| title | Fumiko Yamada (nee Kawata) collection |
| general material designation | [graphic material, textual material] |
| extent | 99 photographs, 1.6 cm textual material |
| date | 1926-1946 |
| scope and content | This collection consists of two series: photographs and documents. There is one album of photographs from Thunder River and Tashme as well as digital images. The documents series consists of two address lists: Tashme residents, and the first group of deportees/exiles from Tashme, as well as a Tashme Buddhist Sunday School prayer book and attendance record. Digital images are of Royston, Cumberland, Vancouver Island images. |
| biography | Fumiko Kawata was born in 1938 in Cumberland BC to parents Itoko and Yoshitoshi Kawata. Yoshitoshi's parents were Sowa & Kinshiro Kawata from Ehime prefecture. Kinshiro came to Canada as a farm labourer on the Empress of Russia Dec 19, 1922, his nearest relative at that time was Tomi Kawata of Yanazaki Mura, Nishiwa gori, Ehime Ken, Japan. Itoko and Yoshitoshi were born in Japan and remained Japanese Nationals.
The Kawatas lived in Cumberland in a home together, Itoko, Yoshitoshi, Sowa and Kinshiro. Both Akio and Fumiko were born there.
In 1942 after Canada declared war on Japan, the Kawatas were forcibly removed from their home. Yoshitoshi was sent to Thunder River Road Camp along with hundreds of other males aged 18-45. Eventually the family ended up at Tashme until the second uprooting and then boarded the Marine Angel on May 28th, 1946 to Japan. The Federal government offered all expenses paid trip to Japan or to go east of the Rockies for work. They also offered $200 per person for resettlement funds in Japan. Yoshitoshi, Itoko and Fumiko at age 7 travelled together. |
| number | 2014.20 |
| organisation | Nikkei National Museum |
| access | Open |