Powell United Church Kindergarten Grads Group Portrait; Vancouver, BC

From this item, LOI has digitized a textual record.

The image shows four rows of children wearing cap and gowns holding scrolls posing outdoors before a brick building. In behind them is a row of adults; teachers. The caption on the front reads, "Powell United Church Kindergarten Grads, June 21, 1939". Shoji Nishihata is seen in the back row, fifth from the left.

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.

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.