The Roll of Honour features photographs of the Japanese Canadian soldiers who died during the First World War and was erected in 1920. It is a strong reminder of the Japanese Canadian community's enduring pride and gratitude for the young men who sacrificed their lives for their adopted country and for their community. Of the 222 Japanese Canadians that served, over 50 did not return.
When the community was forced to leave Vancouver in 1942, Corporal Sainosuke Kubota, secretary of the Japanese Branch 9 of the Canadian Legion, of the British Empire Services League, took the Roll of Honour with him. He safeguarded the tribute and the Legion flag for twenty-five years until he brought it back to its home in Vancouver for the celebrations of the Japanese Canadian centennial in 1977. A descendant of samurai from the famous Satsuma region of Japan (known today as Kagoshima), Kubota considered returning the Roll of Honour to be his final obligation to his comrades. He passed away the following year.
The following is a translation of a poem Kubota wrote for his fallen comrades, which he read in 1931 in honour of the Veterans receiving the right to vote:
Although you are gone, you are not dead,
Surely the setting sun will rise again for you.
Your heroic spirit will live in our hearts,
We take the torch from your hand to fight and carry on.
