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2. Bukkyōkai and the Japanese Canadian Community in British Columbia
- University of Illinois Press
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2 Bukkyōkai and the Japanese Canadian Community in British Columbia Masako Iino Many people of Japanese origin in Canada, much like their counterparts on the American West Coast, suffered from the aftereffects of such experiences as forced removal from their homes and incarceration during World War II. Some scholars argue that the mental trauma suffered from the humiliation of being treated as second-class citizens caused many within the Japanese Canadian community to feel ashamed of their Japanese origins.1 Many tried to distance themselves from anything that reminded them or reminded others of their Japanese origins. However, some Japanese Canadians in this immediate postwar period worked actively to establish Bukkyōkai (Buddhist organizations) in such places as Toronto, Ontario, where they resettled. The Toronto Bukkyōkai, for example, played a central role in the development of the Japanese Canadian community around Toronto.2 Those Japanese Canadians who built the Toronto Bukkyōkai were open about their Buddhist faith, especially when they faced feelings of antagonism toward Japan and anything related to Japan. Prior to the war, most of these Japanese Canadians had been deeply involved with the Bukkyōkai in British Columbia, where most of the Japanese Canadians lived before World War II. The first Bukkyōkai in Canada, the Honpa Canada Bukkyōkai, was built in 1905 to serve the Japanese Canadian community, not only as religious institutions but also as social network centers. Within thirty years, there were more than ten Bukkyōkai in Vancouver and the surrounding areas. It has been argued that the mainstream Canadian society saw Bukkyōkai as representingJapanesecultureandcriticizedtheirmembersfornotassimilating into Canadian culture.3 Were those Japanese Canadians who were involved with the activities of Bukkyōkai simply nationalistic admirers of Japanese cul- 28 masako iino ture who refused to assimilate into Canadian society? This chapter examines the role that Bukkyōkai played in the Japanese Canadian community in British Columbia in the period between the early 1900s, when the first Bukkyōkai was established in Vancouver, and the 1930s, when Bukkyōkai were at their peak. My analysis focuses on the publications of the Young Buddhist Associations (Bussei): Otakebi (published by the Fairview Young Buddhist Association, 1930) and Buddha (published by the Kitsilano Young Buddhist Association, 1935 and 1940). Background The first Japanese immigrant is usually said to have landed in Canada in 1877. It was, however, not until the late 1890s that the number of Japanese, overwhelmingly male, became significant. Until they were forced to move to the interior of Canada during World War II, more than 90 percent of Japanese Canadians lived in British Columbia tending to cluster in the southwest corner of the Lower Mainland area.4 Like immigrants from other countries, they lived wherever they could find work and where their fellow countrymen were concentrated. They had to bear great instability because most jobs were seasonal or temporary. Their life was hard, consisting of heavy labor, poor living quarters, and both physical and cultural isolation. Under such conditions, most of these male laborers found solace in “gambling, drinking and prostitutes.”5 As the number of Japanese immigrants increased and their children reached school age, education became a larger issue. In 1902, concerned Japanese consuls and Japanese Christian ministers established a small institution where their children could be educated as a supplement to public school.6 There was a clear connection between anti-Asian sentiment and the felt necessity for an educational institution in the community. At this point, the Japanese government began to pay attention to this situation. In 1905, Ambassador Plenipotentiary Komura Jutarō visited Vancouver on his way home from Portsmouth, where he had signed the peace treaty between Russia and Japan and contributed $150 to help establish a school for Japanese Canadian children. This led Consul Kishirō Morikawa to make an official proposal to establish a Japanese school that got built in 1906.7 At the same time, Buddhist Japanese immigrants began to realize the importance of teaching their children about their Buddhist religion. This was important not just for the religious doctrines, but also because it taught manners and moral education, including loyalty and obedience to the emperor, to their teachers, and especially to their parents. Buddhism was regarded [54.226.25.246] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 14:31 GMT) Japanese Canadian Community in British Columbia 29 as important for Japanese immigrants because it was a direct link that tied them and their children to their ancestors and Japan. However, because no Bukkyōkai...