Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

KENDO SUIT

Date Range From

1970

Date Range To

1980

Materials

COTTON, LEATHER, STEEL

No. Pieces

5

Description

1. HIP PROTECTOR (TARE). 77.0 (L - W/O TIES) X 39.5 (W). DARK BLUE. CONSISTS OF A WAISTBAND WITH BLACK LEATHER REINFORCEMENTS AT EACH END (WITH YELLOW STITCHING). ATTACHED TO EACH END OF WAISTBAND IS A LONG CLOTH TIE. ATTACHED TO BOTTOM OF WAISTBAND ARE 5 VERTICAL SLATS. 3 SLATS ARE LONGER AND OVERLAP THE SHORTER TWO. EACH SLAT HAS BLACK LEATHER EDGING. BLACK LEATHER STRIPS ARE STRUNG THROUGH HOLES AT TOP OF EACH SLAT AND TIED IN THE BACK. ENTIRE HIP PROTECTOR IS COVERED IN A DARK BLUE COTTON THAT IS STITCHED TO FORM RIBS (HORIZONTAL ON WAISTBAND, VERTICAL ON SLATS). EACH SLAT ALSO HAS A DARK BLUE WOOL PIECE AT TOP THAT IS STITCHED INTO HORIZONTAL RIBS. 2. HEAD PROTECTOR (MEN). 42.0 X 49.5 X 27.5. TOP AND SIDES OF HEAD PROTECTOR ARE MADE FROM A STIFFENED DARK BLUE COTTON, WHICH IS STITCHED TO FORM VERTICAL RIBS; A STRIP OF BLUE WOOL (ALSO RIBBED) COVERS ABOUT 1/3 OF THIS AREA. SIDES OF HEAD PROTECTOR FLARE OUTWARDS AT BOTTOM. ON INSIDE OF PROTECTOR THERE IS AN EXTRA FLAP OF SAME MATERIAL UNDER CHIN AREA. THERE IS PADDING AROUND FACE, WITH EXTRA PADDING AT FOREHEAD AND CHIN AREAS. FRONT OF PROTECTOR HAS STEEL RODS CREATING A MASK OVER THE FACE. THERE IS A GLOSSY, HARD BLACK MATERIAL FRAMING MASK ON OUTSIDE OF PROTECTOR. THIS MATERIAL IS PAINTED ORANGE WHERE MASK IS ATTACHED. BELOW MASK IS A STRIP OF PADDED BLACK LEATHER. THERE ARE TWO BLUE WOOL TIES ATTACHED TO TOP SIDES OF MASK VIA STRIPS OF BLACK LEATHER. 3. PAIR OF GLOVES (KOTE). 2 PIECES. 13.0 X 30.5 X 16.0. HAND PORTION OF GLOVES HAS ONE COMPARTMENT FOR FINGERS AND ONE FOR THUMB. EXTERIOR OF HAND PORTION IS MADE FROM DARK BLUE WOOL AND BLACK LEATHER. INTERIOR POCKET FOR HAND IS MADE FROM WHITE SUEDE LEATHER. GLOVES HAVE A WRIST PROTECTOR MADE FROM STIFFENED, DARK BLUE COTTON, STITCHED TO FORM HORIZONTAL RIBS. THERE ARE ALSO BLACK LEATHER REINFORCEMENTS ON WRIST PROTECTOR. WRIST PROTECTOR IS LACED UP WITH A BLACK SHOESTRING. 4. CHEST PROTECTOR (DO). 34.0 X 35.0 X 20.5. PROTECTOR IS ROUNDED TO FIT AROUND TORSO. EXTERIOR IS HARD BLACK LEATHER; TOP PART HAS A SQUARE PATTERN IMPRESSED INTO LEATHER. TWO STRIPS OF BLACK LEATHER FORM LOOPS AT TOP OF PROTECTOR. INSIDE OF PROTECTOR HAS 41 STRIPS OF BAMBOO PAINTED DARK ORANGE. SOME OF THE PAINT IS CHIPPING AT EDGES OF BAMBOO STRIPS. THERE ARE BLACK SMUDGES OVER MUCH OF THE BAMBOO. PAINTED ONTO ONE PIECE OF BAMBOO, IN BLACK, ARE FOUR JAPANESE CHARACTERS. THERE ARE 3 BLUE WOOL LACES ATTACHED TO BACK OF PROTECTOR (1 LACE IS MISSING). THERE IS ALSO A BRITTLE LEATHER LOOP INSIDE PROTECTOR.

Subjects

SPORTS EQUIPMENT

Historical Association

SPORTS

History

SUIT IS CLAIMED TO HAVE BEEN ORIGINALLY BELONGED TO KEN CHIBA OF VAUXHALL IN 1960'S. CHIBA IS OF JAPANESE DESCENT AND WAS EVACUATED TO THE VAUXHALL AREA IN THE 1940S. IN MID 70S, HE SOLD THE KENDO SUIT FOR $100 TO SHANE NISHI, WHO WAS A RECENT JAPANESE LANDED IMMIGRANT. NISHI ARRIVED IN THE VAUXHALL AREA BETWEEN 1971 AND 1973, SETTLING THERE PERMANENTLY BY 1975. AT 18 Y/O, HE IMMIGRATED TO VAUXHALL (1971) WITH 59 OTHER PERSONS FROM JAPAN AS PART OF A IMMIGRANT TRAINEE PROGRAM ASSOCIATED WITH SOUTHERN ALBERTA POTATOE GROWERS. AFTER TWO YEARS ON A VAUXHALL FARM, HE LEFT FARM LIFE FOR VANCOUVER IN SEARCH OF LESS TIME COSUMING EMPLOYMENT. THERE, HE FOUND WORK IN BOTH THE STEEL AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES WHICH, DID NOT DEMAND THAT HE WORK 14 HR DAYS - ASSOCIATED WITH POTATOE FARMS. AFTER A COUPLE YEARS, HOWEVER, HIS VAUXHALL FARM BOSS LOCATED HIM IN VANCOUVER AND ENTICED HIM BACK TO FARM LIFE. NISHI CLAIMS THE WINTER MONTHS IN VAUXHALL FEATURED VERY FEW LEISURE/ ENTERTAINMENT OPPORTUNITIES. CONSEQUENTLY, HE JOINED EIGHT OTHER IMMIGRANT PROGRAM MEMBERS TO FORM A KENDO CLUB IN 1975. THE CLUB OPERTATED FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE YEARS OUT OF THE TOWN'S SCHOOL GYMNASIUM. THE CLUB WAS LED BY KENNY NAKATANI - SAME AGE AS NISHI - WHO PREVIOUSLY PRACTICISED KENDO IN JAPAN. THE GROUP TRAINED ONCE A WEEK. THE CLUB DISOLVED AFTER ONLY THREE YEARS AS A RESULT OF ITS MEMBERS DEPARTING THE VAUXHALL AREA. CHIBA WOULD OBSERVE THE TRAINING, BUT NOT ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE ON ACCOUNT OF AGE - HENCE, HIS WILLINGNESS TO SELL HIS SUIT TO NISHI. AT TIME OF CATALOGUING, CHIBA IS THOUGHT TO BE APPROX 80+ Y/O. THE CLUB PERFORMED AT LEAST ONE DEMONSTRATION AT THE YATES IN THE EARLY 80S AS PART OF A SUMMER FESTIVAL. IN MID 80S, NISHI DONATED THE SUIT TO THE JAPANESE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION IN LETHBRIDGE. IN MAY 1948 THE ALBERTA CHAPTER OF THE JAPANESE CANADIAN CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION WAS FORMED. FROM 1991 TO 1998 HANAE IWAASA-ROBBS WAS PRESIDENT OF THE JCCA IN LETHBRIDGE. ARTIFACTS WERE ENTRUSTED TO HER BY THE LOCAL JAPANESE COMMUNITY AND SHE COLLECTED THEM IN AN OFFICE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF LETHBRIDGE. *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED AN ARTIFACT SURVEY, WHICH INCLUDED A SERVING DISH AND A JEWELRY BOX DONATED BY THE NIKKEI CULTURAL SOCIETY. AS PART OF THE RESEARCH PROCESS, PUNDYK CONTACTED THE FORMER OPERATOR OF THE JAPANESE CULTURAL ASSOCIATION, HANAE IWASSA. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PERSONAL MEMORY OF THE ARTIFACTS BY THE LOCAL JAPANESE COMMUNITY PRIOR TO THE ITEMS BEING DONATED TO THE JAPANESE CULTURAL ASSOCIATION IS UNKNOWN.

Catalogue Number

P20030044012

Acquisition Date

2004-01

Collection

Museum

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