| biography | The Tanaka Family Collection includes records from the Tanaka family including household and personal objects, administrative documents (including insurance papers, sales of property and transfers of land titles related to the 2294 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. property), equipment used for the Tanaka family Tofu-Ya business, and religious objects including a Butsuda shrine that was taken to Lillooet and used for religious purposes in the East Lillooet internment camp. The Collection also includes a large volume of Miyoshi “Mickey” Tanaka (nee Nakashima’s) records, including her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of McGill from 1949; photographs and awards from her career as a research assistant and senior lab technician in the University of British Columbia Department of Anatomy; and her many involvements in the Japanese Canadian community. These include being the first editor and one of the creators of the journal The Bulletin, her involvement with the choral group The Sakura Singers, her membership of the Wives and Mothers (WIMO) Club, and her volunteer work with what is now the Nikkei National Museum. They also include more personal materials such as wedding and family photos, early school photos, letters, scrapbooks, and photograph albums.
The Tanaka Family history and the history of the Tofu-Ya business begins in the early 1900s when Minoru Tanaka's mother, Miki Tanaka, began working for her uncle in his Tofu-Ya. When her uncle could not continue the business and Miki showed interest she was asked to carry it on. She agreed and from this date to the internment in 1942, Miki Tanaka with her husband, Ichijiro Tanaka, and family of 10 children, looked after the thriving tofu business. The 10 Tanaka children were Sayoko Hattori; Masako Yada; Bud Tanaka; Bill Tanaka; Minoru Tanaka; Mike Tanaka; Mickey Tanaka; Sam Tanaka; eldest daughter Tatsu passed away in her late teens; and another son, Sutezo, passed away as a baby.
In 1933, the family purchased property at 451 Powell Street, setting up the Tofu-Ya in the back portion of the building along the alley. (Many people remember going through the alley to make their purchases at the Tanaka Tofu-Ya). The Tanaka family lived upstairs above the Tofu-Ya. In the front portion of the building, along the street were two small storefronts which the Tanaka family rented out. One tenant was Kita Dressmaking and the other was a barber shop. Above these storefronts there were also apartment units which the family also rented out. This information about the building(s) is according to page 32 of Audrey Kobayashi's "Memories of Our Past: a brief history and walking tour of Powell Street" (1992).
The Tanakas, like many individuals and families, lost all that they had during the internment — leaving their most prized belongings, including their photographs, in the attic of their property for "safekeeping", until after the war. After relocating to Lillooet, BC, they never saw any of their possessions again, despite many inquiries to the "Custodian of Enemy Property". The story of the Tanaka Tofu-Ya has come to life through interviews and many conversations with members of the Tanaka family. The tofu making equipment donated to the museum accompanied the family to Lillooet where it was used to make tofu for the family and neighbours.
How the Tanakas Made Tofu
The soy beans, imported from Japan, had to be washed and soaked overnight in water. Ichijiro and Miki woke around 3:00 am daily and began the tofu manufacturing process with the water soaked beans. The soy beans were put into a large vat (kama) that was boiled and constantly stirred until the beans were tender. The beans were then ground between two large stones with water thus allowing the curd to fall into a barrel below.
The mixture was then squeezed in-large jelly bags, strained through a fine cloth into an old tsukemono (pickle) barrel. Calcium sulphate or "nigari" was then added to the soy mixture setting the soy beans into a gel. A colander was used to separate the curd from the whey. The curds were then put into cloth-lined, wooden boxes which were sectioned. The boxes were covered with cloth screens followed by a board. A large stone weight (omoshi) was placed on top to press the curds and remove the whey (water) as it set for about a half an hour. Afterwards, the cloth was gently removed.
Finally, the fresh soft tofu was cut into fourteen 5" x 5" squares and slipped into a vat of cold water. Peddlers would come to pick up the tofu at 7:00 am. By late afternoon, all the tofu was sold.
In the beginning, the Tanakas handmade about 50 tofu cakes a day. Day by day, the demand grew to 150 a day and by 1941, they were making 250 handmade tofu cakes a day at 10 cents each. Each handmade tofu cake was wrapped in parchment paper and stamped 'TANAKA TOFU" and then wrapped again in newspaper.
Ichijiro made deliveries to many customers, carrying as many as 10 tofu cakes in a bucket of water. Sayoko (Tanaka) Hattori remembers climbing up and down many flights of stairs to customers in rooming houses, to the areas around the CPR Station as well as Richards and Cordova Streets. The other older children, including Bud, Bill, Minoru, and Mike, were also involved in making deliveries not just around Japantown, but around Vancouver.
During the internment, with the ongoing demand from the relocated Japanese community in Lillooet, BC, the Tanaka family continued their tofu manufacturing business. The East Lillooet camp was rudimentary and possessed no electricity so all the grinding was done by hand.
Biography of Miyoshi “Mickey” (Nakashima) Tanaka (1927-2019)
Miyoshi “Mickey” Nakashima was born on June 23, 1927 in Mission, B.C. Her family moved back east and she graduated from the City of Montreal's High School for Girls in 1945. She was admitted to McGill University and she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1949. After receiving her degree, she went on to become a laboratory research assistant and senior lab technician at McGill University. She then moved back to Vancouver to continue working with Drs. Sydney and Constance Friedman who established the UBC Department of Anatomy, which was a precursor to the Faculty of Medicine of which they were the first faculty members. During her career as a scientist, she was honoured by having her research and contributions to the UBC Faculty of Medicine formally awarded in 1975 and receiving membership to the UBC 25 Year Club in 1976. Her research was discussed in articles published by the Globe and Mail and the Vancouver Sun in 1956. She retired in 1991.
Miyoshi Tanaka’s education and interests also included her study of the Adachi-style of Ikebana (flower arrangement); she received a license to teach the craft in 1966. She was also a seasoned vocal musician and performer: she placed second in the girls trio category of the Lethbridge Music Festival in 1944 and performed with the Japanese Canadian choral group The Sakura Singers for over 25 years. This unique group introduced Japanese songs at commemorative ceremonies, community functions, and also performed at hospitals and senior homes. They went on tours and held bi-yearly concerts. They performed in the interior of British Columbia, in northern B.C., and even in the Yukon. In cooperation with other groups, they introduced Japanese culture to the Canadian community with friendly songs in order to promote goodwill and racial understanding.
Her other contributions to and involvements with Japanese Canadian culture and community are many. She was among the first directors of the Kaede Seniors Society when it was incorporated in 1996; received a volunteer recognition award for her contributions to the Japanese Canadian National Museum in 2001; received a certificate of thanks from Parliament for outstanding commitments and contributions to Nikkei Seniors Health Care & Housing Society in 2007; and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 for her contributions to Canada. She was also the first editor and one of the creators of the Japanese Canadian journal The Bulletin, founded after years of keeping Nikkei returnees informed of community activities through mailed flyers; was actively involved in the Japanese Canadian Citizens Association; was a member of the Wives and Mothers (WIMO) Club, a social club for married women established in 1955; and attended organizational conferences, conventions, and reunions, Lillooet and Mission in particular.
In her personal life, Miyoshi married Minoru “Bob” Tanaka of the Tanaka Tofu-Ya family on October 1, 1960. The collection's photographs reflect many social functions like weddings, Miyoshi's retirement dinner, and travel and recreational experiences that she attended with her husband, family, and friends. Her social life in her early years in the 1950s and 1960s is also reflected in photographs and scrapbooks. Her maiden family history is also present in the forms of family trees, portraits, and biographies, including a family history told to Miyoshi by her mother, Tetsutayo. For more Nakashima family history, please see 1997.8.12.
Miyoshi “Mickey” Tanaka passed away on August 3, 2019 at the age of 92. At the time of her passing she was survived by her husband Minoru Tanaka (1925-2021); siblings, Ruiko (Henry Moritsugu), Edward Nakashima (Mary Margaret), Nephew /Nieces; Doug (Marie), Emily (Homer), Gilbert (Renee), Ken (Carmen), Jim (Gayle), Robin (Dan), Greg (Marcia). A celebration of life ceremony was held for her on October 5, 2019, at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre. Her obituary is available at dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/vancouver-bc/miyoshi-tanaka-8810152. Minoru Tanaka’s obituary is available at https://vancouversunandprovince.remembering.ca/obituary/minoru-tanaka-1081827544
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