MAJIKINA Seiji
Born: 8 December 1872 –Died: 16 April 1944
Particulars:
Seiji was born in Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. He was working as a labourer in Kanaky /New Caledonia when the Pacific War broke out. He had a brother in Shinajiri Gun in Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. He was taken to Australia and interned at Loveday Internment Camp in South Australia. He was admitted to the camp hospital, but details such as when he was admitted, whether he died at the hospital, and the cause of his death are not recorded in documents held at the National Archives of Australia. He was 71 years old. His grave is in the Japanese Cemetery in Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.
–Mayu Kanamori
More info:
Takeshi Tsuji
Artist/s Statement:
As a Japanese living in Australia, every time I see the jacaranda flowers bloom in spring, I am reminded of the cherry blossoms in Japan. Traditionally, Okinawa did not have the custom of flower viewing as on the mainland, but I wondered, if Mr Majikina saw jacarandas while in Australia, would it have reminded him of Okinawa’s kanhizakura cherry blossoms? This fleeting thought led me to create a combination of a Jacaranda photo and a tanka or short poem.
Artist Bio:
Takeshi Tsuji is originally from Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. After graduating from high school in 1995, he came to Australia as a student. Later he was able to settle permanently and is now living in Perth. He has lived in three other cities: Wollongong, Adelaide, and Sydney.