Regarding a message this office received in connection with early days’ situation on Japanese Immigrants to Canada
2024/3/14
This office received an email in relation to Canadians in the early days and the situation on Japanese Immigrants coming to Canada on October 12th, 2023. The email is a response to one of the topics of the story-series the office posted. The post was called, "Early days of the Japanese Immigrants in the Prairies" and it introduced some information on the early days that the Japanese Immigrants, including Gordon and Ann-Lee Switzer’s book, “Sakura in Stone: Victoria’s Japanese legacy” experienced. He says “Sakura in Stone” refers not only about Mr. Manzo Nagano, whom the above story introduced, but also other Japanese who arrived and settled in the area now called British Columbia.
According to the book, 1) Japanese shipwrecked sailors arrived in Fort Langley via U.S. Washington State in 1834 (National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) says it happened in 1833) and in Victoria via San Francisco in 1858. Also 2) Imperial Japanese Navy training ship Tsukuba (former British Navy wooden corvette HMS Malacca) dropped its first anchor at Esquimalt (a port at southern Vancouver Island) and sea routes from Victoria, San Francisco to Hawaii and Yokohama were established. Further, 3) in 1909, Mr. Sumio Ishidate visited Victoria and researched Japanese activities such as Mr. Manzo Nagano.
Mr. Ishidate 1) while stating that it was not clear when the first Japanese arrived in Canada (for immigration), but it appears the Japanese began to come to Canada by the 10th year of Meiji (1877). 2) Although Mr. Manzo Nagano (born in Nagasaki prefecture), who ran a shop selling miscellaneous goods and Japanese arts and craft in Victoria, and landed on Victoria Harbour in March, the tenth year of Meiji (1877), there were no supporting documents from the time mentioning Nagano. For example, sources in English showed that Nagano was in Victoria by 1892 and Mr. Nagano himself did not claim in 1909 to be the first and only one that landed in Victoria Harbour in 1877. He told the census worker during the 1901 census that he had immigrated to Canada in 1886 and had been naturalized in 1894. Finally, he left Canada for Japan in 1923.
The sender of this email pointed out that though it was not clear when Mr. Nagano arrived in Canada, Mr. Kisuke Mikuni (born in Okayama prefecture) was surely one of the early Japanese immigrants and naturalized to British subject. He worked at the French merchant Mr. Charles Gabriel’s “Japanese Bazaar” in Victoria, then was finally buried in Vancouver. The sender therefore argued that Mr. Mikuni’s story should be known more among people as an early Japanese immigrant, naturalized British subject and the first buried person after his death in 1909.
At this moment, it might be difficult to research the detail of then-Japanese-movements and settlements to and within Canada. And it might not be easy to find out an appropriate definition of “the first Japanese immigration”, where everyone could comfortably agree. However, the office is pleased to know that this kind of research is still progressing and some people like this sender of the email are carefully observing the progress. Regardless of who the first “immigrant” from Japan to Canada was, they played a significant role on the construction of Canada and enhancement of Japan-Canada relationship. This office hopes that more people could pay attention to the early-time history between Japan and Canada, including the people’s movement and the stories which have been buried in the depth of the history.
Last, but not the least, the office expresses its gratitude to the sender of the email, which gave us a good opportunity to write a follow-up story.
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The sender of this email pointed out that though it was not clear when Mr. Nagano arrived in Canada, Mr. Kisuke Mikuni (born in Okayama prefecture) was surely one of the early Japanese immigrants and naturalized to British subject. He worked at the French merchant Mr. Charles Gabriel’s “Japanese Bazaar” in Victoria, then was finally buried in Vancouver. The sender therefore argued that Mr. Mikuni’s story should be known more among people as an early Japanese immigrant, naturalized British subject and the first buried person after his death in 1909.
At this moment, it might be difficult to research the detail of then-Japanese-movements and settlements to and within Canada. And it might not be easy to find out an appropriate definition of “the first Japanese immigration”, where everyone could comfortably agree. However, the office is pleased to know that this kind of research is still progressing and some people like this sender of the email are carefully observing the progress. Regardless of who the first “immigrant” from Japan to Canada was, they played a significant role on the construction of Canada and enhancement of Japan-Canada relationship. This office hopes that more people could pay attention to the early-time history between Japan and Canada, including the people’s movement and the stories which have been buried in the depth of the history.
Last, but not the least, the office expresses its gratitude to the sender of the email, which gave us a good opportunity to write a follow-up story.