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https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2025/1/2/unveiling-the-unknown/

Unveiling the Unknown: Understanding Japanese Canadian History Through An Insider’s Perspective

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Suzanne Hartmann addresses the crowd at Momiji Health Care Society in Scarborough, during the Toronto Japanese Garden Club’s Star Sapphire festival. Photo by Harry Tonogai.

Throughout our evolution as human beings, stories of those who lived before us have been passed down from generation to generation. Whether to share a lesson to aid in our survival or a story to reinforce an elder’s wisdom, acquiring such special knowledge and passing it down is arguably one of the most rewarding things one can experience. However, the unfortunate reality is not everyone has had the chance to hear their family history, perhaps due to deaths within the family or memory issues. Therefore, when opportunities are presented that allow one to gain more knowledge about one’s predecessors and their journeys, it only seems right to document the information as well as one can to establish a more permanent record.

Japanese Canadian author Suzanne Hartmann grew up hearing family stories and periodically wrote short essays to share them. This ultimately led to a book. The Nail That Sticks Out is a collection of many life moments and subjects that have shaped her cultural understanding and identity as a fourth-generation Japanese Canadian.

In The Nail That Sticks Out, Hartmann writes, “Music and the arts often act as a mirror of the times,” and many of the chapters discuss the artistic and unique components of Japanese Canadian culture. The chapter Heart and Soul introduces readers to many organizations such as the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC). It also tells of past legacies, including but not limited to a children’s choir, of which her aunt Marlene maintained fond memories.

To showcase the artistic side of Japanese Canadians after the terrors of the Second World War is to highlight their determination to bounce back and create a stronger community despite having everything taken during the war. Hartmann notes the original JCCC was built on an incredibly tight budget, and made of the best use of funds community members raised at the time. The strong sense of community and safety the centre provided ultimately allowed it to flourish. Today, its indirect influence can be seen in the many Japanese Canadian artists who enrich the modern-day art scene and proudly share their culture through various mediums.

Solidifying one’s identity as a Japanese Canadian can sometimes feel even more difficult when one is of mixed heritage. The intermarriage rate is one demographic that is especially high among Japanese Canadians and other Japanese overseas, as she notes “forced assimilation in Canada after the war means about 90 percent of Japanese Canadians are now mixed race. Among them are artists, writers and performers who are very invested in their Japanese heritage and use this history as a resource to inform current works. Through osmosis, our traditional culture has seeped into our ways of thinking and being.”

Suzanne dances “Harusame" during Caravan 1980 in Toronto at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. Photo by Kathy Hartmann.
Hartmann credits her strong sense of self to her early exposure to Japanese arts and culture. In The Nail That Sticks Out, she recalls from her formative years the cognitive confusion that came with the acknowledgment that internally, she identified as Japanese, yet was not quite Japanese enough in appearance to the rest of the world. However, as Hartmann now writes, “We truly are the sum of our parts and should never be diminished or defined by fractions.”

Trying to reflect on more than a century of history, culture, and the legacies of community leaders is certainly not an easy task to accomplish in one book. Hartmann seeks to provide an introduction to Japanese Canadian history, to start conversations and expand beyond the trauma Japanese Canadians experienced during World War II, which has been the typical mainstream narrative told from an outsider’s perspective. Instead, Hartmann wanted to switch focus and highlight the countless accomplishments and resilience of the Japanese Canadian community after the war. These deserve to be recognized but remain largely unknown in the minds of many Canadians.

On a more personal note of self-reflection, however, she writes, “Looking back has also given me greater appreciation for the Japanese idea of ichigo ichi—or one time, one meeting. For example, every spring people flock to see the cherry blossoms bloom to appreciate their momentary beauty. Yet we’re all so busy rushing around or doing other things—we often overlook how fleeting our own lives are. People we love can leave us in an instant and become only memories. We need to be more present and treasure each moment.”

Suzanne and her mother celebrate the publication of The Nail That Sticks Out.
Written from the perspective of someone with roots in the community, Hartmann has received positive feedback from family and other community members who have expressed thanks for documenting these special moments in time. Although personal in content, the universal themes of community building, resilience, and family provide readers with a chance to relate and connect to the material in many ways.

The Nail That Sticks Out was released in late October, and Hartmann aims to publish more works in the future. She concludes with this message to readers, “Our stories are important. Make time to talk to your family members—especially if you still have Second World War survivors among them. We need to do our part to ensure the world does not become intolerant of other viewpoints or discriminate against people for unjust reasons like race or gender. It is essential we continue to celebrate our culture and heritage and educate the next generation on our history.”

 

© 2025 Chiana Fujiwara

book reviews Canada essays Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre Japanese Canadians Ontario reviews Toronto
About the Author

Chiana Fujiwara is a fifth generation Japanese American, fifth generation Mexican American, and second generation Chinese American college student from southern California majoring in Psychology. Having strong connections to Japanese American Internment during World War II, she has since developed a passion for further researching the stories of her family as well as the general period and its impacts at large. Other hobbies include ancient Chinese poetry and everything that has to do with history.

Updated October 2023

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