IKEDA Yahei
Born: 12 December 1900 – Died: 4 April 1944
Particulars:
Yahei was born in Ehime Prefecture, Japan in 1900. At the young age of 16, he arrived in Australia aboard the Minderoo in 1916 and his next of kin was listed as his father Ikeda Tohichi. He came to Rubibi / Broome Western Australia to work with Streeter & Male Company as a pearl diver. When the Pacific War broke out, Yahei was arrested and taken via Harvey to be interned at Loveday Internment Camp in South Australia. In 1943, he was transferred to Hay Internment Camp in New South Wales. Yahei was admitted to the camp hospital with pneumonia and died from pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 44. Yahei now rests in the Japanese Cemetery in Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.
–Jo Anne Shiosaki
More info:
Michael Jalaru Torres, Jo Anne Shiosaki, and Derek Lee
Artist/s Statement:
Yahei Ikeda was a pearl diver like my Japanese grandfather. Men like Yahei were revered for their deep sea diving skills. This treacherous occupation was marked by danger, courage and endurance. They risked their lives daily in pursuit of those precious gems. The Broome cemetery is a testament to the many lives lost at sea. Sadly, Yahei survived the pearling days but died way too young, in an internment camp far from his homeland. We are forever grateful to our Japanese ancestors and all the other nationalities who came and contributed to the pearling industry in Western Australia. Rest in peace Yahei.
–Derek 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.
Derek Lee is is a third-generation Nikkei born in Broome, Australia. He is a descendant of the Yawuru, Ngarluma, and Yamatji peoples. His grandfather Hatoyama, originally came from Nagasaki Prefecture. Hatoyama was interned during the war, deported, and later returned to Australia in the 1950s to work in the pearling industry. He reunited with his family and resumed his position as head diver for Streeter & Male Company. Derek reflects with pride that his grandfather may have been small in stature, but he was a strong man and well respected in the community and in the pearling industry.