Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer (Trailblazing Canadians)

Written by Haley Healey

Illustrated by Kimiko Fraser

Heritage House

978-1-77203-431-8

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

May 2023

 

It's Asian Heritage Month and I am pleased to present this picture book about Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer whose story of courage, resilience, and determination, along with a ganbaru spirit, propelled her to make a good life for herself, her family, and others.

From Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer by Haley Healey, illus. by Kimiko Fraser

Kimiko Murakami was born in a coastal village outside of Vancouver and moved with her family to Salt Spring Island when she was five. There the family fished and then farmed, raising chickens and fruits and vegetables. When she married, she and her husband and children continued to work on the farm. That is, until World War II came, and all people of Japanese heritage were removed from their homes and interned at various camps both in BC and in Alberta.

From Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer by Haley Healey, illus. by Kimiko Fraser

These times were difficult for Kimiko and her family, yet she never gave up, determined to be guided by the Japanese word "ganbaru" which means "to push through hard times and never give up." Through horrible living conditions and hard work and multiple relocations, Kimiko kept up her ganbaru spirit. 

Once WWII ended and they were still not allowed to return home, Kimiko's family opened a restaurant in Alberta, determined to save their money and return to Salt Spring Island. It took 12 years since they'd left to finally return, but return they did. Still, their land and belongs were gone, long ago sold, and racism was widespread. Nevertheless, Kimiko kept her ganbaru spirit while she and her family rebuilt the life that had been taken from them.

From Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer by Haley Healey, illus. by Kimiko Fraser

While this is essentially an illustrated biography, Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer goes beyond the facts of Kimiko Murakami's life. Haley Healey may include a historical timeline from Kimiko's birth in 1904 to her death in 1997 but the author delves deeper, focusing on Kimiko's spirit and what enabled her to endure the hardships involved with the detention of Japanese Canadians. In fact, Kimiko and her family didn't just endure. They persevered and rose above the injustice of discrimination and maltreatment to regain the life they had earned and lost. Moreover, they remembered. And with those memories came a fundamental need to help others who also struggled. BC's Haley Healey tells us Kimiko's story but, more than that, she tells us about her.

BC artist Kimiko Fraser, who uses a variety of media in her work including watercolour, digital, ink and tea, was inspired by original images of the Murakami family from archives and museums. But her artwork goes beyond photorealism, as she depicts the heart of a family as they face uncertainty and persecution and still show strength and ganbaru. It's there in the faces and the way they hold themselves. So, Kimiko Fraser could emphasize the greys and browns of a challenging life of work and struggle, but she also gives the story colour with a hopeful branch of cherry blossoms, fruits and vegetables, and peonies. As Haley Healey does with her words, Kimiko Fraser does with her art, going beyond the worst and including the best.

I suspect that Kimiko Murakami's story is better known on Salt Spring Island and in BC than other parts of Canada but, with Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer, her story can be appreciated far and wide for Asian Heritage Month and always.