United Church Powell Street Kindergarten Graduates; Vancouver, BC

United Church Powell Street Kindergarten Graduates; Vancouver, BC

Description

Title Proper United Church Powell Street Kindergarten Graduates; Vancouver, BC
Date(s) of material from this resource digitized 1941
General material designation
From this item, LOI has digitized a textual record.
Scope and content
The image shows a group portrait of young children organised into three rows all wearing dark caps and white gowns holding scrolls of what is most likely certificates. Behind them in the fourth row is a group of five women and one man. They are all seated in front of a cinderblock building lined with shrubs. The caption above them reads, "United Church Powell St Kindergarten Graduates, June 18, 1941." In the second, second from the left is Sumi Nishihata.
Name of creator
Komajiro Nishihata was a pioneer who came Vancouver in 1901. He left his home town of Echigawa cho, Shiga ken during the immigration boom. Komajiro's twin sons, Saburo and Jiro were born April 12, 1899 but remained in Echigawa cho, to acquire middle school education in Japan. They lived with an aunt until they graduated and came to Canada together on August 21, 1914 on board the Canada Maru. Immigration laws had tightened and the boys' father sponsored by Komajiro Nishihata from Big Bay near Comox, BC, and lived with him until 1921. Afterwards, the family was reunited and lived together near Port Moody, where Komajiro worked at the Port Moody Sawmill.
Immediate source of acquisition
The digital copies of the records were acquired by the Landscapes of Injustice Research Collective between 2014 and 2018.
This record was digitized in full.

Metadata

Title

United Church Powell Street Kindergarten Graduates; Vancouver, BC
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Terminology

Readers of these historical materials will encounter derogatory references to Japanese Canadians and euphemisms used to obscure the intent and impacts of the internment and dispossession. While these are important realities of the history, the Landscapes of Injustice Research Collective urges users to carefully consider their own terminological choices in writing and speaking about this topic today as we confront past injustice. See our statement on terminology, and related sources here.