PRINT

Description: .1 31.5 CM HT., 62.5 CM WTH. PAPER. COLOURED PRINT. "BEAUTY AT THE CORRIDOR BY UKYO SUKENOBU NISHIKAWA" ALSO WRITTEN IN JAPANESE. JAPANESE LADY IN TRADITIONAL DRESS COMING DOWN A STAIRCASE. PRINT IS GLUED ALONG TOP EDGE TO THE BACK OF .2. .2 34 CM HT., 76 CM WTH. PAPER. BLACK AND WHITE PRINT OF JAPAN'S ROYAL PALACE IN TOKYO. JAPANESE WRITING ON TOP EDGE AND BOTTOM EDGE OF PRINT. LOWER LEFT CORNER HAS BEEN TORN AWAY. BOTTOM EDGE FOLDED UP. UPPER RIGHT CORNER IS WATER STAINED. EDGES FRAYED. BOTH THE ABOVE FRAMED BEHIND GLASS WITH NEWSPAPER BACKING. .3 87.5 CM HT., 38 CM WTH. WOOD WALL FRAME, GLAZED & MATTED. NARROW-WIDTH FRAME IS FINISHED IN BLACK LACQUER WITH HAND-PAINTED BORDER IN GOLD ALONG INSIDE BEVEL. MAT BOARD MARKED ON REVERSE, “370”, “PETERBORO CARDBOARDS”. NEW EYELETS AND HANGER WIRE. NO EVIDENCE OF HISTORY-MENTIONED NEWSPAPER-BACKING REMAINING. *NOTE* IN 2015 THE PRINTS WERE FOUND TO BE UNFRAMED AND STORED SEPARATELY FROM THE FRAME. THE PRINTS ARE NO LONGER ADHERED TOGETHER. *NOTE* DESCRIPTION FOR .3 ADDED IN APRIL 2016 AS NONE EXISTING.

History: THE PRINT OF THE ROYAL PALACE IS FRAMED WITH IT HIDDEN BEHIND .1 TO AVOID SEIZURE AND DESTRUCTION BY THE ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE DURING INTERNMENT FROM LOWER MAINLAND, B.C. IN 1942. THE NEWSPAPER BACKING (THE VANCOUVER DAILY PROVINCE) DATES THE FRAMED PRINTS TO 1934 OR LATER. THE ROYAL PALACE PRINT REPRESENTS DIVINE WORSHIP OF THE EMPEROR, PARTICULARLY TO ISSEI PEOPLE. 1934 WAS THE START OF SINO-JAPANESE WAR IN MANCHURIA. *UPDATE* IN 2015 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. SHE NOTED THAT ALTHOUGH THE DONATION OF THIS OBJECT WAS MADE IN THE NAME OF THE JAPANESE UNITED CHURCH, THE GIFT AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED BY "B. T. MURATA". ACCORDING TO ARTICLES FOUND IN THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, BEN T. MURATA WAS THE PASTOR OF THE LETHBRIDGE JAPANESE UNITED CHURCH FROM 1973 TO 1979 BEFORE MOVING TO TORONTO, WHERE HE FILED THE DONATION PAPERWORK FROM. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT MURATA WAS GIVEN THIS ARTIFACT DURING HIS TIME IN LETHBRIDGE FROM A JAPANESE-CANADIAN INTERNEE, BUT THE NAME OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER IS NOT NOTED IN PAPERWORK OR ON THE OBJECT. NO OBITUARY OR CURRENT INFORMATION ON HIS WHEREABOUTS WERE FOUND. SEE PERMENANT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF ARTICLES ON MURATA'S PASTORSHIP IN LETHBRIDGE.