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I’m Listening Now 7 Powell Street Festival 2021
The 45th Powell Street Festival saw the Japanese Canadian community return to the Paueru Gai neighbourhood in limited numbers over the BC Day Long Weekend while presenting most of the content online via OnDemand screenings made up of both curated and community-produced videos.
GVJCCA President Judy Hanazawa AC Nori Akagi KM
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While a full return to the neighbourhood was not possible this year, the pulse of taiko fi lled the air the entire weekend as almost two dozen drummers drawn from Metro Vancouver’s many taiko groups gathered on the roof of the Vancouver Japanese Language School for Durational Taiko. Beginning at 1pm on Saturday and running straight through until 6:30pm on Sunday, a total of 29.5 hours, drummers took six-hour shifts, sending healing vibrations into the community, joined by DTES community leaders and Indigenous elders.
Onibana Taiko’s Kage AC Kaya Tsurumi of Company 605 leads Paueru Mashup in Oppenheimer Park AC
Also in the park, Kaya Tsurumi of Company 605 led community dancers in a Paueru Mashup fl ash mob performance featuring music composed by Onibana Taiko and choreography by Company 605.
Festival Daruma winning tickets for Daruma Community Art Installation raffl e KM KM Folding daruma in the park
Other live events and activities took place over the weekend allowing for community engagement. Even the Powell Street Festival Daruma made an appearance, high-fi ving everyone in sight. The Daruma Well-Wishing campaign saw 5,000 or so origami daruma gathered from across the Lower Mainland and beyond strung across the baseball diamond in Oppenheimer Park.
Beyond Bon Dance at Japanese Hall KM
A huge thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s hybrid Festival ‒ the artists, volunteers, board members, community members from across the country, and of course our local neighbours, who keep the spirit of community alive!
Follow #powellstfest on your social media to witness the festival celebrations. Featured OnDemand content will be available at www.powellstreetfestival.com throughout the month.
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Anvil Press, Baker and Table, Blim, British Columbia Arts Council, Cadeaux Bakery, Canada Council for the Arts, Carnegie Community Centre, Catfe, City of Vancouver, Coconama Chocolate, Community Foundations of Canada, Dosanko, Element IQ, Emergency Community Support Fund, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Fairchild Radio, Figure 1 Publishing, FreshPoint, Fujiya, Geist Magazine, Greystone, Hapa Collaborative, Hapa Izakaya, Kathy Shimizu, Kiku Wellness, Kiss Radio, Listel Hotel, News 1130, Mint Records, Oppenheimer Park, Pivot Legal Society, Real Canadian Superstore, Second Harvest, SFU David Lam Centre, Strathcona Business Improvement Association, Sunrise Market, Sunrise Soya, Tama Organic Café, Tea Lani, The Bulletin, The Cinematheque, The Hub, Vancouver Community Network, Vancouver Foundation, Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall, Vegan Pudding & Co.
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Thank you to our individual donors for 2021
Ada Dickens, Ai Yamamoto, Alfred G Lam, Alisa Kage, Amy K Ruth, Annie Simpson (in memory of Bob Horii), Axel Starck, Ayumi Goto, Basil Izumi, Beth Carter, Bethany Dobson, Bing Ho, Brayden Naka, Bryan Uyesugi, Camille Flanjak, Caroline Yoshida-Butryn, Cathy Babyak, Catlin Renay, Chris Clancy, Chris Penner, Christina Musgrove, Christine Giesbrecht, Colin Yakashiro, CUPE Local 389, Dan Tokawa, Denise Isomura, Derek Iwanaka, Desiree Gabriel, E. Kage, Edward Takayanagi, Eleanor Wearing, Ellen Kurz, Elmer Morishita, Emily Yakashiro (in memory of Bryan Yakashiro), Erica Isomura, Ethel Whitty, Grace Ho, Gregor Reid, Gwendolyn Yip, Heidi Nutley, Helen Kang, Hong Chou Tiv, Imogene Lim, Ingrid Mendez, Jacquie Stinson, Jana Squires, Janice Shimizu (in memory of Mioko and Victor Shimizu), Jayce Salloum, Jeff rey Moser, Jennifer Buck, Jonah Letovsky (in memory of Bob Horii), Joe Abo, Julie Abo, Kahoruko Yamamoto, Karen Bartlett, Katsumi Hikido, Kelvin Higo, Kennely Ho, Kimi Hawkes, Kimiko Hawkes, Kirk Tougas, Laura Ishiguro, Laura Kotick, Laura Saimoto, Les and Phyllis Murata, Liana Glass, Lorraine Lowe, M Nakamura, Madeline Keller-MacLeod, Marco Gazzoli, Margaret Geiser, Margaret Nakamura, Marie Lopes, Marty Hilchey, Mary Ellen Glover, Maryka Omatsu, Mayura Colling, Michelle Walters, Miki Hirai, Megumi Anderson, Naomi Aris Horii (in memory of Bob Horii), Naomi Matsushita, Naomi Shikaze, Nichola Ogiwara, Nicholas Gasser, Nina Inaoka Lee, Nora Yeuk Man Ma, Norm Leech, Oon-Sim Ang, Portico Design Group, Randi Edmundson, Randy Iwata, Richard & Sandra Marsh, Rebecca Ho, Rieko (Rachel) Enomoto, Rika Uto, Robert Tyrrell, Sachiko Takeda-McKee (in memory of Mie and Masao Takeda), Sam Sullivan, Sean Miura, Shaena Kobayashi, Shaunn Watt, Shirley Li, Shirley Peerenboom, Soramaru Takayama, Steven Smeaton, Susan Arai, Susan Doi (in memory of Tomoaki and Mitsue Doi), Taitania Calarco-Higuchi, Taylor Dawn, Teresa Lee (in memory of Bob Horii), Teresa Vandertuin, Terry Hunter (in memory of Si Garber), Todd Huang, Tony Tran, Val Fishman, Vivian Rygnestad, W. Wong Enterprises, Wendy Masui (in memory of Kotaro Masui), Wendy Pedersen, Yurie Hoyoyon, Yusei Ota
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Grand Prize! | Staycation at The Listel Hotel for Two One-night stay and dinner at Forage restaurant, sponsored by The Listel Hotel. Value: $500.00 | Winning Stub: 1860 | Winner: Ema Oropreza
2nd Prize | Wellness Package 60-minute couple’s Japanese Zen aromatherapy massages package, sponsored by Kiku Wellness; $50 gift card, sponsored by Hapa Izakaya Value: $374.00 | Winning Stub: 3233 | Winner: Chloe Schellenberg
3rd Prize | Massage Package 60-minute couple’s Japanese Zen aromatherapy massages package, sponsored by Kiku Wellness Value: $324.00 | Winning Stub: 2476 | Winner: Moneca Yardley
4th Prize | Entertainment Package – Red Cat Records Audio Technica AT-LP20 turntable & $50 gift card; $50 Lucky’s Books and Comics gift card; $50 Mint Records gift card; all sponsored by Mint Records Value: $300.00 | Winning Stub: 2660 | Winner: Akemi Eddy
5th Prize | Kathy Shimizu Print 40th Anniversary Reprint 2016 6" x 4" block print (water-based ink on rice paper) in a 8" x 10" frame Value: $200.00 | Winning Stub: 2385 | Winner: Corina st Jacques
6th Prize | Ultimate Foodie Prize $50 gift card, sponsored by Hapa Izakaya; $50 Fujiya gift card; fi ve $10 Sunrise Market gift cards Value: $150.00 | Winning Stub: 2960 | Winner: David Yakashiro
7th Prize | Deluxe Foodie Prize $50 gift card, sponsored by Hapa Izakaya; Gift card for 6” made-to-order cake donated by Cadeaux Bakery; fi ve $10 Sunrise Market gift cards Value: $130.00 | Winning Stub: 2274 | Winner: Darcy Hamilton
8th Prize | Supreme Foodie Prize $50 gift card, sponsored by Hapa Izakaya; $50 Fujiya gift card Value: $100.00 | Winning Stub: 2156 | Winner: Alejandra Velarde
9th Prize | Dinner and a Movie Package $50 gift card, sponsored by Hapa Izakaya; Two The Cinematheque movie ticket vouchers for in-person screenings Value: $74.00 | Winning Stub: 2733 | Winner: Ellie Chung
10th Prize | Dinner and a Movie Package $50 gift card, sponsored by Hapa Izakaya; Two The Cinematheque movie ticket vouchers for in-person screenings Value: $74.00 | Winning Stub: 2928 | Winner: Emily Yakashiro
11th Prize | Dinner with Powell Street Festival Package $50 gift card, sponsored by Hapa Izakaya; Powell Street Festival 2021 T-shirt & Tote Bag Value: $90.00 | Winning Stub: 2363 | Winner: Kathy Harris
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12th Prize | Foodie Prize $50 gift card, sponsored by Hapa Izakaya; 2 jars of organic loose leaf from Tea Lani; $25 prepaid Visa card donated by Baker & Table Value: $99.00 | Winning Stub: 50 | Winner: Sylvain Descoteaux
13th Prize | Dinner and a Magazine Prize $50 gift card, sponsored by Hapa Izakaya; One-year subscription and membership to The Bulletin Value: $90.00 | Winning Stub: 1768 | Winner: Marlene Yuen
14th Prize | Sweet and Savoury Prize $50 gift card, sponsored by Hapa Izakaya; $25 prepaid Visa card donated by Baker & Table Value: $75.00 | Winning Stub: 48 | Winner: Tony Laverock
15th Prize | Anvil Press Book Prize #1 Mysterious Dreams of the Dead by Terry Watada, Fontainebleau by Madeline Sonik, Hearts Amok by Kevin Spenst, all donated by Anvil Press Value: $58.00 | Winning Stub: 2746 | Winner: Dorothy Watkins
16th Prize | Anvil Press Book Prize #2 The Three Pleasures by Terry Watada, Moss-Haired Girl by RH Slansky, Fool's Gold by Jesse Donaldson, all donated by Anvil Press Value: $58.00 | Winning Stub: 3271 | Winner: Margaret Yoshida
17th Prize | Books and Magazines Prize One-year subscription and membership to The Bulletin; One-year membership to Geist Magazine; Traces of Words and Vancouver Eat, donated by Figure 1 Publishing Value: $148.95 | Winning Stub: 1709 | Winner: Rika Uto
18th Prize | Magazines Prize One-year subscription and membership to The Bulletin; One-year membership to Geist Magazine Value: $65.00 | Winning Stub: 56 | Winner: Jose Minguran
19th Prize | Greystone Books Prize #1 105 Hikes In and Around Southwestern British Columbia, Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia, Best Places to Bird in British Columbia, Can You Hear the Trees Talking?, Destination Hikes In and Around Southwestern British Columbia Value: $122.75 | Winning Stub: 1912 | Winner: Heidi Nutley
20th Prize | Greystone Books Prize #2 Geology of British Columbia, The Hidden Life of Trees, In Praise of Paths, The Sacred Balance, You Are the Earth Value: $128.75 | Winning Stub: 3252 | Winner: Bonnie Kwan
www.landscapesofinjustice.com
HIRASAWA/FUJIMAGARI FAMILY SHARING WITH LANDSCAPES OF INJUSTICE AND NAJC POWELL STREET FESTIVAL ON-LINE EVENT
by Tami Hirasawa
My name is Tami Hirasawa. I grew up in Hamilton, Ontario and I’m currently living in Nanaimo, BC. My late father was George Hirasawa. His family lived in Strawberry Hill, Surrey BC prior to 1942. My mother is Yukiko (Joyce) nee Fujimagari. Her family lived in Vancouver Heights (Burnaby) BC prior to 1942.
In reviewing the case files of the Hirasawa and Fujimagari families, three generations of our family had a conversation.
My grandfather, Fusakichi Fujimagari was 58 years old in 1942. From the digital archives case fi le, I learned that his property at 204 Alpha Avenue, Burnaby was one acre with a newly built two-story home (with ofuro in the basement and a fl ush toilet!) chicken house, brooder house, thousands of fl ower bulbs, fruit trees & a large vegetable garden.
I found a handwritten letter from my grandfather telling the Custodian he had rented the property to a tenant for $10/month starting May 29th, 1942 and now in October he is expecting four months’ rent.
“...I would be much obliged if you would forward the sum to me at the address above at your earliest convenience”. – October 20 1942, New Denver. The case fi les show that taxes were $60/year plus water bills which were paid by Fujimagari.
Other hand written letters are from Picture Butte 1945 and Taber 1949.
We can see in the fi les that starting in March 1943, off ers to purchase the property were submitted ranging from $475 – $2100.
Given the handwritten letters with dates and locations of where the family lived, my sister Patti and I asked my 95-year-old mom about her experiences living in these places.
My dad and 18 year old brother Jack had already been sent to work in a Road Camp in Griffi n Lake BC with other JC men. We got the order to report to Hastings Park on May 28, 1942 so we walked there from our house which was next to Confederation Park. At Hastings Park, we were told to stuff our mattress with straw and were given a metal bunk bed for the four of us girls in the livestock building section U. I slept in the top bunk with Anne and Jean slept in the bottom bunk with Maggie. We hung sheets around our bed for privacy. My brothers, Tak and Yosh (12 and 14 years old) had to sleep in the boys' building. We ate in a separate building and there was a laundry building. In September we took a train to New Denver. When we got to New Denver, they weren’t ready for us. We had to sleep in tents. My father was a carpenter so he and Jack were sent from the road camp to New Denver to build the shacks. We eventually got a shack for just our family of eight. In the spring of 1943, we applied to work on the Sugar Beet Farms in Alberta. We were one of the fi rst families to leave New Denver. I remember standing on the platform when the train stopped at Iron Springs. All the Sugar Beet Farmers were there looking over the families. They wanted strong boys to work their fi elds. We stayed on the Beeswanger farm for one season and then moved to Picture Butte.
The case fi les document our family living at the John Pinter farm in Picture Butte in 1945.
Then they moved to Taber and lived on the Fekete Farm to work the Sugar Beets until the early 1950s when they eventually moved into a house in Taber.
It was a surprise to hear my mother remember events and places with
www.landscapesofinjustice.com
so much detail and to connect the dots on some of the discoveries we encountered in the fi les.
When I asked my 17-year-old daughter Naomi about her thoughts on hearing Baachan’s stories, she said, “I like hearing the family history because I didn’t learn anything about this in school. I also think it is very special to hear it directly from my Baachan.”
In April 1942 (right before harvest), the Hirasawa family was relocated from their 20 acre farm in Surrey BC to Welling Alberta near Raymond. My Uncle Goro had done extensive research into our family history and wrote a book, Hirasawa Family in Canada, in 2002. After reading through the 209 page case fi le on Takejiro Hirasawa, I realized that he really fought for his property by writing numerous letters to the Custodian and Security Commission. Takejiro Hirasawa was a very hard-working man who was meticulous in his record keeping. There is a misconception that the Issei just let this happen to them and “shikata ga nai” (there is nothing that can be done). The numerous letters are proof that the Issei did fi ght for their property. He keeps asking for his belongings to be shipped to him in Alberta. There is a detailed list of items that he asks for including his Japanese books, two wooden boxes, farm tools and his farm scale. A report from May 26, 1943 states that Mr. Bardwell threw out four sacks of strawberry plants, two wooden boxes plus mattresses, wooden beds, a large amount of books and magazines out
the window and instructed the tenant, Paul Vitkey to burn them. Mr. Vitkay then asks if he can keep the scale and few tools knowing that Hirasawa had asked the Custodian to send the scale and tools to him in Alberta. The original tenant did not pay the agreed upon lease payment. Hirasawa wrote that prior to the war, his crops brought in $6000.00 per year.
I could hear the racism in the reply to his letters. In one letter dated June 15, 1944, the Credit Manager William Page writes to the Custodian: “...we have just about got to the end of ourselves and feel like taking action against him. You can convey this to him as we do not intend to cater to him anymore. He has caused us more trouble than all the other Japanese put together. I do not see why we should comply with all the requests he sends us.”
The Hirasawa farm, purchased uncleared in 1911 for $2,000, was unfairly appraised at $2,250 in 1943 despite over $18,000 in improvements, fully cleared and cultivated, and a net income of $6000 per year in the years preceding 1942. The majority of his chattels were lost, stolen, or abandoned. Review of other Bird Commission fi les indicate this undervaluation of property and loss or abandonment of property was not an isolated case.
I feel much respect for Takejiro Hirasawa. His letters are respectful and written with great integrity. I am learning about his loss, the injustice and how hard he worked throughout his life.
Thank you to Landscapes of Injustice and NAJC for allowing me to share my family stories at the Powell Street Festival On-line Event 2021.
Donna Yuko Yamazaki
Family Lawyer An experienced member of the Hamilton Fabbro Lawyers team, Donna provides legal guidance in all areas of family law including separation, divorce, property division, and parenting issues. Contact Donna for a consultation today. 604 687 1133 donna@hamiltonfabbro.com
www.hamiltonfabbro.com
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