Welcome to Historic Joy Kogawa House - TLC

Ryukoku Sogo Gakuen

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:02:02 -0700

Ryukoku students visit Kogawa House in July 2007

Ryukoku Summer Students Visit Kogawa House

A group of 19 enthusiastic Japanese high school students and their teachers visited historic Joy Kogawa House early on the morning of Thursday, July 26, 2007. Members of the group attend school in various parts of Japan and came together in Vancouver to participate in Ryukoku Sogo Gakuen, a three-week educational program out of Steveston Buddhist Temple that promotes religious, cultural, and international understanding. The Ryukoku Summer English program has been in operation every summer for the past five years.

This year, an important aspect of the curriculum was to create some understanding and appreciation of the Japanese experience in British Columbia. As part of their preparation for their visit to Canada, students were required to read Joy Kogawa’s story of the internment, Naomi’s Road, as well as do some research about the author. The culmination of their learning was the exciting tour of the author’s childhood home during their visit to Vancouver.

Tamsin Baker, regional manager of The Land Conservancy of BC’s Lower Mainland office, was present at the house to welcome the group. Tamsin showed the students photos of the house during various times in the past and explained the history of the house and plans for its future. The highlight of the morning came when Joy herself arrived at the house, accompanied by David Kogawa and their son, Gordon. Her arrival was a completely unexpected surprise. The students and teachers were absolutely thrilled to meet Joy in person and gave her a very enthusiastic welcome. Everyone wanted to have a picture taken with Joy.

The Ryukoku School wishes to thank Joy Kogawa, David Kogawa, and Tamsin Baker for taking the time to make their visit to the house very meaningful and for helping to create wonderful memories for the students to take back to Japan.

—Posted on behalf of Joan Young

TLC press release: VANCOUVER HERITAGE AWARD OF HONOUR GOES TO TLC & KOGAWA HOUSE COMMITTEE

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 15:20:50 -0800

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb 21, 2007

VANCOUVER HERITAGE AWARD OF HONOUR GOES TO TLC & KOGAWA HOUSE COMMITTEE

VANCOUVER, BC – TLC The Land Conservancy and Kogawa House Committee has received a 2007 City of Vancouver Heritage Award for their work in protecting the childhood home of Canadian author, Joy Kogawa.

The 28th annual City of Vancouver Heritage Awards were presented on February 19, the first day of Heritage Week, to tribute the extraordinary efforts of architects, community organization, developers, writers, artists and ordinary citizen who work to preserve Vancouver’s heritage.

Mayor Sam Sullivan conferred an award of honour to TLC and the Kogawa House Committee, for its outstanding advocacy efforts in saving the Historic Joy Kogawa House, bringing municipal, provincial, national and international attention to the effort with its theme of “Hope, Healing and Reconciliation”, thus preserving an important part of Vancouver’s cultural heritage.

Historic Joy Kogawa House is the childhood home of author Joy Kogawa, from which she and her family were removed from the home in 1942 as part of the Government’s policy of internment of Canadians of Japanese ancestry during World War II. Located in the Marpole neighbourhood of Vancouver, Kogawa House is a symbol of the wrongs that were committed in the past. It is this house that is featured prominently in her award winning novel Obasan, a powerful story of that internment and features the house prominently as part of her childhood recollections.

“It is an honour to be recognized among the heritage community and I’d like to thank everyone that worked on this fundraising campaign as well as our 550 donors,” says Bill Turner, TLC’s Executive Director. “I’m pleased to say this accomplishment is a testament of what a community of concerned individuals can to do to make a change in the world. It is important for us to ensure our stories as a national do not disappear over time. The story of the Historic Joy Kogawa House will live on with everyone it touched.”

“This house was saved by the poets, writers, film makers, literary and heritage lovers, and the activists and visionaries of our community, “ says Todd Wong of the Kogawa House Committee. “It is a powerful gift to Vancouver, BC, Canada and the world for the voices of conscience. That the house has survived this long is a miracle, and it took a miracle to save it. This house was destined to become both a historical and literary landmark. The Kogawa House committee is honoured to receive this award, and we are in debt to all the believers.”

In light of the fact TLC purchased the Historic Joy Kogawa House in early June 2006, donations are still required for restoration and an endowment to allow the house to be used both as an educational site addressing the issue of the internment of Canadians of Japanese heritage during the World War II and as a site for a ‘Writers-in-Residence’ program. Donations can be made by calling: (604) 733-2313.

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For further information:
TLC: Bill Turner (250) 213-1090; bturner@conservancy.bc.ca
Save Kogawa House Committee: Todd Wong (604) 240-7090; gunghaggis@yahoo.ca

TLC and Save Joy Kogawa House committee both receive City of Vancouver Heritage Award of Honour

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 19:28:00 -0800

TLC and Save Joy Kogawa

House committee both

receive City of Vancouver

Heritage Award of Honour

It was a great night for the members of Save Kogawa House Committee and TLC: The Land Conservancy of BC. We were all honoured with the City of Vancouver Heritage Awards of Honour. It was the last award presented following the multiple recipients for awards of recognition and awards of merit. TLC executive director Bill Turner and myself, for Save Kogawa House Committee, were tagged to give the aceptance speeches.

The awards were held at the beautiful and historic Coastal Church, at 1160 West Georgia St. A reception was held from 5:30 to 7pm, and it was great to see and socialize with all the event's attendees. I had a great chat with historian Jean Barman. City Councillor Peter Ladner congratulated me on a well-run Gung Haggis Fat Choy that he attended. Other City Councillors Heather Deal, George Chow and Suzanne Anton congratulated us on saving Kogawa House. Friends Kelly Ip, Howe Lee were there. Parks Commissioner Spencer Herbert gave me the latest update on his petition to name the new Vancouver park at Selkirk and 72nd, as David Suzuki Park. Artist Raymond Chow and house genealogist James Johnstone were there. Dianne Switzer of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation waved to us.

The evening's emcee was Christopher Gaze, creator and director of Bard on the Beach. Gaze gave a summation of Vancouver's early arts and cultural history, accompanied by projected pictures. It started with the first piano arriving in 1851, and included great names and performances such as Nijinksky, Boris Karloff and Benny Goodman, as well as local luminaries such as Dal Richards and Jimmy Pattison. This "introduction" to the awards event finished with a musical performance by Destino, the four tenors "popera" group.

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan came to the stage to welcome and thank all the nominees. Mayor Sullivan handed out the award certificates, after Gaze read descriptions of each of the award winning projects.

Here is the draft of the acceptance speech which I presented at the Vancouver Heritage Awards:

Once upon a time, 6 year old Naomi Nakane was told to pack for a train vacation with her brother Stephen. But it wasn’t a vacation. And the train took them far away from the house that they loved. They would never ever again live in a house as nice or as loved. They would learn that as Canadians of Japanese ancestry… they were being singled out, removed from the West Coast, interned in former ghost-towns as make-shift camps, have their houses, businesses and property left behind confiscated and sold by the government, and then given an option to “repatriate” to Japan or move East away from the coast, because the government and community leaders did not want them trying to reclaim their former property. They were dispersed across Canada like the blowing snow.

That is the fictional story of Joy Kogawa’s award winning books Obasan and Naomi’s Road.

Joy’s real story is that after they were interned, as a little girl, she would dream about their house. She would write letters to the occupants of the house, asking politely if someday, when they no longer wanted the house, if they could buy it back.

The little girl – Joy Kogawa grew up to become one of Canada’s most important writers. Her first novel Obasan was the first major Canadian fiction to address with Japanese Canadian internment. It later became a children’s story Naomi’s Road.

On later visits she discovered that the house, her childhood home was still standing. Attempts in 2002 to raise money to purchase the house, was thwarted when the house was sold to an overseas owner.

2005 was the year of Joy Kogawa. Vancouver Public Library chose Obasan as the 2005 selection for One Book One Vancouver. Vancouver Opera premiered a 45 minute opera based on Naomi’s Road to tour to BC Schools.

And during a week when Joy’s work was being celebrated all across the city, at Word On The Street, Vancouver Arts Awards, and by Asian Canadian Writer’s Workshop… We learned that the demolition permit was being applied for.

This house was saved.

This house was saved by poets, writers, film makers, human rights activists, historians, and visionaries.

From people all across Canada. From Canadians abroad – We heard from Sweden and Japan and USA. This house is for all Vancouverites, and for Canadians and global citizens who care about Canadian history. Culture and human rights. Anton Wagner, Ann-Marie and I are not Japanese-Canadians. We weren’t interned. We aren’t married into JC families. But we are concerned Canadians who love our history, culture and heritage. There is little in Vancouver to celebrate our Japanese Canadian, Asian Canadian pioneer heritage in Vancouver. We need to recognize our Asian-Canadian pioneers and our centuries long heritage.

Vancouver’s literary landmarks are a Robbie Burns statue and Pauline Johnson memorial in Stanley Park. Kogawa House gives us something contempoary. It lives and breathes with each reading of Obasan, each performance of Naomi’s Road. Millions of people visit Amsterdam to visit Anne Frank House. Millions of people visit Prince Edward Island to see the home of Anne of Green Gables. But Anne Shirley was fictional. Joy Kogawa is real. And Joy’s stories continue to tell the history and the culture of Canadians.

With a Kogawa House Writing Centre, we can continue to celebrated Joy’s works and the history of Japanese Canadians. We can also encourage writers to share their stories and help write our future story of Canada – hopefully one free of racism and internment camps.

We wish to thank:

Gerry McGeough and Hugh McLean of the City’s Heritage Planning department, who first communicated with Anton Wagner about the demolition. Hugh was responding to an Attention Read Note that former heritage planner Terry Brunette had placed on the Kogawa House property listing in the City’s planning department. Gerry was very helpful in drafting an unprecedented motion to delay approval of a demolition permit for 120 days.

Heather Redfern of the Vancouver Alliance for Arts and Culture, Marion Quednau of the Writers Union of Canada and Diane Switzer, for speaking on our behalf to Vancouver City Council on November 3, 2005.

Diane Switzer and Vancouver Heritage Foundation for first coming to Vancouver City Hall to meet with Terry Brunette in October 2003 and then connecting us with TLC The Land Conservancy after we had won the 120-day delay.

Jim Green and Sen. Larry Campbell for declaring Joy Kogawa Obasan Day at Vancouver City Hall, for making the first public announcment and telling the audience at Vancouver Arts Awards about the need to save the house.

Chris Kurata in Toronto for organizing to stop the demolition and creating the first Kogawa House website.

Roy Miki for always being there for consultation and readings.

Margaret Atwood and Paul Yee for their valued quotes.

James Johnston for his early genealogy of 1450 West 64th Ave.

Ellen Woodsworth for her early help prepping us for the City Hall Council meeting on November 3, 2005.

City Councilors Suzanne Anton and Heather Deal, whom we first contacted as Park Commissioners.

Raymond Chow for creating a painting of Joy as a child at the house circa 1941.

The 2005 Vancouver City Council for passing a unamimous decision to delay processing of the demolition permit and making donations out of their pocket that day to launch fundraising.

Literary and writing assocations across Canada for their early and continuing support, including the following:

Writers Union of Canada
Federation of BC Writers
Playwrights Guild of Canada
Canadian Authors Association
Periodical Writers Association of Canada
PEN Canada
Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival
Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers
League of Canadian Poets

Writers' Trust of Canada
Asian Canadian Writers Workshop

The project has also been endorsed by the Vancouver Public Library Board, Vancouver Opera, the Alliance for Arts and Culture, Heritage Vancouver, The Land Conservancy, the National Nikkei Museum and Heritage Centre, the National Association of Japanese Canadians, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Association of Book Publishers of BC

VPL's One Book One Vancouver Program & Vancouver Opera's Naomi's Road for really raising the awareness of Joy Kogawa and her work.

Joan Young and her Grades 3 and 4 class at Thomsett Elementary in Richmond, and her principal Sabina Harpe, for motivating the children to take part in the campaign. They created their own initiatives to save the house by writing letters to Vancouver City Council and meeting with Councillor Kim Capri.

The Reverend Val Anderson, former MLA for Vancouver-Langara, who took a special interest in the project because of his connections to the Japanese Canadian community in Marpole.

The Honorable Ujjal Dosanjh, who spoke on behalf of Kogawa House in Parliament on April 6, 2006.

The Nikkei Voice and the National Association of Japanese Canadians, who were supportive from the beginning of the campaign.

Don Luxton, executive director of Heritage Vancouver, who listed Kogawa House as one of Vancouver's Top 10 Endangered Heritage Sites in 2006 and then discussed our campaign during a guided tour aboard a vintage Transit Museum Society bus

Our wonderful anonymous donor (who came to the rescue when TLC was prepared to purchase the house with a mortgage).

TLC, The Land Conservancy of British Columbia, for stepping into the project to take over the fundraising and the nitty gritty details that we had no experience handling. Bill Turner, executive director, their team of Tamsin Baker, Heather Skydt and Rich Kenny, and the many board members.

Our dedicated members and volunteers of Kogawa House Committee:

Anton Wagner, Chris Kurata, Margaret Steffler, Tomoko Makabe and Kathy Chung in Ontario

Ann-Marie Metten, David Kogawa, Ellen Crowe-Swords, Richard Hopkins, Jen Kato, Joan Young, Sabina Harpe, Deb Martin, and Harry Aoki in Vancouver

Also . . . journalists who covered the story, including Alexandra Gill and Rod Mickleburgh of the Globe and Mail, Sandra Thomas of the Vancouver Courier; Kate Taylor and Michael Posner in the Globe and Mail; Barbara Wickens in Maclean's magazine; CBC Radio's Paul Grant and Sheryl Mackay for their stories; Radio Canada for covering our November 10 awareness event, and to Kathryn Gretsinger and her producer Rosemary Allenbach, who broadcast Joy’s appeal to rescue her home on a Boxing Day broadcast of "Sounds Like Canada."

Thank you all.

Joy Kogawa House committee to receive Vancouver Heritage Award of Honour

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 02:32:30 -0800

Joy Kogawa House committee

to receive Vancouver Heritage

Award of Honour

A young Joy Kogawa with brother Tim standing beside their childhood home in Marpole prior to 1942 - photo courtesy of Joy Kogawa

On February 19th, at Coastal Church, the City of Vancouver Heritage Awards will give the Heritage Award of Honour jointly to Joy Kogawa House Committee and The Land Conservancy of BC.

Joy Kogawa House was the childhood home of award winning author Joy Kogawa, which she was forced to leave in 1942, at age six, when Japanese-Canadians were "evacuated" from the BC Coast and sent to internment camps during World War 2. The Canadian government subsequently confiscated all their remaining property and auctioned it off, supposedly to help pay for the cost of internment.

She and her mother always dreamed of returning to the house, but their family was sent to live in Alberta as part of the Japanese Canadian dispersal program, in an effort to keep Japanese Canadians from returning to the Coast, and trying to reclaim their confiscated property.

Obasan (1981), is the award winning book that is a fictional memoir about the internment of the Japanese-Canadians. It is considered one of Canada's most important 100 books ever written according to the Literary Review of Canada. It is the second most studied book in Canadian schools and universities.

I am one of the committee members for the Joy Kogawa House committee along with Ann-Marie Metten, David Kogawa, Anton Wagner, Ellen Crowe-Swords, Richard Hopkins, Jen Kato, Joan Young and Sabina Harpe. We have all put in incredible hours of volunteer work to help realize this project.

It was only 17 short months ago, when Ann-Marie Metten contacted me for help when she learned that a demolition inquiry for 1450 West 64th Ave. was being made. In the months to come, we would be asked why it was important to save the childhood home of author Joy Kogawa. We would also be told that there was little chance to save it.

The 3rd week of September 2005, was a roller coaster for Joy Kogawa. She learned of the demolition plans in the same week that saw: 1) excerpts from the Naomi's Road opera performed at Vancouver Arts Awards; 2) she received the Community Builder's Award from Asian Canadian Writer's Workshop; and 3) the final event of One Book One Vancouver "Obasan" program where she gave a reading at Word On The Street book and magazine festival.

In December 2005, The Land Conservancy of BC stepped in to become a joint partner in our project to save the house. They became the chief fundraiser and eventually purchased the house in full in May 2006.

Joy with Richmond elementary students who wanted to save Kogawa House - photo Joan Young

We are ecstatic and honoured to receive the Award of Honour, for projects demonstrating an outstanding contribution to heritage conservation.

Nominations were accepted for:

Restoration, rehabilitation, adaptive re-use or continued maintenance of a heritage building, a significant interior of a heritage building, or characteristic features of a heritage building;
Use of innovative engineering techniques or restoration/conservation methods in upgrading a heritage building which may include seismic upgrading;
Preservation of a heritage landscape;
Heritage advocacy of a group or individual in the preservation of a heritage site or increasing public awareness of heritage issues;
Publication, education or exhibit that promotes heritage conservation;
Efforts in community or neighbourhood revitalization.

Click here to see past Heritage Award winners

TLC / Save Kogawa House press conference presentations Dec 2, 10:30am

Sun, 04 Dec 2005 00:35:38 -0800

TLC/Save Kogawa House press conference presentations yesterday morning at 10:30am

At the head table were Joy Kogawa, Bill Turner (The Land Conservancy), Ann-Marie Metten (Save Kogawa House committee), Diane Switzer (Vancouver Heritage Foundation), Susan Bissonette (Heritage Vancouver), and Suzanne Anton Vancouver City Councillor.

Moderating was Tamsin Baker of the TLC who introduced each person.

Bill Turner spoke about the importance of Kogawa House, and how pleased the TLC was to be involved in this project. He complimented the Save Kogawa House Committee for developing the national awareness and initiating the campaign to save the house.

It was a very moving talk by Joy Kogawa. She always manages to push those emotional buttons. From the start Joy was so HAPPY, she kept wiping the tears in her eyes. Joy said that for many years she dreamed about coming back to the house that she knew as "home". It stayed constant in her years as a child growing up in internment, then later on the sugar beet farms, and as they moved from place to place. She said "But now, it's really happening! Even if the house isn't saved, I am home now. It's the here and now that is important, and it's happening now!"

I will ask them for their notes to post on www.kogawahouse.com
Q&A period followed.

Media attending was: CTV camera person, City TV Breakfast. Winnie for a Chinese newspaper....

A CTV camera took shots of me holding open the book Almanac's Greatest British Columbians - as I opened to the pages of BC's Greatest writers and the article on Joy Kogawa. I kept showing people and saying "Joy hasn't even seen this book yet!" I then showed my copy to Joy - and she of course was amazed. I later gave my library copy to Joy to take home to show her daughter and grandchildren.

I will write more later....

TLC will be planning some MAJOR fundraisers coming up - Meetins will start on Monday with Save Kogawa House committee.

The Land Conservancy (TLC) joins community efforts to save Joy Kogawa's Childhood home

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 17:38:41 -0800

TLC Joins Community Efforts to Save Joy Kogawa's Childhood Home

THE CAMPAIGN IS UNDERWAY: "118 DAYS, AND COUNTING"

December 2, 2005

VANCOUVER, BC – Community efforts to save Joy Kogawa’s childhood home from the wrecking ball moved into a new phase today as The Land Conservancy of British Columbia (TLC) has agreed to lead the campaign to acquire the house and secure its protection.

"The Kogawa house is a very important part of British Columbia’s heritage," said TLC’s Executive Director Bill Turner, "and we are determined to see it protected. As of today, we have only 118 days to raise the funds needed to achieve this. We will need to raise $1.25 million to ensure the future of this site, and we’ll be getting to work immediately."

The Kogawa house is located in the Marpole neighbourhood of Vancouver, and was the childhood home of noted Canadian author Joy Kogawa. She and her family were removed from the home in 1942 as part of the Government’s policy of internment of Canadians of Japanese ancestry during World War II." Kogawa’s celebrated novel Obasan is a powerful and heart-rending story of that internment and features the house prominently as part of her childhood recollections. It has been listed by the Literary Review of Canada as one of the 100 most important Canadian books ever written.

Inspired by the Save Kogawa House Committee, many community groups such as the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, Heritage Vancouver and the Vancouver Alliance for Arts and Culture and other cultural organizations like the Writers’ Union of Canada and the Federation of BC Writers have come together to support the protection of Kogawa House. On November 3 they were able to convince the City of Vancouver to delay a demolition permit on the house for 120 days (effective November 30) to give the community time to raise the funds to buy it. This followed the symbolic planting at City Hall of a graft from the cherry tree at Kogawa House, as Mayor Larry Campbell proclaimed Obasan Cherry Tree Day on November 1.

"I am so touched by the way the community has rallied to protect this house that holds such symbolic importance for me – and for so many others," said Joy Kogawa. "I just wonder when I'm going to wake up from this dream of miracles."

Committee spokesperson Ann-Marie Metten said "We are delighted that The Land Conservancy is taking on this project. As British Columbia’s National Trust they have the expertise to know what needs to be done and the ability to do it. They have a great record of success in similar projects around the Province and we all believe that by working together we will be successful here too."

TLC’s Turner said that the fundraising campaign is underway. "We are calling on everyone who has been moved by Joy Kogawa’s writing to contribute to saving the house. Your contribution will not only recognize and honour Joy’s accomplishments but will also provide the opportunity for a writers-in-residence program that will enable a new generation of writers to be inspired by her work. We are also calling on everyone who has been touched by Canada’s past treatment of communities such as the Japanese-Canadian community. This house will stand as a symbol of the wrongs that were committed in the past, but also as a symbol of what a community can achieve when it pulls together."

Donations can be made to The Land Conservancy through our website at

www.conservancy.bc.ca, or by calling our Lower Mainland Office at (604) 733-2312 or our Head Office in Victoria at (250) 479-8053.

Contacts:	For TLC	Bill Turner	(250) 213-1090
		Tamsin Baker	(604) 722-2313

	For the Save Kogawa House Committee
		Anne-Marie Metten	(604) 263-6586
		Todd Wong	(604) 240-7090
		Anton Wagner	(416) 863-1209