THE SAMURAI IN OUR CLOSET Wednesday, May 13, 2026 7:00 pm HHOA Fish Hatchery

The Samurai in Our Closet

Who: Mandy Shintani and Susan Yatabe

Where: HHOA Fish 6712 Gelert Road, Haliburton, ON

When: May 13, 2026, 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Tickets: $15/person

What if the most powerful story you ever learned was the one your family never told you?

Mandy Shintani grew up with a secret hidden in her parents’ closet — her father, George Shintani had a 450-year-old samurai sword that was never discussed. After his death at 97, Mandy began uncovering untold stories of Japanese Canadians through the lens of his life. That journey now shapes her podcast series.

In this presentation, Mandy will share highlights from her podcast, The Samurai in Our Closet, including her travels to retrace George's life, to pre-war Japantown in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a bus tour through remote internment sites in BC, and interviews with writers, historians and over 70 Japanese Canadians. Through this journey, she reveals a little-known chapter of Canadian history. Before WWII, Japanese Canadians played a vital role in building the economy in BC. But after Pearl Harbor, under the War Measures Act, 22,000 Japanese Canadians were uprooted with as little as 24 to 48 hours’ notice. Mandy’s father’s family was exiled to Sandon, a ghost town in BC’s mountains.

Susan Yatabe will relate her mother’s experience during internment in Kaslo as a teenaged grade 3 teacher. Some of the former students, now in their 90s, have shared their stories with Susan. Mothers and young women provided education and a sense of community in the prison camps.

Ironically, Mandy’s and Susan’s father and uncle — labeled “enemy aliens” — were recruited by the Canadian & British Intelligence Corps. As young men, they were trained initially as spies and later assigned to interrogate Japanese officers accused in one of WWII’s most infamous war crimes: the building of the Bridge on the River Kwai in Siam (Thailand). Mandy's father received a samurai sword from a surrendered Japanese officer.

After the war, Japanese Canadians faced two cruel choices: move east of the Rockies or be deported to Japan. Despite losing everything, they rebuilt their lives with quiet resilience, focused on protecting the next generation through integration and silence — which led to the loss of their stories and culture.

Today, their children and grandchildren are reclaiming those hidden stories. The Samurai in Our Closet is not just about reclaiming the past — it’s a powerful reminder of what happens when fear and politics override civil rights. It’s a story of resilience, recovery, and why those lessons still matter today.

About the Speakers

Mandy Shintani lives in Vancouver, BC. She is the chairperson of the Japanese Canadian War Memorial Committee.

Susan Yatabe has been the researcher for the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre’s Warrior Spirit website and the podcast. She presented an exhibit at Kaslo’s Langham Museum based on her mother’s wartime experience as a teacher.

Both Mandy and Susan received Japanese Canadian Legacies Society (JCLS) grants: Mandy for her podcast, and Susan for documenting her mother’s story as a teacher.