The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre is excited to announce the start of our 2025-2026 digitization project, Tomoni: Living with Ability, Atsu’s Story, which will make available materials from the Uyeda Family of Nakusp Collection. Select materials will be digitized and available online in the spring of 2026.
Spanning from the 1930s to the 2010s, the Uyeda Family of Nakusp Collection captures the experiences of Yonezo and Yukiye Uyeda and their four children, Masayuki, Teruko, Atsushi, and Michiyo, who were born and raised in New Westminster in the 1920s and 1930s. The family lived in New Westminster until the onset of the Second World War when they were forcibly relocated first to Kaslo, then to New Denver, and finally settled in Nakusp after the war, having been prevented from returning to New Westminster.
This collection is a treasure in our archives as the materials provide underrepresented perspectives on Japanese Canadian history, depicting the experiences of people with disabilities and the family’s navigation of medical and social service systems in acquiring care, equipment, and accessibility accommodations. Masayuki was born with an intellectual disability, impaired vision, and cerebral palsy. His younger brother, Atsushi, was also born with cerebral palsy and most of his body was paralyzed except for his right arm and hand. The brothers’ lives through internment and particularly post-war are detailed through their many photographs, textual records, and personal objects.
This book, I, Atsu, in our library collection is written by Atsushi and his older sister Teruko. In his own words, Atsushi describes his life with his family, from his parents immigrating to Canada from Japan, growing up in New Westminster, his experiences of the war years and internment in Kaslo and New Denver, and his many memories with family and friends in Nakusp.
We are looking forward to sharing more of Atsu’s story and that of his family members as we continue with this project. If you knew Atsu Uyeda and his family and would like to share your stories or memories with us, please contact the Collections & Archives team at [email protected].
