ASAI Katsu
Born: 24 August 1876 – Died: 4 March 1945
Particulars:
Katsu, also known as Katie, was born in Japan in 1876. She was the daughter of Noro Tomojiro. In May 1897, at the age of 20, she arrived in Garramilla / Darwin, Australia. Katsu was divorced and worked as a tailoress in Rubibi / Broome. When the Pacific War broke out, Katsu and all other Japanese in Broome were classified as ‘enemy aliens’ and arrested. Government records stated she had a ‘small house on Crown land’. She signed over all her possessions to the care of fellow resident and friend Mrs Nasu. On 24 January 1942, Katsu was transported from Broome to Woodman’s Point, then transferred to Tatura Internment Camp on Yorta Yorta Country in Victoria. She died in B Camp infirmary on 4 March 1945.
–Jo Anne Shiosaki
More info:
Michael Jalaru Torres, Jo Anne Shiosaki, and Kimika Lee
Artist/s Statement:
I am a second-generation Nikkei. I was honoured to pay tribute to Katsu and I feel a strong connection to her work as a tailoress. My mother and sisters also share a creative flair for crafts and for sewing beautiful things. As I reflect on Katsu’s life, I imagine she was a woman of quiet dignity, determined, with endurance; a courageous woman to have journeyed so far to work in Australia. Women are sometimes forgotten in history, yet they played important roles in building our communities. My grandfather was also interned and deported back to Japan; tragic for my mother who was then only a young child. I feel sure he would have known Katsu.
–Kimika Lee (photographed)
Artist Bio:
Michael Jalaru Torres is an Indigenous fine art photographer and poet, born in 1976, in Broome, Western Australia. He is a Djugun-Yawuru man with tribal connections to the Gooniyandi / Jabbir Jabbir / Ngarluma peoples. He draws inspiration from the unique landscapes and people of the Kimberley region, which feature prominently in his work.
Jo Anne Shiosaki is a fourth-generation Nikkei who lives in Rubibi / Broome, Western Australia. Jo’s great-grandparents were one of the earliest Japanese families to migrate to Broome in the late 1800s. Her great-grandfather served as the President of the Japan Club in Broome before the war. She acknowledges the Nikkei community of Broome for helping to create these photographic images, and their willingness to share deeply personal experiences in order to preserve the memories of those who endured internment.
Kimika Lee is a dedicated health practitioner based in Broome, Western Australia. A proud second-generation Nikkei, her father migrated from Wakayama Prefecture to work in the pearling industry, and her grandfather was among those interned at Hay and later deported after World War II. Deeply committed to the wellbeing of Indigenous communities, Kimika holds the distinction of being the only Aboriginal health worker in Australia qualified in palliative care. A devoted grandmother to nine grandchildren, she cherishes time with her family, and enjoys fishing and gardening in her spare time.