Vancouver Island residents seek to rebuild WWII era Japanese teahouse
The teahouse and gardens were destroyed in 1942 following the internment of Japanese Canadians
A descendent of the owner of Canada's first Japanese garden and teahouse hopes a new structure will honour its history and Japanese Canadians who faced internment during the Second World War.
Dillon Takata's great-grandfather and great-uncle established the garden and teahouse in Esquimalt's Gorge Park, but it was destroyed in 1942 when the Canadian government detained and dispossessed people of Japanese descent living in B.C.
Now there are plans to erect a new Japanese-influenced building to recognize the history of the teahouse and Japanese internment.
Takata told Gregor Craigie, host of On The Island, when his grandfather used to visit from Ontario, he would take him to where the teahouse and garden once stood and would explain the history with no resentment.
"Part of the Japanese culture, I think, is just to sort of accept when bad things happen you know you don't complain about it you just suck it up and move on," Takata told Craigie while walking around the park.
The history
University of Victoria historian and director of the Landscapes of Injustice project, Jordan Stanger-Ross, said the Japanese teahouse was a hub of local life and attracted thousands of people. Although the park has a garden now, Stanger-Ross said it's not as big as it was in the 1940s.
Stanger-Ross said there was widespread vandalism and the destruction of sites like the teahouse and garden in the immediate aftermath of the uprooting of Japanese Canadians on Vancouver Island.
"This wasn't officials in Ottawa or the prime minister of Canada. It was our neighbours here in Esquimalt who came through here and destroyed the garden and the teahouse," he said.
Next steps
The Township of Esquimalt along with Stanger-Ross and the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society [VNCS] are working together to come up with plans to erect a building on the site.
The VNCS is seeking feedback through an online survey about how Esquimalt should construct a multi-purpose building at Gorge Park to commemorate Japanese history. The survey is open until Sept. 29.
Takata said having a new building that recognizes Japanese Canadian history where his family's teahouse once stood would be "hugely meaningful."
"I have a daughter now, my wife is also half Japanese and grew up under similar circumstances, and we're really hoping that this is going to be something that can help us recapture some of our culture and a way to share Japanese culture with the younger generation," he said.
To listen to full interview with Jordan Stanger-Ross and Dillon Takata, click the audio link below:
With files from On The Island