The Vancouver Asahi is a baseball team of Japanese Canadians that was formed on Vancouver Powell Street before the war.
At the time, it was one of Vancouver's most influential amateur teams, with a large and passionate following even within the white community. It was based at Powell Street Ground (officially Oppenheimer Park) until the outbreak of war between Japan and the Allied forces in 1941.
On July 30, 2022, at the Powell Festival, which was held for the first time in three years, Reverend Tatsuya Aoki of the Vancouver Buddhist Church of the Jodo Shinshu Honganji School, Canada, performed a memorial service to pay tribute to the former Asahi team players.
The memorial ceremony took place from 5 pm, under the bright summer sun, and lasted for about 20 minutes. Current players and team staff, all wearing bright red Vancouver Asahi team shirts, attended, along with many festival-goers, and everyone observed a solemn moment of silence. Reverend Aoki of the Vancouver Buddhist Church chanted sutras with respect and gratitude for the players who had played an active role before the war, and representatives of the participants offered incense.
As the smoke from the incense rose into the cloudless blue sky, and the sounds of the Powell Street Ground suddenly ceased for a moment during the moment of silence, I was struck by the feeling that I could hear the sounds of former Asahi team players calling out to each other, playing catch, and practicing bunting and sliding, transcending 100 years of time and space.
The movie Field of Dreams, released in 1989,“If you build it, they will come.”As the well-known line goes, "The spirits of the fallen soldiers of the Asahi team have returned for this memorial," many people were likely thinking this as they offered incense. The sight of people gathering around Oppenheimer Park for the Powell Festival reminded me of the residents of the Japanese quarter and the white residents of the neighborhood who, after finishing work or school before the war, would walk briskly and excitedly to watch Vancouver Asahi practices or games.
This event, which will undoubtedly be etched into the history of Japanese Canadians, was conceived by Sammy Takahashi, one of the founders of the New Asahi Team, who also serves as a director of the Asahi Baseball Association and president of the Japan-Canada Chamber of Commerce. His motivation stemmed from a passionate desire and noble purpose to pass on the tradition and legacy of the Asahi Team to future generations and to act as a bridge between the two countries. To realize this goal, Mr. Takahashi has dedicated many years to activities that connect Japan and Canada through baseball.
In March 2022, the Asahi Baseball Association and the Japan-Canada Chamber of Commerce co-hosted an online event to commemorate the 100th anniversary of friendship between the Vancouver Asahi team and Wakayama Toin High School (formerly Wakayama Junior High School). This event served as a catalyst, leading to the decision to hold a memorial service for the former Asahi team players as an extension of that tradition. With the aim of paying tribute to the original Asahi team players, expressing our condolences and gratitude, and with the cooperation of many people involved, we were able to hold the service at the Powell Festival, a tradition of the Japanese Canadian community.
Among those in attendance were Consul Kayoko Imamura, who read a message on behalf of Consul General Takashi Hatori of the Japanese Consulate in Vancouver, Tomio Fukumura (Vice Chairman of the Asahi Baseball Association), and many other related individuals.
What particularly caught my attention was the presence of descendants of Japanese pioneer immigrants and former Asahi team players among the attendees. Toshio Takai, a great-grandson of Gihei Kuno who was visiting Vancouver from Japan, and Gary Kuno, a great-grandson of Gihei Kuno who lives in Vancouver, met each other for the first time.
Furthermore, we also saw the faces of the original players' great-grandchildren, Wiley Waters and Lynn Tomita, the granddaughter of Tai Suga. In particular, Koichi Uenishi (Kei Uenishi) is the only surviving original player, and he and his son Ed Uenishi went out of their way to travel all the way from Kamloops in the scorching heat just for this day.
At the ceremony, Ed spoke on behalf of Kay, reading a speech of gratitude and eulogy that included his thanks to those who helped make the ceremony possible, as well as memories of the former Asahi Army.
After the emotionally charged ceremony ended, I noticed a white woman who was among the attendees lightly putting her arm around the shoulder of a Japanese-American woman beside her and saying, "What a beautiful moment. It was as if the players were right there." Looking around, I could see that the faces of the attendees and festival-goers were very peaceful. It wasn't just the former Asahi team players whose souls were soothed, but also the current Asahi team players and staff, and the many other participants who happened to be there.
Reflecting on the history of Vancouver Asahi has, I believe, led to a moment where we could cherish the old and learn about the new, and share our pride in being Japanese immigrants. It has brought us a sense of peace and hope for tomorrow, and I offer my heartfelt gratitude and prayers for the fact that the old and new Vancouver Asahi teams and their supporters were able to gather again at Powell Street Ground, approximately 80 years after the forced dissolution of Vancouver Asahi.
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