Interview with Roy Matsui

Title
Interview with Roy Matsui
Accession number
2010.047
Interviewer
Lisa Uyeda
Videographer
Lisa Uyeda
Date of Interview
Language
English
Description

Roy Matsui talks about his parents' emigration history - they emigrated to Hawaii from Japan and worked there before transmigrating to Canada. Roy was born on March 29, 1925. He talks about their lives in Vancouver, BC. Roy lived in Japan for a year and returned to Canada for his schooling. Roy mentions that he didn't face discrimination until war started. During WWII, his sisters avoided going to camps by working in Toronto as domestic help while his eldest sister had an important job in Vancouver and was exempted from leaving. The rest of the family were interned in Sandon, BC. Roy talks about working for the BC Security Commission as a surveyor for the town and that his map of Sandon is currently in a museum. After a year, Roy left Sandon for work in Toronto, ON and he talks about the discrimination he faced there. Roy talks about joining the army to fulfill obligations of Canadian Citizenship and receiving basic training in Brantford, ON, and advanced training in Vancouver. Roy also talks about how his decision to join army was ill received by parents. When the war ended and his parents relocated to Toronto, he realized he had not been disowned from family. He talks about continuing his education after the war and eventually worked as an architect in Toronto. After that, he met and married his wife, Mary Matsui. He talks about not being active in the Japanese Canadian Redress.

Short clip from this interview: https://vimeo.com/371255624

Format
Videotape
Video File
Length of Interview
2 hr 5 mins
Period
Pre War
Post War
World War II
Event
Redress
World War II
Relocation
Attack on Pearl Harbour
Internment
Location
USA
Vancouver, BC
Japan
Marpole, BC
Sandon, BC
Montreal, QC
New Denver, BC
Ottawa, ON
Etobicoke, ON
Lemon Creek, BC
Angler, ON
Toronto, ON
Topic
immigration
marriage
employment
family
travel
education
mining
relocation centres
ghost towns
Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC)
nisei
community
Prisoner of War (POW)
career
housing
internment camps
police
photography
discrimination
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
military
British Columbia Security Commission
curfew
mining
language
social activity
living conditions
music
boat works
language
sports
Asahi Baseball Team
radio
health
food
Momiji
transportation
language
religion
Buddhism
Anglicanism
Number of Physical Tapes
2
Permission
For uses other than research or private study, researchers must submit a Request for Permission to Publish, Exhibit or Broadcast form.
Citation
Roy Matsui, interview by Lisa Uyeda, August 16, 2010, 2010.047, Sedai: The Japanese Canadian Legacy Project Collection, Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.