| title | Tomojiro Inouye Family collection |
| general material designation | Moving images and other materials |
| extent | 6 film reels : b&w, col. ; 8mm : 1 textual record |
| date | 1930-1957 |
| scope and content | This collection consists of 6 8mm film reels, totaling 48 mins 51 secs, created by Tomojiro Inouye. The films document the Inouye family's daily life and special events when they lived in Mayo, Duncan before the Second World War, in Lemon Creek Internment Camp during the Second World War, and Vernon towards the end of the war and later. The film depicting Mayo, Duncan shows the family walking through the forest and along the beach. The film depicting Lemon Creek shows the Japanese Canadian community's May Day celebration, Sports Day celebration, a wedding, and the Inouye family in front and inside of their shack in the camp; a content list created by Tomojiro is available. The films depicting Vernon show a parade in colour film and the family. The films also document the family's holiday travels to the Seattle Zoo, the Peace Arch (border crossing), Salt Spring Island, and Vancouver Island to visit the Buchart Gardens in 1956-1957.
This collection is arranged into one series titled, Inouye Family Films. The first file titled, Vancouver Island, Lemon Creek, Vernon, and Family Holiday Films, consists of 6 film reels and 1 take up reel for 8mm film. |
| biography | In 1914, Tomojiro Inouye immigrated to Vancouver Island, Canada from Kagoshima, Japan when he was 14 years old. He drove a taxi for Mr. Chiba? in Vancouver, years unknown. In the 1930s Tomojiro lived near Duncan, Vancouver Island and worked as a contractor for Mayo Lumbar Ltd in Paldi, BC (previously called Mayo). Tomojiro's first wife was Mitsuye Yonemura, born in New Westminister, BC on March 22, 1914. Unfortunately, Mitsuye died at the age of 24 in 1937 and is buried in Duncan, BC. Mitsuye had four children with Tomojiro: Masaru Inouye (1931), Sumiko Inouye (1933), Mitsuya Inouye (1935), and Saiji Inouye (1936). In 1938, Tomojiro travelled to Japan and married Tomi Takayama; they travelled to Canada together. Tomojiro and Tomi had four children together: Takeshi Inouye, Shoji Inouye (1940), Keiko Inouye (1941), and Kazuo Inouye (1946). At some point before the war, Tomojiro's father and mother moved to Canada and lived in Paldi, BC too. Tomojiro's cousins also lived in Canada, possibly Paldi, BC.
During the Second World War, the Inouye family was forcibly removed from Vancouver Island and sent to live in Sandon internment camp. The Inouye family lived in Sandon for two years before moving to Lemon Creek internment camp until the camp closed in 1946. Following the closure of Lemon Creek, the family moved to Bay Farm for a few months before moving to Sid Mouth, BC near Arrowhead. The family lived in Sid Mouth for five months and moved following the flooding of the hydro dam. The family settled in Vernon, BC until the 1970s but some of their children moved away from Vernon in the 1960s. Tomojiro Inouye died in 1985 and Tomi Takayama died in 1993. |
| number | 2017.21 |
| organisation | Nikkei National Museum |
| access | Open
Restricted |