At the end of the Second World War Canada engaged in the shameful act of trying to expel more than 10,000 Canadians of Japanese descent. Using a thinly veiled excuse claiming that these Canadians had revoked their right to remain…
Why should we teach our students about Japanese Canadian history in the 2020s and beyond? What can we learn from these studies? This series of lessons looks at the common patterns of injustice observed with Japanese Canadian history, how these…
During the 1940s, Canada displaced and dispossessed thousands of Japanese Canadians on the basis of race. These Canadians lost their homes, farms, and businesses, as well as personal, family, and communal possessions. The Landscapes of Injustice website is dedicated to…
Introduction This series of lessons will explore the impact of internment on the lives of Japanese Canadians through the lens of Japanese Canadian high school graduates. Students will examine school yearbooks from 1941 through 1943, select a graduate to research,…
Introduction Soldiers of the First World War (Japanese Canadians) To prove their loyalty to their adopted country, and gain the franchise, 200-plus soldiers of Japanese ancestry volunteered from British Columbia to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force to fight in France…
Introduction Intro Story: The Ebisuzuki and Morishita Families The Ebisuzaki and Morishita families founded the Ebisuzaki Shōten store in 1909. Owned by Masatarō Ebisuzaki and Hide Morishita, it was a joint venture for the married couple. The store bustled with…
Overview Full Moon Lagoon, a middle-grade novel by Monica Nawrocki, is set on Cortes Island on the west coast of British Columbia. The author, who resides on Cortes Island, provides readers with a rich narrative that intertwines elements of adventure,…
Introduction Students will read The Kozuki Family: The First Japanese Canadian Family in the Cariboo Chilcotin, to learn about a family that was excited about cultivating a life for themselves in a new country. They made new friends, and worked…
Introduction Rinkichi Tagashira made special arrangements to protect his Vancouver business, the Tagashira Trading Company, from government control. The business had allowed Tagashira to buy a home and other investment properties. In 1942, he, his partner Masue, and their two…