Portrait of Saijiro and Uno Wakita, ca. 1900s. P-13220.

Saijiro Wakita (nee Teranishi) [1887 – 1964]

Uno Wakita [1891 – 1969]

Natsu Wakita [1864 – 1956]

Tsuruko Tanaka (nee Wakita) [1911 – 1972]

Terue Bando (nee Wakita) [1915 – 2009]

Jitsue Nishi (nee Wakita) [1919 – 2011]

Nobuko Kawaguchi (nee Wakita) [1921 – 2007]

Masayo Aura (nee Wakita) [1924 – Current]

Hajime Jim Wakita [1926 – 1980]

Yutaka Yuke Sukeji Wakita [1928 – 2004]

Yaeko Hayashi (nee Wakita) [1931 – 2014]

Saijiro Teranishi was born on February 17, 1887, in Wakayama-ken, Japan, to Saisuke and Sun. Uno Wakita was born on August 11, 1891, in Wakayama-ken, Japan, to Shokichi and Natsu.

Wakita family in front of S. Wakita General Merchant store, Steveston BC, 1931. P-13222.
(L to R) Saijiro, Hajime, Uno, Yaeko (baby held by Uno), Natsu, Yutaka (in front of Natsu), Jitsue, Tsuruko, Masayo, Terue, Nobuko, unidentified man.

Saijiro married Uno in 1990, in Japan. Uno was the only child, and Saijiro agreed to carry the Wakita family name and changed his name to Saijiro Wakita when he married her. They had eight children: Tsuruko, Terue, Jitsue, Nobuko, Masayo, Hajime, Yutaka, and Yaeko. Their first child, Tsuruko, was born in Japan. Saijiro and Uno moved to Canada around 1911 – 1912, leaving Tsuruko in Natsu’s care before rejoining their family around 1927. The rest of the children were born in Steveston, BC.

Saijiro had a general merchant store in Steveston. He also had an apartment building and some other properties in the same area until he and his family were forcibly uprooted to Revelstoke in 1942.

At first, they earned a living by farming in Revelstoke. They had a 2 ½ acres strawberry patch on Downie Street, just outside of the city limits. Around 1947, they sold the land to Sam Olynyk, who would later start the Downie Sawmill on the property. Saijiro purchased the Bregolisse Grocery on Second Street East. He called it Wakita’s General Store. Upstairs was an apartment where the family lived. In 1951, he purchased another building on Second Street West from Teiichi Amano, another Japanese Canadian family who had a soy manufacturing company. He started Wakita’s Frozen Lockers in the building on September 2, 1952. He would later expand the building, and in August 1959, the Red & White Supermarket opened. The three businesses ran at the same time for quite a while, likely until the early 1960s. In 1964, they sold the General Store and purchased The Chuckwagon Drive-In, a fast-food restaurant, along with the Kiddies Coral. They later built the Drive-In Plaza and a gas station next door.

After Saijiro's death, Yutaka and his family, who ran the business, moved to Vancouver in 1970. Bill and Mas (Wakita) Aura took over the business and continued to manage and operate the Red & White Supermarket until Bill’s passing in 1987. Mas and her daughters, Lynn and Elaine, ran the business until a fire in 1994. The building was empty for a while, before opening as a Bingo Hall. They sold the building in 2018.

Natsu Wakita passed away on January 20, 1956, in Revelstoke, at the age of 91.

Saijiro Wakita passed away on February 27, 1964, in Vancouver, at the age of 77. Uno Wakita passed away on October 21, 1969, in Vancouver, at the age of 78.

They were buried in Mountain View Cemetery, Revelstoke.

Wakita Family

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