Japanese Canadian Directories

From this file, LOI has digitized 6 textual records and other records.

File consists of six directories of Japanese Canadians, for Slocan in 1946, for British Columbia in 1965, for greater Vancouver in 1973, and for Montreal in 1977, as well as one Japanese American merchants association directory for 1949, and one Toronto Japanese United Church directory, 1980.

Toyoaki Takata was born in 1920 at Esquimalt near Victoria, British Columbia. With his parents Kensuke and Mitsuyo Takata he travelled to Japan in 1925 returning in 1927 to Gorge Park at Victoria, where a Japanese garden with teahouses was established by the family. In 1938 Toyo graduated from Esquimalt high school and in 1942 was interned at Hastings Park, Vancouver, where he was employed briefly by the B. C. Security Commision. Takata was reunited with his family in Sandon, BC, and then relocated to Ontario first to Mimico and in 1945 to Toronto. From 1948 to 1952 he was the English editor of the New Canadian newspaper. Takata's interest in Japanese Canadian history led to his research on the first known Japanese immigrant to Canada, Manzo Nagano, and inspired his intiative for a Japanese Canadian centennial celebration across Canada in 1977, as well as inspiring his book on Japanese Canadians, Nikkei Legacy. Takata was active in the Japanese Canadian community in Toronto, where he served as president of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. Takata died in 2002.

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