Luncheon shines a light on Japanese-Canadian Internment 75 years later
The Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society is sharing the story of the tragedy of the Second World War relocation and internment of Japanese Canadians with the community at a special luncheon slated for Sunday, Sept. 10.
More than a dozen Internment survivors living in the Greater Victoria area will speak about their experiences on the 75th anniversary of the Internment to highlight this important history to the broader community.
“Because it’s so hard to imagine this happening today, it’s critical that all Canadians — whether they have Japanese heritage or not — remember what happened with the Internments during the Second World War,” said VNCS President Tsugio Kurushima. “We are fortunate to still have first-hand witnesses who can share their stores with the generations who followed them.”
Lasting from 1942 until 1949 (four years after the end of the war), Japanese-Canadians living in Coastal British Columbia were detained by the government, relocated to camps and farms in the Interior and in the rest of Canada, restricted in their movement and stripped of their businesses and homes. In fact, the sale of their personal property was used to fund the Internments.
“People who never committed a crime were treated like criminals simply because of their heritage,” Kurushima added. “It’s a wrong the Canadian government apologized for in 1988 along with the launch of a redress program.”
There will also be a presentation by Jordan Stanger-Ross, Project Director of the Landscapes of Injustice project housed at the University of Victoria. He will give a an update on the project exploring the forced dispossession of Japanese Canadians.
Where and When:
What: 75th Anniversary of Internment Luncheon
Where: Ambrosia Event Centre, 638 Fisgard St.
When: Sunday, Sept 10, 1 to 4:30 pm
Cost: $15 (Children 5-12 half price), includes buffet lunch with 2 hot entrees including a vegetarian lasagna option
Tickets: Contact Patti Ayukawa at Real English Victoria, #301 – 1111 Blanshard St (250-858-8445).
Detained having never committed a crime. Forced to leave home. Stripped of property and possessions. Threatened with deportation to a country they had never seen.
It’s hard to imagine from the distance of 75 years that anything like this could happen in Canada. But it did. It is exactly the experience so many Japanese Canadians survived through as the government forced them to abandon their lives on the B.C. coast and move to internment camps in the Interior and through the rest of Canada.
Because it’s so hard to imagine, it’s critical that all Canadians — whether they have Japanese heritage or not — remember what happened during the Internments during the Second World War. To help people remember the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society is marking the 75th anniversary with a special luncheon Sept. 10.
A number of individuals from the Greater Victoria Nikkei community who lived through the Internment will share their experiences and memories at the luncheon. Their stories will offer a living document of what must never happen again.
There will also be a presentation by Jordan Stanger-Ross, Project Director of the Landscapes of Injustice project housed at the University of Victoria. Jordan will give a summary of their findings and describe the next phase of the project exploring the forced dispossession of Japanese Canadians.
There are a limited number of tickets available, so be sure to get yours today.
Where and When:
What: 75th Anniversary of Internment Luncheon
Where: Ambrosia Event Centre, 638 Fisgard St.
When: Sunday, Sept 10, 1 to 4:30 pm
Cost: $15 (Children 5-12 half price), includes buffet lunch with 2 hot entrees including a vegetarian lasagna option
Tickets: Contact Patti Ayukawa at Real English Victoria, #301 – 1111 Blanshard St (250-858-8445). Also available at Obon Matsuri event August 13 (noon to 4:30pm) Ross Bay Villa
12:00pm – Grave Washing 2:30pm – Obon Buddhist Service 3:30pm – Matsuri (Festival)
Hosted by the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society and the Japanese Friendship Society with support from The Old Cemeteries Society – we invite you to come and participate with us in honouring those who have gone before.
What is Obon?
“Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honour the spirit’s of one’s ancestors. This Buddhist-Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their graves. It is when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.” – from Wikipedia
This is a time for us to get in touch with our past, expressing our true joy and gratitude to not only our immediate ancestors, but to all past causes and conditions that have allowed us to be here today. It is the ultimate recognition and celebration of the oneness of life that has existed in the past and that we continue to be a part of today.
Japanese-Canadian Graves at Ross Bay Cemetery
The Japanese-Canadian community in Victoria was exiled by the Canadian Government during the Pacific War (WWII) and very few ever returned. Therefore, there are no descendants to care for the graves in Ross Bay Cemetery. The VNCS and Victoria Japanese Friendship Society are pleased to continue the work of the Kakehashi (Bridge Building) Project along with the Old Cemeteries Society in caring for the Japanese graves. For more information please read: http://www.jccovictoria.ca/rossbay.html.
The following is the scheduled program for Obon.
12:00 pm – Grave Washing
2013 Grave Washing
Everyone meet at the Kakehashi Stone at 12 (donations of flowers are welcome, please bring at this time) and then cleaning teams will be assembled to proceed with:
Cleaning of gravestones
Laying flowers and toys for children’s graves
Preparing the Kakehashi Stone
2:30 pm – Obon Service
Obon Service 2011
Obon service led by Reverend Grant Ikuta, Resident Minister of the Steveston Buddhist Temple and Bishop of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of Canada
3:30 pm – Matsuri (Festival at Ross Bay Villa)
Suika Wari 2014
Obon Matsuri (festival) at Ross Bay Villa (1490 Fairfield Road).
Light refreshments (including Kakigōri) will be provided as a thank you for all the hard work in washing the graves and entertainment will include the Furusato Dancers and other activities.
The mandate of the VNCS Cultural Outreach Program is to help promote the awareness of Japanese culture in the greater Victoria community. We strive to achieve the goal by providing the community with a variety of fun and educational Japanese cultural activities through hands-on workshops, lectures and presentations. Please contact us if you are interested in our service. After assessing your needs, we will be able to help you set up sessions you are looking for either by the VNCS directly or connecting you with suitable cultural groups that meet your expectations.
The attached is the application form for us to assess your interest and needs. Please fill it out in detail and send it to community@vncs.ca We will contact you as soon as possible!
Cheers from the Cultural Outreach Team! Mieko Fedrau, Hitomi Harama, and Tomoko Okada
Join filmmaker Greg Masuda for a screening of “A Right To Remain” followed by Q&A and discussion.
“The Right To Remain”, a CBC documentary, looks at the Downtown Eastside residents and the fight to save the community from development. Started as an idea five years ago, Greg Masuda accumulated over 300 hours of footage. He says “’The Right to Remain’ is a culmination of my entire career as a filmmaker. As a Japanese Canadian, I could not resist participating in the advocacy for the Downtown Eastside community as it looked down the barrel of the real estate industry in the second most expensive city in the world.”
Once known as “Japantown”, this area was home to thousands of Japanese Canadians before World War II.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
3:00-4:30 pm
Cinecenta
University of Victoria
Victoria BC
