Heritage Department

The JCCC’s Heritage Department strives to introduce the culture, history and legacy of the Japanese Canadians to all Canadians, while creating a tribute to the history of the Nikkei community and their contributions to the building of our nation.

The Heritage Department encompasses:

  • the JCCC’s Moriyama Nikkei Heritage Centre (MNHC) - a multi-use museum space;
  • the JCCC Art Gallery - a contemporary art gallery committed to a multi-disciplinary art program;
  • the JCCC's Archives;
  • Sedai, the Japanese Canadian Legacy Oral History Project.

 

About the Moriyama Nikkei Heritage Centre

 

The objectives of the Moriyama Nikkei Heritage Centre include:

To bring the story of Japanese Canadian heritage to a global audience, and link it with the greater narrative of Japanese diaspora for broader awareness To host a variety of programs and activities with an emphasis on education, aimed at both general and specialized audiences.

The MNHC presents and hosts exhibitions, lectures, and cultural activities inspired by both Japan and the Japanese Canadian experience. The MNHC aims to help welcome ijusha (new Canadian) parents, children, and community members through the library's books, multimedia, multi-lingual resources, and related Japanese language activities.

 

Content and Historic Language Advisory 

At the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre’s Archive and Collections, we acknowledge that our archival records and oral history materials may contain historical language or ideologies and viewpoints that is offensive or outdated.  Language changes over time, however it is important to preserve language used in a given time period. The inclusion of such language in historical materials such as archival description or oral history transcripts does not constitute an endorsement by the JCCC. The JCCC will strive to use appropriate language in our descriptions and internally created documentation. 

Working towards inclusive and reparative language is an ongoing process that is crucial to combatting systemic and cultural bias in our materials. We are actively working to follow guidelines that: 

  •  Inform our researchers and community members of the existing offensive and outdated language or content in our collections  

  •  Use alternative, modern language to provide context around our archival legacy description and metadata that includes offensive and outdated terminology 

  •  Research and identify ongoing changes in offensive and outdated language during our revisions for description and transcription efforts 

  •  Learn from and work with misrepresented and marginalized communities to improve the language that is being used to describe their identities within our records 

If you have questions or concerns about the content or find records that you think require our attention, please reach out to us at heritage@jccc.on.ca with the archival reference number or permalink to the material.