Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

PERPETUAL MEMORY TABLET

Date

1949

Materials

WOOD, INK

No. Pieces

1

Height

60.5

Length

12.6

Width

0.6

Description

ONLINE RESEARCH INDICATES THE NAMES FOR THIS TABLET INCLUDE SHIRAKI-IHAI TABLET, MEMORIAL TABLET, OR ANCESTRAL TABLET. THIS TABLET IS MADE UP OF A FINISHED WOODEN BOARD WITH JAPANESE CALLIGRAPHY IN BLACK INK WRITTEN VERTICALLY ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BOARD. HOLE DRILLED THROUGH TOP CENTER OF THE BOARD FOR HANGING. ONE SIDE CONTAINS FOUR VERTICAL ROWS OF CHARACTERS, WHOSE HEIGHT RANGES FROM 1-3 CM. "15" IS MARKED IN PENCIL AT THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER. THE OPPOSING SIDE CONTAINS 2 VERTICAL ROWS OF CHARACTERS WITH A SINGLE CHARACTER AT THE TOP. CHARACTERS ON THIS SIDE RANGE FROM 3 TO 7 CM IN HEIGHT. CONDITION: THE BOARD HAS SLIGHT SCRATCHING AND SOME MISSING VARNISH OVERALL.

Subjects

CEREMONIAL ARTIFACT

Historical Association

ETHNOGRAPHIC

RELIGION

History

ON 2 DECEMBER 2016, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED THE DONORS, MAKIO (MAC) AND REYKO NISHIYAMA, IN THEIR HOME TO DISCUSS ITEMS THEY WERE DONATING TO THE GALT. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THAT INTERVIEW: MRS. NISHIYAMA EXPLAINED, “WE BROUGHT [THIS BOARD] FROM RAYMOND AS A MEMORY FOR MAC’S DAD, [KOHEI NISHIYAMA]. IN RAYMOND, AT THE BUDDHIST CHURCH, THERE WAS A YEARLY PERPETUAL MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR ALL THE MEMBERS WHO HAD DIED.” THIS BOARD WAS PART OF THAT SERVICE, MRS. NISHIYAMA CONTINUED, “… [IT] IS LIKE THE DONATION THINGS YOU SEE ON THE WALLS [IN CHURCHES]... [THERE] IS AN OLD JAPANESE CUSTOM TO PUT [THE RECORD OF A MEMORIAL DONATION] ON A BOARD, WITH THE NAME [OF THE DONOR] ON THE BACK, AND WE HONOR THEIR MEMORY EACH YEAR, REGARDLESS OF WHAT YEAR THEY PASSED AWAY. SO WHEN YOUR FAMILY MEMBER DIES, AND YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CHURCH CARRIES ON WITH THE PERPETUAL MEMORY SERVICE, THIS WENT UP AS A SORT OF A RECEIPT… WE HAVE A SPECIAL SERVICE IN DECEMBER ALWAYS… MOST OF THE MEMBERS MAKE A DONATION TOWARDS THAT…" MR. NISHIYAMA EXPLAINED FURTHER, “THEY HAD [THE BOARDS] ON THE CHURCH WALL FOR THE PERPETUAL MEMORY.” AFTER THE INTERVIEW, MRS. NISHIYAMA CLARIFIED THAT MR. NISHIYAMA’S DAD, KOHEI, MADE THE DONATION IN SOMEBODY’S MEMORY IN 1949. IT IS UNKNOWN IN WHOSE MEMORY THIS DONATION WAS MADE. THERE IS JAPANESE CALLIGRAPHY ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BOARD. “IT SAYS HIS DAD CAME FROM NEW WESTMINSTER, SO THIS IS ‘NEW’ ‘WEST’,” MRS. NISHIYAMA EXPLAINED THE JAPANESE CHARACTERS, “… IT MUST SAY THAT HE CAME FROM THE NEW WESTMINSTER BUDDHIST CHURCH (ON THE SIDE WITH THE WORDS IN LARGER SCRIPT)… HE WAS AN ORIGINAL MEMBER THERE, AND THIS WOULD BE HIS NAME RIGHT THERE – KOHEI NISHIYAMA – [ON THE SIDE WITH SMALLER CHARACTERS].” SHE EXPLAINS FURTHER, “THE DATE IS RIGHT HERE – 1949. 1949, JANUARY IS THE DATE THEY RECEIVED THE DONATION…” THE GALT MUSEUM REACHED OUT TO A TRANSLATOR TO INTERPRET THE BOARD. THE INFORMATION PROVIDED STATES THAT THE SIDE OF THE BOARD WITH FOUR LINES OF CHARACTERS BEGINS WITH “MONEY 400 DOLLARS” AT THE TOP. AT THE BOTTOM THE FIRST LEFT LINE INCLUDES THE DONOR NAME. THE MIDDLE LINE INCLUDES THE NAME OF RAYMOND BUDDHIST TEMPLE AMONG OTHER INFORMATION. THE FAR RIGHT ROW SAYS, “1949 FEBRUARY.” ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE IT INCLUDES “ORGANIZE FUNERAL,” THE NAME OF THE TEMPLE, AND “SHOW RESPECT.” IN RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION OF WHO MADE THE BOARD, MR. NISHIYAMA REPLIED, “I WOULD SAY SOMEBODY… AT THE RAYMOND CHURCH [MADE THE BOARD].” MRS. NISHIYAMA ELABORATED ON THAT: “…I KNOW MAC’S DAD DID A LOT OF THE CALLIGRAPHY BECAUSE HE WAS GOOD AT IT. I’M NOT SURE WHO DID THIS.” THEY EXPLAINED THAT IN THE RAYMOND CHURCH, THESE MEMORIAL DONATION BOARDS WOULD BE DISPLAYED “ON THE WALL OF THE CHURCH, INSIDE [AND] UP HIGHER. BUT WHEN THE CHURCH GOT SOLD, I THINK MOST OF IT WENT INTO THE GARBAGE.” THIS BOARD WAS HANGING ON THE WALL OF THE RAYMOND BUDDHIST CHURCH FROM 1949 TO THE TIME THE CHURCH WAS CLOSED IN 2006. MRS. NISHIYAMA EXPLAINED THE ACT OF REMEMBERING AS IT EXISTS TODAY: “FOR INSTANCE, RIGHT NOW THE TEMPLE DOESN’T KEEP TRACK… THE FAMILY HAS TO REMEMBER. SO THIS COMING SUNDAY IS THE FIRST SUNDAY IN DECEMBER, WE CALL SHOTSUKI HOYO, WHICH IS A MEMORIAL DAY, WHICH IS OBSERVED FIRST OF THE MONTH, EVERY MONTH EXCEPT AUGUST, AND SO TECHNICALLY I WOULD BE AT THE TEMPLE TO ATTEND THE MEMORIAL SERVICE. MY DAD DIED IN DECEMBER…” MR. NISHIYAMA ELABORATED ON THE IMPORTANCE OF REMEMBERING, “YOU MUST REMEMBER. IT’S NOT JUST TO REMEMBER; IT’S OUT OF GRATITUDE THAT’S WHAT’S BEHIND IT. YOU ARE GRATEFUL NO MATTER HOW MANY YEARS AGO. HERE WE ARE TODAY BECAUSE OF [THE PEOPLE WHO CAME BEFORE]… IT’S TO SAY, ‘THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU’…NONE OF THE CHURCHES DO THIS ANYMORE… IF YOU MAKE A DONATION, THAT’S THAT. IT GOES TO THE TEMPLE, AND THAT’S IT, AND IT’S FORGOTTEN” MRS. NISHIYAMA SAID, “BUT RAYMOND USED TO DO THE PERPETUAL MEMORY SERVICE EVERY YEAR IN DECEMBER, AND IT WAS JUST PART OF THE ROUTINE THAT WE EXPECTED…IT’S TO KEEP THE MEMORY ALIVE. IT’S JUST A PART OF OUR CULTURE.” MRS. NISHIYAMA EXPLAINED THAT OUT OF ALL THE ITEMS THEY COLLECTED FROM THE RAYMOND BUDDHIST CHURCH, THIS MEMORIAL DONATION BOARD HOLDS THE MOST PERSONAL IMPORTANCE: “WHEN YOUR NAME’S ON SOMETHING, WELL, THAT’S MINE, OR OURS.” SPEAKING OF THE CHURCH’S CLOSURE, MRS. NISHIYAMA REMEMBERED, “IT WAS VERY EMOTIONAL. I TELL YOU. I HAVE… A FULL CD OF THE LAST DAY OF THE CHURCH, AND IT WAS LIKE A FUNERAL. WHEN ALL THE SHRINE… WAS DONE – EVERYTHING WAS LOADED ON THE FLAT DECK… AND GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, AND WE ALL HAD TEARS IN OUR EYES.: “THIS IS ALL HAPPENING,” MR. NISHIYAMA SAID ABOUT WITNESSING THE CHURCH'S CLOSURE, “IT’S BECAUSE WE LIVE SO LONG [AND WERE ABLE TO SEE IT CLOSE]. WE’RE HEALTHY. IF WE [WERE] GONE 20 YEARS AGO, IT WOULD HAVE ALL BEEN DONE [WITHOUT US SEEING]. WE WOULDN’T HAVE ALL [THESE MEMORIES]. BUT HERE WE ARE. WE HAVE TO BE GRATEFUL EVEN FOR THE ACHES AND PAINS OF OLD AGE. WE’RE HERE.” MRS. NISHIYAMA FINISHED BY SAYING, "FOR ME, IT’S A VALUABLE MEMORY – BOTH CHURCH AND DAD – AND ALL THE WORK – AND HIS DAD - BEAUTIFUL CALLIGRAPHY. SOME OF THE OTHER BOARDS, HE DID THE WRITING ON IT.” A FAMILY HISTORY WAS SUBMITTED TO THE BOOK “NISHIKI: NIKKEI TAPESTRY: A HISTORY OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA JAPANESE CANADIANS” (PUBLISHED 2001) BY MAC AND REYKO NISHIYAMA. ACCORDING TO THAT HISTORY MAC’S FATHER, KOHEI NISHIYAMA, WAS BORN IN KUMAMOTO-KEN, JAPAN ON 10 MAY 1895. HE CAME TO CANADA IN 1915 AND SETTLED IN SAPPERTON, BRITISH COLUMBIA. HE “WORKED FOR THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY FOR 29 YEARS BEFORE BEING EVACUATED FIRST TO A ROAD CAMP AND LATER TO THE TASHME RELOCATION CAMP. IN 1946, AFTER THE WAR ENDED, HE AND HIS FAMILY MOVED TO WELLING, ALBERTA TO WORK ON THE FLOYD WILDE FARM.” THE BOOK CONTINUES: “HE MARRIED HIDE MURAKAMI IN 1918. HIDE WAS ALSO BORN IN KUMAMOTO-KEN, JAPAN ON 16 SEPTEMBER 1898. THEY RAISED A FAMILY OF TWO BOYS AND THREE GIRLS: KAORU BETTY, JACK NOBORU, FUMI ROCY, MAKIO (MAC), AND MAY MISAO…” “AFTER RAISING SUGAR BEETS FOR SEVERAL YEARS WITH HIS FAMILY, KOHEI AND HIDE RETIRED TO THE TOWN OF RAYMOND… KOHEI… AND HIDE WERE BOTH VERY ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE RAYMOND BUDDHIST CHURCH,” IT STATES IN THE BOOK. AS STATED IN THE BOOK, HIDE PASSED AWAY IN 1968 AND KOHEI PASSED AWAY IN 1983 AT THE AGE OF 88. HIDE’S OBITUARY IN THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD STATES THAT SHE WAS 69 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME OF HER PASSING. THE OBITUARY STATES THAT SHE WAS MARRIED TO MR. NISHIYAMA ON 20 DECEMBER 1918 IN KUMAMOTO CITY. THEY WENT TO NEW WESTMINISTER, BRITISH COLUMBIA TOGETHER IN APRIL 1919. THE OBITUARY OF MAC NISHIYAMA STATES THAT HE WAS BORN IN SAPPERTON, NEW WESTMINISTER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, ON 23 AUGUST 1927 TO KOHEI AND HIDE NISHIYAMA. THE FAMILY WAS INTERNED IN TASHME, BRITISH COLUMBIA DURING THE WAR. THE FAMILY RELOCATED TO SOUTHERN ALBERTA WHEN THE WAR ENDED. IT WAS AT THE RAYMOND BUDDHIST CHURCH WHERE HE MET REYKO KARAKI AND THE COUPLE WAS MARRIED IN 1953. TOGETHER THEY HAD SIX CHILDREN. HE PASSED AWAY ON 28 MAY 2017. PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION INCLUDING FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS, COPIES OF THE NIKKEI FAMILY HISTORY, AND BOARD TRANSLATION. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE REFERENCE P20030040000, FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH MAC NISHIYAMA REGARDING A CRATE HE DONATED.

Catalogue Number

P20160042005

Acquisition Date

2016-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail