Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

NETSU-GEN; FUEL BARS

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

1950

Materials

CARDBOARD, ORGANIC MATERIALS

No. Pieces

2+

Height

5.9

Length

22.0

Width

9.4

Description

RECTANGULAR CARDBOARD BOX; HAS SEPARATE LID. LID HAS A BLUE MARBLED APPEARANCE WITH A RECTANGULAR LABEL ON TOP. LABEL IS WHITE WITH BLUE PRINT, READS "NETSU-GEN FUEL BARS EXCLUSIVE FOR MYO-ONKI (100 STICKS) NICHIE KUDO MANUFACTURER, PACKER & DISTRIBUTOR 102 WAKAMATSU-CHO, SHINJUKU-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN E. KAGETSU STORE SOLE AGENT IN CANADA 8 MOUNTVIEW AVE. TRONTO [SIC] 9, CANADA" FOLLOWED BY JAPANESE WRITING. BOTTOM OF BOX IS PLAIN WHITE. PRINTED ON BOTTOM OF BOX IS "MADE IN JAPAN". BOX CONTAINS LAYERS OF CYLINDRICAL BARS MADE FROM ORGANIC INGREDIENTS. BOX IS ALMOST FULL EXCEPT TOP LAYER. LAYERS ARE SEPARATED BY THIN CORRUGATED CARDBOARD.

Subjects

MEDICAL & DENTAL T&E

TEMPERATURE CONTROL DEVICE

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

THESE FUEL BARS WERE MADE BY CRAFTSMEN IN JAPAN AND IMPORTED TO CANADA BEFORE WORLD WAR II. THE BARS WERE USED WITH MYO-ONKI, A SMALL STEEL OR ALUMINUM CONTAINER THAT PRODUCED HEAT. THE BARS WERE LIT, PUT INTO THE MYO-ONKI, WRAPPED IN FLANNEL OR WOOL CLOTH, THEN PUT ON THE PART OF THE BODY TO RELIEVE PAIN. THIS TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN SURPASSED IN MODERN COUNTRIES. IDENTIFIED AS BELONGING TO MRS. HARU MATSUNO. HER HUSBAND TOYOICHI ARRIVED IN VANCOUVER IN 1904 AND SETTLED IN RAYMOND IN 1909. IN 1924 HARU, A PICTURE BRIDE, LEFT JAPAN FOR CANADA AND MARRIED TOYOICHI. TOGETHER THEY LIVED ON A FARM IN RAYMOND, RAISING EIGHT CHILDREN. FOR A MORE DETAILED FAMILY HISTORY, SEE 'NISHIKI: NIKKEI TAPESTRY (2001)' P274-275. THE ELDEST DAUGHTER CHIZUKO KIMURA CAN BE REACHED IN EDMONTON AT 780-406-0068. 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

P20030044009

Acquisition Date

2004-01

Collection

Museum

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