Revelstoke’s

Japanese Canadian Citizens Association

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, the Japanese Canadian community in Revelstoke formed a chapter of the Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association (JCCA). 

One of their first acts as an organization was recorded in the minutes of the Revelstoke Golf Club. In 1942, the Golf Club membership had voted to deny playing privileges and membership to any people of Japanese origin, regardless of their citizenship. In May of 1949, the Golf Club received a letter from the JCCA, asking that Japanese Canadian players be allowed to become members and play on the course. The ban was finally revoked on April 6, 1949, although three members of the Golf Club were in favour of keeping the ban in place.

The JCCA had annual Christmas parties and picnics and participated as a group in the cultural life of Revelstoke. They had floats in community parades and participated in multi-cultural events in the community. 

In April 1953, Crown Prince Akihito travelled across Canada by train. When the train pulled into Revelstoke for a scheduled twenty-minute stop, he was greeted by Mayor Walter Hardman, who introduced him to Ryozo Takahashi, President of the Revelstoke JCCA. The Crown Prince was also introduced to Roy Shoji, S. Takahashi and J. Wakita. The Prince was described in the newspaper as an affable young man, very interested in the new scenes unfolding before him.

The Revelstoke Ski Club began holding international ski jumping competitions in Revelstoke in the 1950s, known as the Tournament of Champions. In 1958, two Japanese ski jumpers, Kiyotaka Sakai and Hiroshi Yoshizawa, were participating. Fred Okumura, a member of the Revelstoke Ski Club, went to Vancouver to greet the two jumpers and the Japanese Consul, M. Tanabi. He drove them all to Revelstoke, where they participated in a dinner hosted by the JCCA, and in a big community-wide concert. Consul Tanabi presented a Japanese ski pennant to the Ski Club president, Archie McInnes. The jumpers acquitted themselves well in the competition. Sakai came in 3rd overall in the ‘A’ Class events on the first day, and 5th overall on the second day. Yoshizawa came in 12th on the first day, and 3rd on the second day. 

In 1959, the Revelstoke Ski Club hosted a special concert featuring songs and dances of each country presented by local entertainers, including members of the JCCA. The Revelstoke Review reported, “The highlight of the program came when Japan’s personable young jumper, Yasushi Sugiyama announced through an interpreter that he would like to sing for the crowd. But instead of singing in Japanese, Sugiyama sang a rendition of Elvis Presley’s ‘Love Me Tender’ in flawless English. He had spent the entire day memorizing the English words and drew a standing ovation from the surprised crowd.” 

The JCCA arranged for Buddhist priest Rev. Orai Fujikawa to come to Revelstoke on a yearly basis to bless the graves of family members. This tradition continued for several years, and in 2010, Rev. Fujikawa, then a Bishop, presided over a Buddhist service at the 100th year commemoration of the March 4, 1910, Roger’s Pass avalanche that took the lives of 58 men, including 32 Japanese Canadian labourers.