Norm Masaji Ibuki
@MasajiWriter Norm Masaji Ibuki lives in Oakville, Ontario. He has written extensively about the Canadian Nikkei community since the early 1990s. He wrote a monthly series of articles (1995-2004) for the Nikkei Voice newspaper (Toronto) which chronicled his experiences while in Sendai, Japan. Norm now teaches elementary school and continues to write for various publications.
Updated August 2014
Stories from This Author
Chiru Sakura-Falling Cherry Blossoms: A Book Review
May 19, 2021 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
“My mother had, throughout it all, kept a diary as many of her generation were doing; thus minute details, often easily forgotten, about specific events and names appear in her memoir.” —Vancouver Author Grace Eiko Thomson In an intriguing way, Chiru Sakura-Falling Cherry Blossoms: A Mother & Daughter’s Journey Through Racism, Internment and Oppression is an important book for these Covid times when we have more moments of idleness, perhaps, to contemplate upon where we have come from, where we …
The Wakayama Canada-Japan Friendship Totem Pole Project
April 30, 2021 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
Factoring in Japan with Canada has always been a juggling act. For generations it has been a “S/he loves me, s/he loves me not” relationship. Some find it necessary while others don’t: more than ever, identity is a complex selection of personal choices. So, does being Japanese Canadian in 2021 even require a relationship with Japan, I wonder? Should we choose to include “Japanese”, then how do you define it for yourself? Are you simply gleefully (happy face emoji) Nikkei, …
Japanese Canadian Art in the Time of Covid-19 - Part 6: Let’s Dance!
April 8, 2021 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
Read Part 5 >> So far, dancing is not on the list of prohibited activities under the current Ontario Emergency Lockdown. In Part 6, we’re featuring three JC dancers who make their living as dancers: Vancouver Budoh dancer Jay Hirabayashi, son of Gordon Hirabayashi, and his partner Barb Bourget are the founders and teachers at Kokoro Dance. Denise Fujiwara operates the Fujiwara Dance Inventions in Toronto and Hiroe Hoshi (aka “Nema”) is a well known Victoria, BC belly dancer, performer …
Remembering: The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami 10 Years Later
March 11, 2021 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
This past Feb. 13th, there was a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Fukushima. I froze. Cold sweat and a familiar sense of panic came raging back. Flashback: March 11, 2011. I clearly recall waking up for school and getting an odd, frantic phone call from CBC radio asking for a comment about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. What the hell was going on? I wondered, annoyed by the early morning disruption. All morning at school, I was preoccupied by finding …
Miya Turnbull: The Face Behind the Mask - Part 2
Feb. 26, 2021 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
Read Part 1 >> If you were to design a mask for yourself for these times, what might it look like? My favourite recent mask that has come out of the pandemic is a “Woven” mask. I cut up two self-portrait masks and wove the pieces together. Because they don’t fit exactly together, there are pieces of extra eyes and lips which gives a “glitchy” look to it. The interlaced pieces can be seen in terms of mixed race identity …
Miya Turnbull: The Face Behind the Mask - Part 1
Feb. 25, 2021 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
“The artist is meant to put the objects of this world together in such a way that through them you will experience that light, that radiance which is the light of our consciousness and which all things both hide and, when properly looked upon, reveal.” —Teacher, translator and author, from The Hero With A Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) By now, we all understand what it is to be the face behind the mask, don’t we? Reflecting on this and …
Hey, Did You Call Me a Nikkei?! - Part 2
Feb. 3, 2021 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
Read Part 1 >> Vancouver Speaks... Sansei Howard Shimokura of Vancouver, 82, says: “I use both terms but never interchangeably. They are not equivalent. In fact I think we in Canada often use Nikkei inappropriately as if it means Japanese Canadian (JC). For example, Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre (NNMCC) is a very inappropriate use. It should be JCNMCC. I have often felt embarrassed to have to explain that it is a museum dedicated to JC history and culture. …
Hey, Did You Call Me a Nikkei?! - Part 1
Feb. 2, 2021 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
When I got a “No comment,” response from Karah Goshinmon Foster, Executive Director, Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre (NNMCC), speaking on behalf of the Board of Directors when asked to explain the rationale for changing the name from Japanese Canadian Museum to Nikkei National Museum, it prompted me to dig deeper into the significance of how we name ourselves. The responses were quite revealing, prompting me to write the following: Dear NNMCC Board of Directors, Getting this response to …
Japanese Canadian Art in the Time of Covid-19 - Part 5
Dec. 14, 2020 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
Read Part 4 >> Gaman (我慢) is a Japanese term of Zen Buddhist origin which means “enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity”. The term is generally translated as “perseverance”, “patience”, or “tolerance.” — From Wikipedia Nobody likes hanging in a state of uncertainty. One of the real blessings of being able to practice any kind of art at this time is that it gives us a point on which to focus. If you’ve ever practiced a martial art, …
Norman Takeuchi: Portrait of an Artist as a Japanese Canadian
Dec. 1, 2020 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
“Over the years, my paintings have explored my Japanese Canadian identity. While earlier works reflected feelings of ambivalence and discomfort with my ethnicity, passing time has slowly shaped my feelings into those of acceptance and a certain amount of pride.… The works in Equal Time, produced between 2018 and 2020, continue the exploration of the Japanese Canadian.” — Norman Takeuchi, from the new exhibition catalogue (Studio Sixty Six Contemporary Art Gallery) On November 23, Nisei Norman Takeuchi launched an exhibition of …
