH- professional grade collect as many stories as possible from PC) as a sub-committee tape recorder, fireproof the issei elders who were aging, before they passed on. of the Greater Vancou- storage cabinet, and In 2010, the museum partnered with Simon Fraser University to digitize our ver Japanese Canadi- hire part-time staff collection and the interviews are now available to hear from the comfort of an Citizens’ Association and summer students your computer chair. There are currently over 300 digitized interviews, with (GVJCCA). This com- through grants. mittee included Suni more to come. The museum would especially like to thank Dr Andrea Geiger In 1993 the JCHPC for all the work she has done to make this project happen. You can listen to the Arinobu, Tsuneharu Gonnami, Tatsuo Kage, officially became the Nikkei National Museum’s Oral History Collection online at centre.nikkeiplace. Japanese Canadian org/oral-history-collection/ Frank Hanano, Yuko Shibata, Junji Uchimura Archives (JCA). With Frank Kamiya, who was part of the original Japanese Canadian History and myself, Frank Kami- limited secure storage Preservation Committee, is a current Nikkei Centre board member, member ya. This committee re- space the committee Susi & Shane at first JC Archives office. of the NNMCC Auxiliary Committee, and is part of the Nikkei Images editorial alized the importance was only able to team. His story on page 5 looks back at all of the iterations of the museum up of preserving the history of our elders who were aging accept archival material and continued to record to today. What began with 300 stories now includes 20,000+ photographs and and passing on. Over the next few years, the committee interviews. Shane Foster who took several archival digital images, 450+ oral history recordings, 25+ meters of archival and textural recruited dedicated volunteers who recorded some 50 courses was hired as a part-time archivist in the early materials and 2000+ artifacts. Every month, over 1000 people visit the museum interviews that were later forwarded to the UBC Spe- 1990s to maintain the Archives. Lana Panko, with a and over 15,000 access our online resources and web site. It is with immense cial Collections for safekeeping, subsequently copied museum background, provided essential guidance gratitude that we honour everyone who has been a part of building the Nikkei and given to the Japanese Canadian National Museum on the operations. By 1994, the JCA had over 1000 National Museum. Thank you! (JCNM). They also collected many archival documents historic photographs and 234 oral history recordings and photographs that we heard were being discarded in both Japanese and English. Sherri Kajiwara by some families. This important work was the founda- On June 22 1995 with endorsement from the National Director-Curator tion for the collections of the JCNM. Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) at their Nikkei National Museum From 1984 to 1987 Dan Tokawa, and I after him, AGM in Kamloops in 1994, the Japanese Canadian continued the work of the JCHPC by hiring summer National Museum and Archives Society (JCNMAS) was students through grants and recruiting dedicated federally incorporated. With substantial funds provided volunteers who conducted and transcribed many more by the Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation, the interviews. With limited funds, the committee purchased Society hired qualified staff: including an executive Photos: Frank Kamiya collection 4 5 Daien Ide Archivist, Grace Eiko Thompson Director, & Chisato, 2001. Minnie Hattori, office assistant, doing interviews with Tosh Mukaida & Frank Arai, Mission & Whonnock residents, 1994. director Dr. Michael Wilson, curator of collections