Who Was The First Japanese Immigrant to Canada?
Japanese began settling in Canada in the late 19th and early 20th century. Earlier, some had visited as sailors on sealing ships, as shipwrecked sailors picked up at sea, or as short-time sojourners—all returning to Japan. In 1880 an Imperial Japanese Naval training ship brought over 300 cadets to Esquimalt Harbour for a week’s visit. But who was the first Japanese to come and stay? Manzo Nagano’s name is the most well-known of the early immigrants, but was he really the first? This series will examine three candidates—Manzo Nagano, Tomekichi Homma, and Kisuke Mikuni; judge for yourself.
Stories from this series
Kisuke Mikuni—The First Documented Immigrant
April 28, 2024 • Ann-Lee Switzer , Gordon Switzer
When Sumio Ishidate wrote about early Victoria in 1909, he had claimed, “In the autumn of the 17th year of Meiji (1884), several Japanese landed at Victoria . . . Kisuke Mikuni and Tomekichi Homma who live in Vancouver district are people who came during that period.” Like Homma, Mikuni never claimed in his lifetime that he was the first immigrant. Of course, as we have seen, neither did Nagano. Of the two men Ishidate named as arriving in Victoria …
Tomekichi Homma (Part 2) — Early Activist
April 22, 2024 • Ann-Lee Switzer , Gordon Switzer
Read Part 1 (Tomekichi Homma) >> What did the village of Steveston look like in the 1880s when the first Japanese fishermen arrived? The village that became Steveston took its name from Manoah Stevens who brought his family from New Brunswick around 1878. In 1880 his son received a large crown land grant, part of which he subdivided into 237 small lots on a grid pattern. Over the next ten years he also sold larger lots for industrial use near …
Tomekichi Homma (Part 1) — Early Activist
April 21, 2024 • Ann-Lee Switzer , Gordon Switzer
If Nagano did not arrive in 1877, who might have been the first immigrant from Japan to put down roots and leave his bones in Canada? Sumio Ishidate quoted above, had written in 1909 that “in 1884 several Japanese landed at Victoria . . . among them Kisuke Mikuni and Tomekichi Homma.” Most documents circulating today mention Homma as arriving in 1883 in Steveston, where he later joined other Japanese to fish for salmon. Nobody has made the claim he was …
Manzo Nagano (Part 2) — Did He Come in 1877?
April 15, 2024 • Ann-Lee Switzer , Gordon Switzer
Read Part 1 >> In Nagano’s hometown, Kuchinotsu (near Nagasaki), the local museum has a prominent display case devoted to “Nagano, First Japanese Immigrant to Canada.” However, the museum has no documents about any of Nagano’s early life abroad before the time he moved to Victoria in 1892. There is one document displayed behind glass that indicates Nagano must have been in Yokohama after 1887.1 It is an official form showing that Nagano transferred his permanent domicile to Yokohama in 1887.1 …
Manzo Nagano (Part 1) — Did He Come in 1877?
April 14, 2024 • Gordon Switzer , Ann-Lee Switzer
Reconciling Conflicting Claims Japanese began settling in Canada in the late 19th and early 20th century. Earlier, some had visited as sailors on sealing ships, as shipwrecked sailors picked up at sea, or as short-time sojourners—all returning to Japan. In 1880 an Imperial Japanese Naval training ship brought over 300 cadets to Esquimalt Harbour for a week’s visit. But who was the first Japanese to come and stay? Manzo Nagano’s name is the most well-known of the early immigrants, but …
