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Research Guides

Japanese Canadian Archival Collections

This guide provides background information on Japanese Canadian archival collections held at the University of Toronto Libraries

Media Commons Archives Holdings

Collection Description Status
Enomoto, Kana  Inspired the CBC TV drama show "The War Between Us". Mieko Ouchi played the role of Aya Kawashima inspired by Kana Enomoto ; photos, correspondence, media clips. Contact archivist for further finding aid information
Kosaburo, Shimizu, Rev. 

Shimizu’s home movies document multiple stages of his life, and the lives of Japanese Canadians during and around WWII. Titles with dates before WWII document Shimizu’s life and events at the Church in Vancouver. They also capture daily life and vacations as Shimizu traveled south through the west coast of the United States, reaching Mexico. During the war, his films are some of the few moving image documents of the Japanese Canadian internment camps. He also filmed some of his talks and meetings he had with other Japanese Canadians when he traveled east for the CCJC. After the war, his films capture typical family life after relocating in Toronto.
The collection also includes six reels of cartoons and shorts for consumer viewing.

Titles:
Vancouver 1936-1937 (1936-1937, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Victoria (1937, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Royal Visit Vancouver (1939, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Family and Friends in Vancouver (Pre-War Days) ([1937 - 1940], 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Salem YPCC (n.d., 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Portland, San Francisco Meeting, Mexico (n.d., 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Kaslo, B.C. (n.d., 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Slocan and Sandon, B.C. (n.d., 1 reel B&W 8mm)
New Denver, B.C. (1944, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Toronto, Fort William, Regina, Kaslo ([1942], 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Story of Japanese Resettlement from B.C. to Ontario (1942-1950, 2 reels colour 8mm)
Japanese Camp (1942 – 1943, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Montreal, QC (1943 – 1944, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Toronto and [Suburbs] ([1950], 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Niagara, Beamsville, Toronto, ON (1944, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Simcoe Lake, Hamilton, Toronto, ON (1946, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Centre Island, Waterloo, Grimsby, ON (1946 – 1947, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Galt, Guelph, Chatham, London, Hamilton, ON ([1947], 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Upper Canada Village (1960, 1 reel colour 8mm)
Toronto, ON (1955, 1 reel colour 8mm)
Yano Wedding, and Toronto, ON ([1958], 1 reel colour 8mm)
Wedding Pictures ([1956], 1 reel colour 8mm)
Vancouver, BC ([1957], 1 reel B&W 8mm)
California Trip ([1946], 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Princeton, Philadelphia, New York (1947 -1952, 1 reel colour 8mm)
Leslie School, Cedar Spring ([1946], 1 reel colour 8mm)
Canada Tour (1952, 2 reels colour 8mm)
Canada Tour (1957, 1 reel colour 8mm)
Second WCC Assembly, Evanston (1954, 1 reel colour 8mm)
News Parade of 1945 (1945, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Sports Parade (1942, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Seeing NY, Knockdown and Drag Out, Bargain Day, Hyps the Hippo (1940, 1 reel tinted 8mm)
The Swim, A Hunting Party, Choose Your Weapons (n.d., 1 reel tinted 8mm)
Mickey in Hurdles and Hazards (n.d., 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Fire Fighter ([1937], 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Haunted House, Easy Street (n.d., 1 reel tinted 8mm)
Chimps Adventures ([1932], 1 reel tinted 8mm)
Holy Land (1940, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
Japan 1937 (1937, 2 reels, B&W and Colour 8mm)
ASAI Tour 1937 (1937, 1 reel B&W 8mm)
1955 World Tour (1955, 5 reels colour 8mm)
The Ghost Towns (1942-1945, 2 DVD-R discs)
Prewar Vancouver: The Japanese United Church, Its Members & Friends (1936-1940, 1 DVD-R disc)

Link to Discover Archives

Contact archivist for further finding aid information

Nishihata, Jesse  Fonds consists of records documenting the professional and personal life and work of Jesse Nishihata. Material reflects Nishihata’s work as a documentary filmmaker, and in particular his interest in documenting the experiences of Japanese Canadians and Indigenous peoples in Canada. Material also reflects Nishihata’s personal relationships and involvement within the Japanese Canadian and wider Canadian arts communities. Records include research material, film proposals/outlines, correspondence, photographs, and audio and video recordings. Contact archivist for further finding aid information
Onodera, Midi  Fonds consists of the professional records of filmmaker, producer, and media consultant Midi Onodera. Including film shorts and feature films that consist of raw footage, outs, and masters, director’s reel, music cues, sound files, waivers, contracts, scripts, production binders, press kits, budgets, copyright information, funding applications, distribution information, cast & crew lists, CV’s, and biographical information. The MAC series includes production and promotional videos for fundraising events and yearly trends. Also includes Film Festival catalogues, Art & Film magazines, zines, newspapers, press clippings, promotional photographs and posters, film stills, publicity photographs, continuity photographs, negatives, and slides.

Link to Discover Archives

Contact archivist for further finding aid information

Tsuji, Mia

The Tsuji Communications Inc. (TCI) was founded by Susan Tsuji and Roy Tsuji in 1980 as a local production company and distributor/agent for Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai or the NHK programs from Japan. Their productions were aired initially on Multilingual Television (MTV), then CITY-TV (Toronto), and finally CHCH (Hamilton).


Before Susan and Roy Tsuji began their career in television, they volunteered in their communities to promote the importance of Japanese culture to Japanese Canadians and Canadians in general. In the 1970s, Susan earned a TV production certificate from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute and with Roy, they started their career in television. Susan was chosen as the new producer for MTV multicultural television Japanese Panorama, a significant step in Susan’s career in television. However, Susan and Roy left MTV to start their show, Hello Japan. With their involvement in Canadian television, they pioneered a way to promote Japanese culture to Japanese Canadians and to a wider audience. Thus, their productions were shot in English, and the NHK segments were in Japanese but given English subtitles.

Link to Discover Archives

Draft; Contact archivist for further finding aid information

 

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