Japanese Canadian War Memorial

The Japanese Canadian War Memorial was funded by the community and dedicated on April 9, 1920, the third anniversary of the opening day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The Canadian Japanese Association, who also funded the training of 227 soldiers in Vancouver from January to May 1916, erected the memorial in memory of the victory at Vimy Ridge, the loss of 54 men and the 168 surviving Japanese Canadian Veterans who returned to Canada. 

The memorial was placed on gravel in an open field. It was designed by James Anderson Benzie in 1919. On top of the memorial is a Japanese lantern which symbolizes unification between Canada and Japan. The lantern is reminiscent of the ancient Kasuga lanterns at the great shrine at Kyoto, albeit on a larger scale. At the top of the fluted classical central column is a Shinto pagoda form containing the lantern. The 12 “polygons” of the base suggest radiating chrysanthemum petals, emblematic of the Japanese imperial family, but also a symbol of lamentation or grief. 

After the memorial was dedicated, cherry trees were planted, including the shirofugen in 1920, ojochin in 1925, and shirotae in 1932. The cherry trees serve many symbolic interpretations that relate to the fallen soldiers. On May 10, representatives of the Japan Society of Vancouver, the Canadian Japanese Society, the Japanese Consulate, and the Park Board dedicated additional flowering cherry trees. In 1958, as a symbol of the friendship between Canada and Japan, 300 additional cherry trees were donated by the Japanese consul Muneo Tanabe. In 1977, two of the last surviving Japanese Canadian Veterans of the First World War planted akebono cherry trees at the memorial.  

In addition to differences of colour, the cherries selected for the memorial displayed a variety of tree shapes. They also follow a different blooming sequence. The ojochin tree displays evidence of manipulation through the Japanese art of niwaki entailing the pruning, training, and shaping of trees. The tree was trained in the manner of the flowing or streaming branch style of giant bonsai practice, known as Nagare Eda Shitate, and its horizontal orientation specifically suggests the Monkan Shitate, or Branch-Over-Gate form of niwaki. The training of the tree to form an arch of flowering cherry blossoms extending virtually to the monument has produced a canopy that completely envelops visitors standing on the west side of the memorial with cherry blossoms in the spring. 

Its landscape incorporates symbols of regeneration of traumatized humanity reinforcing the remembrance and reverence for the war dead.  Drawing on trees as powerful symbols of identity and renewal, it offered solace and healing to survivors and it holds the potential to continue to resonate with visitors who have been made aware of the profound messages this landscape was intended to convey. 

Among the more remarkable features of the landscape is the relationship of the seasonal cycle to traditions of honouring the war dead. The cherry trees bloom every year around the time of the anniversary of the dedication of the Japanese Canadian War Memorial on 9 April 1920, and of the Battle of Vimy Ridge on the same date in 1917. Almost as quickly as they bloom, the cherry blossoms wither and fall off the trees, symbolic of the fleeting character of life. Yet the foliage and blossoms of the trees return every year in a perpetual renewal of life in the spring. This landscape speaks eloquently to the devotion of Japanese Canadians to the memory of the brave soldiers who fought and died on behalf of their compatriots, and the obligation of survivors to honour their service and sacrifice through these moving symbols of death and restored life.

During the Second World War, the lantern was extinguished. Canada detained 21,000 Japanese-Canadians living in BC under the War Measures Act. Their homes and businesses were sold by the government to pay for their detention. The lantern was not relit until August 2, 1985. In a ceremony, 98 year old Sergeant Masumi Mitsui, who served in the First World War and fought in the Battles of Vimy Ridge and Hill 70, relit the lantern. Sergeant Mitsui was awarded a Military Medal for his leadership at Vimy and Hill 70. The monument was restored and a fence was built around the monument.

The Japanese Canadian War Memorial Committee has subsequently added the names of Japanese Canadians who died in the Second World War,  Korean War and Afghanistan.

In October 2014, the memorial was refurbished, the dedication plaque was replaced, the limestone polished white and the petals on the base cleaned. In February 2015, with funding from Heritage BC's Heritage Legacy Fund, cracks on the marble lantern were filled in and the glass windows were replaced with custom made panes to match the design of their originally established era. The Centenary of Enlistment was installed in 2016.

Today, the cherry blossom trees have grown out and the monument is enclosed by a chain link and a tidy, cement flooring.

[front top plaque/plaque à la partie supérieure avant]
1914 - HONOR ROLL - 1918
JAPANESE KILLED WHILE SERVING WITH CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

• T. IWAMOTO MM
• Y. KAMAKURA LCPL MM
•  
• I. KUMAGAWA LCPL
• K. OURA CPL
• T. SHIRASAGO MM
• Y. TAKEUCHI C OF ST. G
• F. TATSUOKA SGT

• (column 1/colonne 1)
• K. AKIYAMA
• N. ASADA
• I. BAN
• C. FUJITA
• T. FUKUI
• T. GYOTOKU
• C. HAMAGUCHI
• S. HARA
• K. HARADA
• C. HASHIMA
• (column 2/colonne 2)
• M. HAYASHI
• H. INOUYE
• T. ISHIHARA
• R. ISHII
• K. KATAYAMA
• I. KOJIMA
• H. KOYANAGI
• S. KURYU
• S. MATSUBAYASHI
•  
• (column 3/colonne 3)
• T. MATSUI
• T. MATSUMURA
• K. MIGITA
• S. MOTOHASHI
• C. NAKAMURA
• H. NARITA
• E. NIKAIDO
• S. NISHIMURA
• T. NISHIOKA

• (column 4/colonne 4)
• S. OMASA
• O. ONISHI
• M. OTANI
• T. SATO
• G. SHIBATA
• T. SHICHI
• H. SHINOMIYA
• T. SUDA
• K. SUGIMOTO
•  
• (column 5/colonne 5)
• H. SUGITANI
• K. TADA
• T. TAKAYANAGI
• Y. TANAKA
• K. TOKUNAGA
• T. TOKUNAGA
• S. TSUCHIYA
• T. UCHINASHI
• M. YAMADA
• T. YAMASAKI

[front bottom plaque/plaque en bas]

• SECOND WORLD WAR
• 1939 - 1945
• C.W. MAWATARI
• M. TANAKA
• KOREAN WAR
• 1950 - 1953
• T. TAKEUCHI

[base/bas]
ERECTED BY THE CANADIAN JAPANESE ASSOCN A.D.MCMXIX

AUG - 1917
AVION

AUG - 1917
LENS

APL - 1917
VIMY RIDGE

OCT - 1916
THE SOMME

NOV - 1918
MONS

NOV - 1918
VALENCIENNES

OCT - 1918
DENAIN

OCT - 1918
CAMBRAI

SEP - 1918
ARRAS

AUG - 1918
AMIENS

OCT - 1917
PASSCHENDAEL

AUG - 1917
HILL 70

[base plaque/plaque en bas]
UNVEILED
BY
MAYOR GALE
9TH APRIL - 1920
ERECTED BY
THE CANADIAN JAPANESE ASSOCIATION
DURING THE PRESIDENCY OF
M.ABE

DESIGNED
BY JAMES.A. BENZIE
ARCHITECT
KEAST & ALLAN
STONE MASONS

[back plaque/plaque à l’arrière]
1914 - honor roll - 1918
JAPANESE WHO RETURNED WITH CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

• (column 1/colonne 1)
• D. ARAKI
• M. ARAKI
• K. CHIBA
• S. CHIBA
• C. CHUJO
• T. DANJO
• T. DATE
• S. FUJI
• T. FUJII
• Y. FUKAYE
• I. FUKUSHIMA
• B. FURUKAWA MM
• R. FURUYA
• S. GOTO
• B. HAMADE
• T. HAMAMATSU
• S. HARADA
• M. HAYASHI
• Y. HAYASHI
• T. HIRAI
• T. HIROTA
• R. HOITA
• K. HORITA
• T. HOSHIZAKI
• (column 2/colonne 2)
• M. IHARA
• K. IIZUKA MM
• N. IKEDA
• T. INOHARA
• K. INOUYE MM
• Z. INOUYE
• I. ISOGAI
• H. ISOMURA
• K. IWASAKI
• M. IWASAKI
• S. IWASHITA
• S. IZUKAWA
• T. KAJI
• O. KAMACHI
• T. KAMEI
• S. KANDA
• M. KATAOKA
• K. KATENO
• K. KATO
• Y. KAWAI
• K. KAWASE
• K. KIMOTO
• S. KIMURA
•  
• (column 3/colonne 3)
• S. KINOSHITA
• H. KITAGAWA
• T. KITAGAWA
• H.S. KOBAYASHI
• R. KOBAYASHI
• S. KONDO
• Y. KUBO
• Y. KUBODERA MM
• S. KUBOTA CPL
• Z. KUBOTA
• K. kURISU
• T. KURODA
• Y. KURODA
• K. MATANO
• K. MATSUDA
• N. MATSUDA
• K. MATSUMOTO
• K. MATSUMOTO
• Z. MATSUMOTO
• T. MAYE
• T. MIKURIYA
• M. MITSUI SGT MM
• T. MIYAGAWA
• S. MIYAHARA
• (column 4/colonne 4)
• S. MIYAI
• E. MIYATA
• F. MORISHIGE
• S. MOROOKA
• M. MOTOIKE
• N. MURAKAMI
• S. MURATA
• S. MURATA
• Y. MURATA
• S. MUTO
• E. NAGAI
• S. NAGANO
• D. NAGAO
• K. NAGAO
• S. NAKAGAWA
• M. NAKAMURA MM
• T. NAKAMURA
• K. NAKASHIMA
• S. NAKATA
• M. NAKAUCHI
• T. NAMBA
• T. NARUSE
• G. NIIHARA MM

• (column 5/colonne 5)
• M. NISHIJIMA
• K. NISHIMURA
• Y. NISHIMURA
• M.M. NISHIOKA
• T. NITSUI
• T. NONAKA
• R. OBAYSHI
• H. OHASHI
• N. OKAWA
• T. OKUTAKE
• T. OKUTSU
• S. OMOTO
• K. OSEKI
• T. OTOMO
• T. OTSUBO
• K. SAITO
• Y. SAITO
• Y. SAITO
• Y. SAKAMOTO
• M. SAKIYAMA
• J. SASAKI
• D. SATO
• S. SATO LCPL
• Y. SAWADA
• (column 6/colonne 6)
• U. SHIBUTA
• J. SHIGA
• Z. SHIMBASHI
• J. SHIMIZU
• K. SHIMIZU
• I. SHINTANI
• M. SHISHIDO
• Y. SHOGI SGT
• G. SOBUYE
• K. SUGIMOTO
• Y. TAJINO
• K. TAKAHASHI
• Y. TAKASHIMA MM
• Y. TAKEUCHI
• M. TAMASHIRO
• S. TANAKA
• T. TANAKA
• T. TANJI
• R. TAO
• K. TOHANA
• T. TOMODA
• K. TOMOGUCHI
• K. TONOGAI
• J. TSUBOTA
• (column 7/colonne 7)
• T. TSUGE
• I. UEGAMA
• S. USHIJIMA
• M. UYEDA
• N. UYEDA
• K. UYEHARA
• S. WADA
• E. WAKAMATSU
• G. WATANABE
• N. WATANABE
• M. YAMAMOTO
• O. YAMAMOTO
• O. YAMAMOTO MM(2)
• S. YAMAMOTO
• A. YAMASAKI
• Z. YAMASAKI
• H. YAMASHITA
• H. YANO
• T. YASUDA
• S. YOKOMIZO
• K. YOSHIHARA
• M. YOSHIKAWA C of St.G
• K. YOSHIZAWA
• E. YUKITANI

[cement wall behind the cenotaph/mur de ciment à l’arrière du cénotaphe]

(new dedication plaque/nouvelle plaque commémorative)
JAPANESE CANADIAN WAR MEMORIAL

THIS MONUMENT WAS DEDICATED ON APRIL 9, 1920
IN LASTING MEMORY OF MORE THAN 222 WHO
ANSWERED THE CALL OF DUTY FOR CANADA AND TO
THE 54 WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES IN DEFENCE OF
FREEDOM IN WW I. ENGRAVED ON THE MONUMENT IS THE
HONOUR ROLL OF WWI AND THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES
IN WW I, WW II, THE KOREAN WAR AND THE AFGHAN WAR.
A RE-LIGHTING OF THE MEMORIAL LANTERN, WHICH
WAS EXTINGUISED DURING WW II, TOOK PLACE ON
AUGUST 2, 1985 BY WW I VETERAN, SGT. M. MITSUI MM.

(plaque)
Centenary of Enlistment

Japanese Canadians were unable to enlist in BC at the start
of the Great War. Under leadership of Yasushi Yamazaki,
the Canadian Japanese Association sponsored the training of
a heroic battalion of 227 men in Vancouver in January 1916.
Undetered by refusal from government and disbandment,
the volunteers travelled at their own expense to Alberta to
enlist one by one in May 196. Determined to represent
Canada, they were fearless in battle, inspiring the victory
on Vimy Ridgy and other battles indenitified on the granite
petals of the cenotaph. These brave men were awarded
thirteen military medals and two St. George Crosses.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF JAPANESE CANADIANS

[old dedication plaque that was removed/ancienne plaque commémorative qui a été enlevée]
WORLD WAR I
JAPANESE CANADIAN WAR MEMORIAL
THIS MONUMENT IS IN LASTING MEMORY OF THE
190 WHO ANSWERED THE CALL OF DUTY FOR
CANADA AND TO THE 54 WHO LAID DOWN THEIR
LIVES IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM IN THE GREAT
WAR. THEIR NAMES ARE ENGRAVED ON THE
MONUMENT ERECTED, APRIL 2, 1920
A RE-LIGHTING OF THE MEMORIAL TO CANADIAN
SOLDIERS OF JAPANESE ANCESTRY IN WORLD
WAR I TOOK PLACE ON AUGUST 2, 1985