A Group Portrait of Girls in Kimonos at the Japanese Language School at 475 Alexander Street; Vancouver, BC

A Group Portrait of Girls in Kimonos at the Japanese Language School at 475 Alexander Street; Vancouver, BC

Description

Title Proper A Group Portrait of Girls in Kimonos at the Japanese Language School at 475 Alexander Street; Vancouver, BC
Date(s) of material from this resource digitized 1939
General material designation
From this item, LOI has digitized a textual record.
Scope and content
The image shows a large group of roughly five rows of young girls wearing kimonos with older women lining the back row. They stand in front of a building that reads, "1928 Japanese Hall" above the doorway.
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

A Group Portrait of Girls in Kimonos at the Japanese Language School at 475 Alexander Street; 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.