SHIRAKI Tamegi
Born: October 1877 – Died: 12 September 1942
Particulars:
Tamegi was born in Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan. He first arrived in Gimuy / Cairns in Queensland, Australia aboard the Omi Maru in 1896. He was a laundryman, who lived and worked in Mossman and Carins during his time in Australia, and only returned to Japan once, in 1914. When the Pacific War broke out, he and his wife had a laundry business in Spence Street, Cairns. He had with him approximately 14 pounds in cash, which was handed over to the District Finance Office in Meanjin / Brisbane, and one portmanteau or travel bag. He was interned at Tatura Internment Camp in Victoria with his wife, Oko. He was admitted to hospital later that year and died four days later due to cardiorenal failure. His grave is in the Japanese Cemetery, Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.
–Mayu Kanamori
More info:
Andrew Hasegawa
Artist/s Statement:
Shiraki Tamegi was a laundryman based in Cairns in Queensland, Australia. Many Japanese immigrants to Australia became laundrymen as capital expenditure required to start a business was low. But the standards in the Japanese laundries were high, and attracted many customers. My great-grandfather Setsutaro Hasegawa was also a laundryman.
Setsutaro was based in Geelong in Victoria. He was well educated and a member of the shizoku class, meaning his family were samurai during the Tokugawa Era. His father put his sword down to become an employee of the Hokkaido Development Commission, which had a mission to develop Hokkaido in the post-Tokugawa Era.
Both Tamegi and Setsutaro were interned at Tatura Internment Camp in Victoria at the same time. Setsutaro was given an early release, while Shiraki died in the camp.
Artist Bio:
Andrew Hasegawa is a fourth-generation Japanese Australian. His great-grandfather Setsutaro Hasegawa immigrated to Australia in 1897. Andrew is an Australian and also a proud Nikkei Australian. From a young age, he had a keen interest in his Japanese heritage, and at the age of 20, he went to Japan. The quest to know who he was and why his great-grandfather came to Australia has become a driving force in his life. Andrew was a 2024 scholar-in-residence for the international collaborative project Past Wrongs Future Choices. He has written research papers and continues to speak publicly about Nikkei Australian histories.