The Murakami House stands on the shores of the Fraser River much as it did in 1929 when the Murakami family settled in to life at Britannia. From 1929, until their forced evacuation in early 1942, Otokichi and Asayo Murakami and their 10 children lived in this house as part of a community of 250 Japanese families on the Steveston waterfront. Otokichi was a trained boatbuilder, who built an average of two boats each winter, often fishing with one during the following fishing season. Asayo worked in local canneries, berry farms and vegetable farms to help support the family. In 1942, the Murakamis were forcibly uprooted from their home during the Second World War, along with more than 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were Interned or forced to move at least 100 miles from Canada’s west coast.
Their story is just one of many who experienced the Japanese Internment and subsequent years of hardship. It was not until 1949, five years after the war ended, that Japanese Canadians were permitted to return to the west coast. The Murakami family, like many others, did not choose to return.
The Murakami House and adjacent Boatworks opened in May 1998 to visitors for the first time. The Murakami family has provided valuable information and artefacts enabling us to share their story through exhibits, documentaries and interactive activities in the buildings today
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To learn about the fascinating story of Asayo Murakami watch the documentary film “Obaachan’s Garden” by her granddaughter, filmmaker Linda Ohama.
