| title | Ishikawa Family collection |
| general material designation | Textual records, graphic material, objects |
| extent | 7 cm of textual records, 11 photographs, 12 digital images and 3 objects |
| date | 1905-1987 |
| scope and content | The collection consists of five series. The first series contains the personal documents relating to Isamu Ishikawa. Included in the series are original certificates of citizenship, a diploma for a Sunday school teacher, driver's license, immigration cards and a passport of Isamu Ishikawa dating from 1927-1958. The second series contains documents and three objects relating to Jusuke Ishikawa. Included are original receipts, a land title, bank draft notes, contracts, letters, photographs, three commemorative pins and testimonial cloths pertaining to the activities of Jusuke Ishikawa from 1909-1939. The third series consists of documents relating to Tame Ishikawa, Jusuke's wife. The fourth series consists of nine black and white photographs and 12 digital images of Jusuke, Tame and others in Port Hammond, BC and Yamaguchi, Japan, including the Hirotsu family. The fifth series is a charcoal sketch of a scene in Meiji Japan in Jusuke's possession. |
| biography | Jusuke Ishikawa was born Sept 10, 1867 in Ihonosho, Yamaguchi, Japan. He came to Canada in 1899. In 1909 he spent $75.00 on his first installment of land in Port Hammond where he had a logging crew. Eventually he cleared the land and had a strawberry farm. He married Tame Hirotsu after buying rings from Birks in 1909. By 1917, he had clear title of the land from J. Irving. Jusuke received a letter from Mr. Abe, foreign minister of Japan, but the letter is not enclosed. In June, 1918 Tame returned from a trip to Japan with Kazuyoshi Hirotsu age 15 (farm laborer) and Nobu Hirotsu, female age 19. In November 1919, Jusuke sent three installments of money back to Japan. In the survey done in 1937, Jusuke had 3 hothouses on his farm in Port Hammond. His lot was located on 123rd Ave between 204th & 208th Street in Port Hammond. Jusuke and Tame returned to Japan in their retirement in 1938 and built a house with western style materials in their old village of Ihonosho.
Isamu Ishikawa, adopted son of Jusuke and Tame, was born in Yamaguchi Ken on Oct 18, 1910 to Sadakichi Hirotsu and Yoshida Sumida. He was officially adopted at age 13, in 1923, but remained in Japan to finish his schooling. He arrived to his adopted parents Jusuke and Tame on May 29th on the Empress of Asia,1927 at the age of 17. Isamu married Sadako Ohue on Feb 23, 1935 in Yamaguchi ken arriving back to Port Hammond in March of 1935. He left on Nov 15, 1934, possibly to arrange the meeting and marriage. The expenses of the marriage was 283 yen, including 100 yen for the engagement and 107 yen for the catering. He also included 3 geisha who were paid 10 yen each. His wife Sadako arrived one year later. Then Noburo was born on Feb 28, 1937 and Kaori was born July 3, 1938.
Isamu trained and graduated as a Buddhist Sunday School teacher at Nariaki Ishiguro. He registered as a Sunday school teacher in Port Hammond 1940, and he also taught Japanese Language school. His driver's license was issued on Oct 18th, 1950 in Lillooet. He chose to go to Lillooet during the war, a self sustaining camp. He attained Canadian Citizenship in 1956, at that time farming in Mt. Lehman. In 1958, he paid $300 to be a shareholder of the M.A. Berry Grower's Association. |
| number | 2009.15 |
| organisation | Nikkei National Museum |
| access | Open |