Citizenship and Dispersal

From this series, LOI has digitized 10 textual records and other records.

Documents relating to various stages of Masanobu Kawahira's internment, including a letter to the British Columbia Security Commission from the Nisei Mass Evacuation Group, a notice from the Government stating that Mr. Kawahira's application to have his Canadian citizenship annulled was renounced, a notice of "registration of real and personal property left in Canada", before being exiled "repatriated" to Japan, and other documents.

Masanobu Kawahira was born to Torazo Kawahira and Yukino Naka, immigrants from Iyeimura, Ibusuki gun, Kagoshima ken. Torazo immigrated in 1907 on the vessel Shawmut, at the time his listed occupation was a miner. Torazo worked in a variety of seasonal occupations such as fishing and logging. In 1920, he was living with friend Iyemon Yanomichi at #220- Main Street prior to returning to Japan to marry Yukino. When they returned in August 1921, Yukino was pregnant and Masanobu was born a few months later on December 20, 1921 at 241 Hastings Street.

The digital copies of the records were acquired by the Landscapes of Injustice Research Collective between 2014 and 2018.