THE NEW CANADIAN
March 1C,
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THE NEW CANADIAN
An Independent Jafwitst-Englisb Organ GEORGE NISHIMl!RA Editor
TAKA1CHI UMEZUKI . . ...... -Japanese Section Editor
KEN MORI .; ,,^...:.,^....-...-.. .. '____!___________ Advertising
479 QMCCII St. W._'� EM. 6^005 � Toronto, Oiit. Aath*rix�d M *ocond cla*� m*U, Po�t Offle* Dept., Ottawa.
AS TOO LIKE IT
(Cont'd from Pafe 1)
for a fellow native, and challenge me in Korean for-my identification and pass. I always left them flabbergasted when F retorted ,to
.them in a stream of-hot Kng-lish!" ', . -' -�;-. ' :
�,-,�'�.H'eihg r>f Oriental ancestry-also had its., advantages. .S.hoji hu-�niourously r�'counted that on se\>. eral occasions in Korea, .he had tried, just'for s[)ite, and had gol-teit away with, neglecting to salute a suiierior'o'fficer. The of.-ficers apparently, had � failed to
,.recognize, him as one Of'/tlu'-ii
'own incn.. ���; : . �..--�
Army. Life
.How.'(lf(i''he..l;ik<> Uvv stiff regimentation />t" life in. the army ? < Oh, it's not that ba.d, he'd reply. ��"'.In fact, lire only honest -seven days' work 1 ever dj'd was during: detention,''- admitted Shoji.Th<? reason � for liis repriinandi napping Avhilo on duty and failing ; to comiect a telephone call from Gen. West,. Cominaiulor-iii-niief-of. Far Eastern British I-'orces!
, "Frankly, though," he stated, "tlie most trying p"art of army life is during the initialnionth^-of basic training. Especially in my. case. AN'eighin^r only slig'htly over a hundiied pounds,'haying: to pack an almost like .amount on long forced .inarches can be a real strain both physically ami mentally, ' - ;
"Once that's over, you've .got nothing .to" worry about, so '-long' as you keep nut:of trouble." .
Nisei In Japan
According .to "Sgmn. Katsumi, there's quite a; number of C'ana-dian Nisei in um'fornv over in Japan.' at least a d6-/.oii of whom he- knows. The majority of ther'.. like himself. ar�>. curivntiy sri tioued at Hiro. a 'Canadian ga;-rison in the 'sitluirbs -of Kure. .A few are still posted ill Korea.
VAGARIES . ;'.
Recalling some names offhand, he.mentioned C'pl. Akira Fuiino and brother L/Cpl. Slug Fujino, Cph Kohayashi, Cpl. Kawanami, (.'pi. George Ito, (j)l. Fyoyama (Medical), He. Shi)^o Kobayashi, I*te. George Katsum.i (Shoji'�. brother), Pte. Mih Fukushima and brother 1'le, Shi^Fukushima, I'te. Henry Ya ma mur a, and Spr, Shar-koy. Matsumiira, who is posted in Kobe. :
��VImast a'll of these Nisei jo.ined the service in Japan, have �nar7 nod Japanese girls, and should he returning to -.Canada within six months* unless^extension is an-�pi.-ied for. Most of theiM are in. corps other -than. �inf'a'ntry.
-.'The'uniformed Nisei, >Shoji r.e-v:ealed,.aiv treateil as 0(]uals, and .enjoy high regard from the Occident a Is-.' 1 n tlie vicinit y of the camp at Hiro are also British, Australian, -and New Zealand :'troops: '.-" '�':' . : �/�';�'� :
Futtire IMaiis
;. ;:Fo!l owing ; 'his- l*1-:' months* leave, which expires" some time in May, Slioji has another 15-moht h hitch -to comploie his: term. When :isked what he planned to d(> after that, he replied to the effect that "..he'd-' prefer to:''.cross the bridge when I coine to it." ';"l'll .probably . :re.-enlist. The Army's just as; good as any other profession outside," lie iieyertlie'r. less confided. .; ;
.\Moan\yhilo, thoujih, Shoji would: like to traiisfe^ over to Clerhiariy/ "Anywhere outside of Canada," Jie says, "because overseas, your pay check in-" creases /by � so much. Further-in ore. they told me t could see . the world if I joined np. and :-tlK'.t's 'just" what I'm going-, to", (ry and do.''
�-I; thiuiiiht they said that with th..' Navy- too. ' �;�"���
Hv LARRY TAJIRI
time out!
With SUE SAD A
"Hello . .-. this is Sue." '.
440h, good morning! Haven't seen you aroumi lately. No laughs?"
'�None, Adolescents.are n6t as comical as little. kids. But that isn't, what I'm calling about, TMK. Did you see the YET column in the XCT*
"I read it,.'yes/''
"Well r What was your reaction?" .
"Curious as ever, eh, Sue? How am I supposed to react,'and why ask me, espc-cially ?"
"It did have a touch of malice, didn't it ?".
"The column? Perhaps it did have teeth.bared in a sneering snarl, but my. first .reaction, i>r. thought, was that the proverbial Oriental .indifference can crack.'' . ....
"Oriental-?" . ..'. : ' '. �� � �
� "That word, covers a lot of territory,- doesn't it ? We use it to specify.'so many aspects of Asian' attitudes like stoicism, obliqueness, politeness, to give"'the-m a -special meaning. You know we itiake a special virtue of hiding our real feel ing-about almost, everything, and to mask our .individual preferences we fade into, the anonymity of crowds. I'm glad YKT got it off his chest because he must have been itching to erupt for some time."
"I kno\\ybut, look here TMK, YKTsays^religion ought to be practised .and" hot talked* about." :;"If he hasn't got 'anything to talk about he Avoukl: prefer silence, .wouldn't''lie?- Then people won't know he;Juts' nothing to talk about. If he really has something :to treasure, and wants';to hug it .*(o himself, that'i> his. privilege. Some-people are 'shy that way'..'How' they will act when Ihey have to acknowledge and defend what they have.-from the, ^irreverent, as well as from the . hostile, will depend a great deal- on .the depth of their convictions and the'-'.quality'.-.of their fortitude." �" .-"�'��;;'.;;''. '�.�_"....: ���'�.:-.". .'. /-. '�>��':�.
".You mean ;some people are cowards?"; : . "All of us are cpwards. in one way or another, aren't we? We like to believe Sve've got courage. We feel quite brave when we're running with a crowd, but alone we are as timid as rabbits. However; to get back to the topic, you have to kaow , what to practice to be able to talk about it. Most people are 'rather vague about practices, and Ihey" f e el com f o rt abl e t hat way; N at ur all y, they can 'l
put this vagueness into words."
"My goodness! You know my T\vin^.' they have to have everything- d� fi::. �'. into what they can do and what th..y , and what they ought to dot ani \ ; shouldn't do.. You ought to try answ,.:; _ of their, questions, TMK, and you'll .fJ!-:�j . to be on the ball, because if you nr'-.> . pooh my!l!" . ' � . .
. . "Good for them!'-' . .
'"At least,, by the time they get to c-h:' �_� ought -to knosy. enough about their :� ;�;'.. .talk intelligently on its philosophy. \}\: �� I haven't finished asking about th,,; v--the; Nisei version .of''.religion , '. . \\1;;,; ... .'chuckling about, TMK?"
"You and your incorrigible, eurio:-i'v! are you looking for, Sue?"
"An amusing angle, of� course." . ''What amuses me plight' not'rai � ;, � in you or in' aynone else, but ii cIUl ; : laugh a little.'" .
� .- "What' did?" '/ - ' �'.'.. " . -
. "Well, you might .have, noticed (his: 1 think YET. meant' lo expose .his ignore:. he did. Seems to me', he^ gobbled inc.]]sc'::: : from various pieces of information and \; digestion from the un-coordihated. nunu. Y get mental/halitosis that way. .Pity, y �; �to have :a ''normal .set. of "''innar.ds" �'�.>!>>;�;' such lamentable ignorance. of wholes^r r nourishing knowledge. Some of the...ga^.--.-� halations come 'froni .that. Marxian dr.;;.::' gion is the.opiate of the masses". Koiv: of the inebriate who said tho �upright- \><.^ ;- drunk because, lie saw it sway from side i
"What"about the remarks about th'e'>le.A\VV" . .v "Unjust ";and. untrue. Particularly d!sir:\.o f ;-for- a Nisei to make such a sweeping ',uv'�>��-;. statement about -w.hich ho knows hothuiu." "What about his remarks about the Chris:".' "YET's ignorance--'is., pitifully naked.; isn't it?" "Do"you think he represents the; Nisei a.in'i.V'.'.i"-"-religion?" . ; ": . �'_' .; �'..'.
' "I Wonder. If he does, they iu-e- in'b:ul;-s^;u;;, ;eii? ; And if not, -he's ::a sad exception, isn't i:i;|
- Tsk! Tsk!" -.''-: '.c''-,/ ; '��''.'-� :.-�'-. -'-'/; '""- ;,
Old Guard Persists for Emperor
,.-. - ... , ... .-.,-. *. .
Kabuki - - A Great Art
IIXTIL THK AXUMA lyAUFKl troupe opeiud in New York City
� Feb. 18, only two troupes of. Japanese players, had over played
iti the World's biggest city. "OiYe.'was Miehlo Ito's .Players- from Japan..,
'reportedly made, .up of California Japanese, wlu) put on a short
season of daiVo a:ui dvav.ia. "auapted for.tiie American stage/' back
- in ii>oO. Tho vti-i-r \\";is a'"tr�up.o of Takanizuka girls who perfornteti
at the New;York Wond's Fair in U>o5>. .....
The Aruma K.thuki dancers and musicians, then, nre the fir>t to bring an authentic representation of Japan's centuries-old iheat-rical art to"'New York.'Thev �er'e received'wiih hosannahs by tho New York critu>.
"It would !v .harii t-v i:v..;gir.o a ::tvTe c.^rpletely uptivatirc evcnir.g." \\'ro:�.- Joh.r. Marti:\ daruv.critio of .The New York Ti:ve>. The iIeraM-Tzi;>.::.t 's ais't-sitti r asxn t\i ir -was a 'V-^nstant <ie:?cht." !
John Martin*> U>n|5 re\u>w �.*s ont> rave, from start to -fini-!V. **At le**t one hardened theatergivr wmild have enjoyed sit r in si ! tkroa^h the t'aiire.pr ait raw right over uu^�n." he rwKlttded. f
The Jap.itu^ .Kabuki i\.�i h :--.:. t hy .hi e> Mi;, h t> ~. ; F�ul Green a^a Josh:;a I c r . a" he ^ �> :�: t"r A->-rv:,:'-. ; theater, as tho wvrMV cr�-;vt--: .." It will not bt^ s^rpri^
next �*m�oTi. It b certain :
Tokyo.
''.- Hehind the 'moats... and battles men.ts of- the Imperial Palace; the "old guard'- of the Imperil'.! Household Hoard is trying to re-cstabiish the legend of diyinity which suriwmded the Kmperor before'1'"Japan's defeat in World .War. II while 20-year-old Prince Akiluto is .setting new standanls of liberalism'. - ; ' � '
Meanwhile, liberal newspapers and magazines daily shout warnings -.against .moves to turn .the clack back and restore Kmperor ITirohito co tho dcifir.d-.pvsition he"held before th.e"occupation.
Hrenk With Tradition
'.S.uch'ii retrogressive step;,th?y-say. would "he!j\ bring back to power tho �.r,ilit:u'ists -wh.o led Japan into World War H.
Prince' Ak;h:t.''s break -\v
tUiditivV.i. iHTszan .with his t�
"abroad.-.ur.dertakeii r^-t a> ;
g.-�i.:. ss .:' -tr-io :ru\\.'<r -A
a Japanese Crown Priiice. I>ut he has taken an increasingly "informal part in Tokyo's social life.
Joke Stirs Journal
As guest at ai\ American-Japan society luncheon and at a Britain-Japan. Sjocie'ty dinner, the Crown; Prince impressed member;; with .his easy, yet quietly dignified. manner. ' .... - �;
His speeches were marked by an informality which would"never have done- for a inember of "the imperial family, far: Ies.v -the Cr'oy/n" Prince, before the war. '-. One leadir-g Jnnanose daily itew'spa'per' devoted' a third-.of .a column to discussing the "unpr.-; ceiiented-ir.chi?;,ij} of-a <jnai: Jake ih-'or.e of them. '.-";'
:> ."f a cr;:ok i:; 'the harri-- s, of f^r:n;;-!tv - which'-, have sur-
join the. ranks , of ��the palace cleaners. -.. . The voluntary service stigated by farmers aft,; Wav "II, and only -a^fi'-w. had passed before hunt: other workers' had oi-f<.'�.!/ services. ;: ' -
Today, the' -household .draws, up.a daily, roster .r tho'Usar.ds'of'Japarie'se:.' :.-' of volu.nteer-s. -
The "cleaners"' ofiv-r th-ices out of resp'rct t- ' pero.r -^aiul ='. becaus. . ::' thein a -chaiu'e to s;. <_� ].; at han�i._ �.-"�-�
Tho systern. h->" I:- -crittc^od by"l:h.-.r.-.r J-.;i .
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