Celebrating the Japanese Canadian legacy of Murakami Garden for Historic Places Days
This July 10 to 17, 2024, celebrate Historic Places Days, an event to highlight and promote historic sites across Canada. With this year’s theme of “Food and Gardens”, we feature the popular Murakami Gardens, nestled within the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site. This garden transcends its serene beauty; it stands as a living testament to the profound impact of the Japanese Canadian community on Steveston’s history.
A Tribute to the Murakami Family and the Japanese Community
The Murakami Garden was recreated to honour the Murakami family, who were among the thousands of Japanese immigrants who contributed to Steveston’s thriving fishing industry in the early 20th century. The Murakami family’s story is deeply intertwined with that of the larger Japanese Canadian community in Steveston. These early settlers brought with them a rich cultural heritage, a strong work ethic, and a sense of community that helped shape Steveston into the vibrant place it is today.
Despite facing significant challenges, including their forced uprooting during the Second World War, the Japanese Canadian community’s resilience and dedication to preserve their culture have left an indelible mark on the area. This garden is an example of that, as it was recreated with the help of former shipyards resident Asayo Murakami herself, back in the 1990s during the planning and development of the Murakami House exhibit.
Unlike other residential gardens in the area – where families grew cultural vegetables and food unavailable in local stores and markets – Asayo Murakami, the family matriarch, cultivated flowers. She valued, treasured, and cherished this garden while living in Steveston before being forcibly displaced from her home along with her family, to toil in a sugar beet farm in rural Manitoba. Today, the Murakami Garden continues to bloom, keeping her legacy and the stories of the Japanese Canadian community alive.
Preserving and Celebrating Heritage
During Historic Places Days, visit the Murakami Garden and celebrate its beauty and cultural significance; heritage sites like this ensures that the stories and contributions of the Japanese Canadian community continue to inspire and educate future generations.
Today, visitors can see the same flowers that Asayo Murakami lovingly grew, including blooming yellow roses, poppies, azaleas, lilies, and chrysanthemums. The garden is a faithful recreation of Asayo’s cherished sanctuary, tended with great care by master gardener volunteers.
To learn more about the Murakami family and Asayo Murakami’s life, check out the remarkable documentary Obachan’s Garden, created by her filmmaker granddaughter, Linda Ohama.
Enter your photos in the Historic Places Day contest
If you are inspired to take a photo or video of Murakami Garden or any of our other heritage sites, consider entering the Historic Places Days photo contest. To enter the contest:
- Post your photo or short video on your Instagram or Facebook with #HistoricPlacesDays and #HPDContest2024
- Tag the historic place – @britanniashipyards
- Tag and follow @nationaltrustca
Grand Prize Draw: Photo/video entries will be placed in a random draw to win one of three grand prizes! Each grand prize consists of $500 for yourself and $500 for the site you tagged. One grand prize will be drawn on Sunday, and the remaining two will be drawn on the final day!
Daily Prize Draws: Daily prizes will be awarded starting the day after the launch day! Daily Prize draws include:
- 7 Parks Canada Passes;
- 7 Canada’s History Subscriptions;
- 7 Canadian Geographic Magazine Subscriptions; and
- 7 National Trust Memberships.
Visit the National Trust website for full contest details.
