Tsunagu/Connect Programme

New Earth Theatre presents and develops work with British East and South East Asian (BESEA) artists that asks key questions of identity, of the world we live in and our place in that world. We produce touring plays and readings across the year, nurture BESEA* talent through our Academy courses (Performance, Writing, Offstage) and Professional Writers Programme, as well as bring artists to communities, museums and schools.

*We use the term British East and South East Asian to mean people of the following descent: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and their diasporas. These people remain severely underrepresented in the arts in the UK.

Creative Engagement Associate Yuyu Wang Marketing Assistant Linh Huynh

www.newearththeatre.org.uk @NewEarthTheatre

Foreword by Kumiko Mendl, Co-Creator

I have always wondered what my mother’s life would have been like coming to the UK from Japan in the late 1950s, settling here with a British husband and having a family, all in the aftermath of the Second World War. Sadly I have never been able to ask her as she died when I was very young. Women of my mother’s generation are now in their 80s and 90s and I realised if I was to try and search for answers the time was now.

This exhibition has been designed to double as a set for our promenade performance, Tsunagu/Connect Live.

The choice of objects that you see and the extraordinary plinths that display them have been conceived with this performance in mind but can equally be enjoyed in their own right.

I was particularly interested in the experience of Japanese women, not only those that came over in the 50s but those that came later. I wanted to counter the exotification and the tired old stereotypes that we have too often been subjected to and to celebrate the multiplicity of migrant, Japanese women’s voices, and so Tsunagu/Connect was born.

None of this would have been possible without funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England, our dedicated team at New Earth Theatre, our project manager Kay Stephens, producer Tammie Rhee, our volunteers and interviewees who willingly gave their time to share their stories and all the many people who have contributed to our exhibition and performance. Last but not least, fellow co-author Kazuko Hohki who has been on this journey with me from the beginning.

Two years and a pandemic later we are finally at a point when we can share some of the incredible stories of adventure, hopes, dreams and sacrifices that we heard from Japanese women across the country and from all walks of life.

I sincerely hope that Tsunagu/Connect can make a valid and vital contribution to the wider narrative and understanding of the British Japanese community today.

- Kumiko Mendl

Foreword by Kazuko Hohki,

Co-Creator

I have lived in the UK for more than 40 years, much longer than I have lived in Japan. I came to England in 1978 as a tourist. My father asked me to bring back duty free Scotch whisky on my way back, but I didn’t go back for four years. (I brought back the whisky eventually. Luckily my father’s taste had not changed.) England was so comfortable to live in, after living in a country where expectations of people are so regimented, especially for women. I started to express myself much more freely and I have become an artist. England made me who I am. Though life here is not perfect - food, service, rudeness and lack of punctuality! - I feel this is my home where I can relax my mind most freely. Am I sacrificing something for this comfort? My biggest sacrifice so far has been not being with my mother on her deathbed, but the pandemic has made me realise that can happen even if you live next door to each other.

Now I have a son who is half British. He has made me more keen to connect with Japan than ever. I want him to have a piece of Japan inside him, like I will always have. It’s a hard task as we have to create this piece in

him - unlike mine, which was formed organically just by being there - but I believe it will tie us deeply together somewhere. Is this just a fantasy or another sacrifice I am making by staying in this country?

My relationship to Japan is constantly changing and full of questions, but the distance between Japan and England has not changed. I wanted to hear stories from other Japanese womentheir questions, their answers, their fantasy and their sacrifice. Ultimately I wanted to know how they are surviving that distance.

Foreword by Kay Stephens, Project Manager

The Tsunagu/Connect oral history project is unique amongst oral history projects I have worked on, for being led by community members for community members, as well as a broader audience. It has been a valuable opportunity for me and many other members of the Japanese heritage community to connect with each other and learn about the history of the Japanese community in the UK. Our focus on women’s stories has provided a rare insight into particular gendered dynamics of migration, identity, culture and belonging, and the method of oral history has allowed us to understand history as it was lived. In this foreword, I will briefly provide some historical background about the Japanese community in the UK to contextualise the project.

The settlement of Japanese people in the UK first began in the late 19th century with the arrival of Japanese professionals, students and their servants. With the signing of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 1902, the two countries entered into a period of cooperation, with the Japan-British exhibition of 1910 designed to

celebrate and reinforce the alliance on a grassroots level. Increased trade during this period led to a small but thriving community of Japanese businessmen, seamen, and their families in the UK, in areas such as London and Middlesbrough, one of the stops for the Japanese shipping company, Nihon Yusen.

This all changed as Japan became an enemy during the Second World War. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and assault on Hong Kong in 1941, 114 Japanese men were detained as enemy aliens on the Isle of Man. After the war, the plight of Allied Prisoners of War at the hands of the Japanese military cast a long shadow on British perceptions of Japanese people.

In the decades following the end of the war, the UK and Japan gradually settled back into a cooperative relationship, both in terms of business and trade, and in terms of cultural and educational exchange. In 1986, Nissan officially opened its first factory in the UK in Sunderland. With generational change, old prejudices began to fade

and the global rise of Japanese popular culture since the ‘80s has generally positively impacted perceptions of Japan in the UK.

Tsunagu/Connect zooms in on the personal experiences and memories of Japanese women who have settled in the UK against the backdrop of over half a century of transformative change in both countries. The project uncovers a hidden history, exploring the everyday lives and perspectives of a range of Japanese women, from migration stories to experiences of work and domestic life, from questions of identity and belonging to reflections on prejudice and acceptance. I myself have enjoyed the opportunity to connect with other Japanese people and explore our shared heritage through oral history interviews, public events and heritage workshops. As a community organiser in the East and Southeast Asian diaspora space, it has been particularly interesting for me to better understand the distinctive patterns of Japanese migration, the position of Japanese women in the labour market and changing perceptions of Japanese women

in British society, as experienced by the women themselves. Most importantly, the project provides a rare insight into the complexity, diversity and agency of Japanese women in the UK.

Introduction

The Tsunagu/Connect oral history project took place from April 2020 to March 2021. Following our launch event in January 2020, we recruited and trained up a team of 12 Japanese heritage volunteers to conduct 30 interviews with Japanese women who had settled in the UK since 1945.

especially important with the project beginning at the outset of the pandemic — with the interviews being conducted online, we were able to connect people across geographical distances at a time when many of us were socially and physically isolated.

In order to recruit participants for interviews, we held a public launch event hosted at the Museum of London and reached out to New Earth Theatre’s existing networks, Japanese community organisations, regional community centres, and Japanese Saturday schools. It was important for us to capture a wide range of experiences in terms of age, location, occupation, date of arrival, and so on, to highlight the diversity of experience amongst Japanese women in the UK.

Many of our volunteers had both English and Japanese language skills, allowing for participants to express themselves as they preferred, whether in English, Japanese or a mix of the two. Having Japanese heritage volunteers also created a sense of familiarity, comfort and connection within the interviews. This was

The recorded oral history interviews explore a range of topics from reasons for migration and first impressions of the UK, to the decision to settle here and build a life, from practical issues of finding work and obtaining visas to personal questions about relationships, family, and belonging. They document participants’ changing relationships to both the UK and Japan, touching on deep questions of community, identity and inheritance. On a broader level, the interviews shine a rare light on shifting societal perceptions of Japan over many decades, as well as the varied and changing experience of being a Japanese woman in the UK.

The Plinths

Plinth 1: Culture

The plinths in the exhibition form the set for our performance of Tsunagu/Connect Live and were conceived by theatre designer TK Hay. They explore the themes of Culture, Relationships and Belonging that emerged during our oral history project and in the development of the live performance piece.

Inspired by the women’s stories, each plinth has been created in the form of human figures, fusing British and Japanese furniture and belongings. The objects themselves have been selected for their resonance with the stories from our interviews, and each one is emblematic of a particular scene from our live performance.

Please scan this QR code to be taken to a Soundcloud page where you will be able to listen to audio clips related to the objects.

“These sculptures pay homage to the primary inspiration driving the project, the stories of Japanese women who have immigrated to and settled in Britain. The delicate act of preserving and presenting multiple identities is a struggle generations of immigrants will keenly relate to our entire lives. With the strength of steel but the warmth of timber, these figures carry on with stoic pride.”

–

Hay, Designer

The kimono is perhaps one of the most recognisable Japanese cultural symbols. It is a T-shaped, wrapped-front garment distinguished by colour, pattern, material, and decoration. While kimono were once traditional everyday clothing for all members of Japanese society, this changed in the Meiji period (1868-1912) as Japan underwent a period of modernisation after opening up to Western trade in the 1850s. During this time, the government encouraged people to adopt Western clothing and habits, with government officials and military personnel required by law to wear Western clothing for official functions. Most women, however, continued to wear kimono, as they did not lead public lives. At a time of rapid modernisation and foreign influence, the kimono therefore became a reassuring visual symbol of traditional Japanese culture and womanhood. This symbolism is still alive today with the kimono largely being reserved for formal, traditional celebrations. Nonetheless, kimono and variations of kimono enjoy popularity as an everyday fashion item both within and outside Japan.

The items on this plinth have been chosen to represent the ties that the women interviewed have maintained with Japan since moving to the UK.

Shelf with condiments

Track #23

Food has been a recurring theme in many of the stories we collected. Cooking and eating Japanese food has been important to many, both as a cure for homesickness and as a way to connect to and share their heritage with family and friends. Although Japanese ingredients were difficult to obtain for earlier migrants, increased migration from Japan and growing popularity of Japanese food in the ‘90s has made Japanese food more widely available.

“I like Japanese food, so I cook a lot of Japanese food. But you have to be creative, don’t you? With the limited ingredients you can buy... Nowadays you can buy soy sauce at the supermarket, but they didn’t have that when I moved here…”

New Collegiate English-Japanese Dictionary 5th edition

Track #22

Dictionaries like these were a lifeline for many of those we interviewed, especially prior to the internet. Many Japanese women who have settled here initially came as language students, and improving their English was key to helping them find their feet in the UK. Many of our interviews also touched on the personal and contextual factors that influenced what language they mainly spoke at home and whether they decided to raise their children to speak Japanese, as well as the complex feelings surrounding these choices. Although our interviewees’ relationships to language were different, it was clear that for many language was deeply connected to their sense of identity and Japanese-ness.

“My dictionary has travelled with me, so many different places… This helped me to improve my English… It’s getting a bit battered and falling apart, but I still love you.”

Plinth 2: Relationships

Hō an den (奉安殿) (recreation)

Track #24

In Imperial Japan, between the 1910s and 1945, structures called ‘hō an den’ were set up at elementary schools across the country to hold sacred photographs of the Emperor and the Empress, together with a copy of the Imperial Rescript on Education. Students were required to make a deep, respectful bow to the buildings upon arriving at school every day. This was part of the Meiji government’s efforts to foster Japanese nationalism as a stabilising force during a period of rapid ‘westernisation’ and modernisation, following the opening of the country after 200 years of sakoku (鎖国) (isolationist foreign policy). Although the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers mandated their removal after the end of World War II, some hō an den still exist today.

“The teachers used to be really scary. They were so strict and forced ‘nationalism’ on all of us… But that kind of atmosphere had vanished and the teachers themselves changed their clothes from the military uniform to normal plain clothes and it was as if they had changed completely. They suddenly became so kind.”

The items on this plinth symbolise the complex and changing relationship between Japan and the West.

2: Relationships

Empire Windrush photo

Track #25

The Empire Windrush is perhaps best known as the ship that brought one of the first large groups of post-war African-Caribbean migrants to the UK. However, its final journey departed from Yokohama in Japan in 1954, calling first at Kure before setting sail for the UK. Its passengers mainly included military personnel stationed in Japan, including one of our interviewees, Lola, who travelled on the ship with her husband Nigel. The ship was plagued with engine problems but called at Hong Kong, Singapore, Colombo, Aden, and Port Said before the engine exploded and caught fire off the coast of Algeria, killing four crew members. Fortunately the remaining crew and passengers were rescued by lifeboat or rescue ship, though some were in the sea for almost two hours. The survivors were then taken to Algiers, then to Gibraltar, before finally arriving in the UK. The Windrush itself sank during an attempt to tow the wrecked ship to Gibraltar.

Shōjo Manga

Shōjo Manga, literally ‘young women’s comics’, were first published in the late Meiji era in Japan, but began to flourish in the late Showa period (1970-89) as an influx of young women artists transformed the genre, creating a rare space for women to express their creativity. They dealt with complex topics such as death, family conflict, relationships and sexuality in a range of narrative styles, from period drama to family tales to science fiction and fantasy. One of the most famous shōjo manga, Riyoko Ikeda’s Berusaiyu no Bara (The Rose of Versailles), was first published in the early 1970s, gaining unprecedented popularity within a male-dominated manga industry. However, even Ikeda was paid half the fees of a comparable male writer and had to defend herself against accusations of corrupting young girls. Although shōjo manga created a rare space for women’s self-expression, many still subscribed to Eurocentric standards of beauty. For instance, the characters typically had big eyes, pale skin, and long legs.

Commando Comics Track #26

Commando Comics is a British comic book magazine featuring stories that are largely set during the First or Second World War. Although still published today, the comics reached the height of their popularity in the ‘60s and ‘70s. During this time, many Commando Comics depicted battles between the Japanese and Allied forces, in which Allied soldiers were typically glorified, while Japanese soldiers were portrayed as national stereotypes, often employing racist tropes and slurs, with some rare exceptions. Interestingly, although the comics look back to an antagonist relationship between Britain and Japan, they were published at a time when the relationship between the postimperial nations was rapidly changing. Indeed, British youth culture has changed significantly since, and the growing influence of Japan on global culture, not least the immense popularity of manga, has eclipsed the more niche offering of Commando Comic today.

“Japan was still part of the old enemy and children were brought up with propaganda which went on, quite some time. When Susan was about seven, I noticed that children are becoming somewhat hostile, because I think they absorbed anti-German, anti-Japanese propaganda during the war and it was sort of woven into comics that children really began to read at that age.”

Belonging

The items on the Belonging plinth refer to the ties that connect our interviewees to family, friends, country, and culture.

Japanese passports

Track #28

The Japanese government currently only allows adult Japanese nationals to hold one nationality. For Japanese citizens living in the UK, this means that obtaining British citizenship strictly speaking requires renouncing their Japanese citizenship. Many Japanese people residing in the UK who might otherwise apply for citizenship therefore choose not to. In the context of the UK’s ever-changing and labyrinthine immigration system, this can lead to issues with visas and complicated processes to access rights they are entitled to. Mixed heritage children are also affected by Japanese nationality law. Children born to at least one Japanese parent are generally automatically Japanese nationals at birth. If they also involuntarily hold another foreign nationality, they are required to choose between their Japanese or foreign status before the age of 22. The Japanese government argues this is to prevent conflict in the rights and obligations between countries, but many express facing a loss of identity when making this decision.

Heso no o ( へその緒)/ Umbilical cord

Track #29

Japanese hospitals traditionally place part of the umbilical cord that falls off during childbirth in a special box, which is typically given to the mother when she leaves the hospital. This part is called heso no o, literally ‘tail of the belly’. The heso no o is said to represent a link between parent and child. It is also believed to be connected to the child’s health and fate. In some cases, the umbilical cord is given to a child on the day they leave home or marry, to symbolise separation.

We Are Frank Chickens album,

Kaz Records Track

#27

“This has my umbilical cord … looks like a dried squid. Dried umbilical cord is something I feel like I’m connected somehow through to the earth.”

Frank Chickens is a musical group founded in 1982 by three Japanese women living in London (Kazuko Hohki, Kazumi Taguchi, and Noriko Iwatsubo). Collaborating with English musician friends, they released their first single ‘We Are Ninja’ in 1983 which became a hit in the indie chart. Since then, they have toured worldwide and released five albums, releasing their first album ‘We are Frank Chickens’ in 1985. Frank Chickens’ songs explore women’s experience and conditions. Their signature song ‘We Are Ninja’ contrasts the role of ninja, skilled underground warriors in feudal Japan, with the popular Western image of Japanese women as subservient and demure geisha. Over the last decade, Frank Chickens led by Kazuko Hohki has grown into a community of twenty-plus members, the majority of whom are Japanese women. They regularly sing and perform at festivals and alternative clubs, creating a third space to celebrate their hybrid existence, as women often considered outsiders or misfits within both British and Japanese cultures.

Removal box with special objects

Belonging

Within our oral history interviews, many women shared special objects that they felt connected them to Japan. These ranged from everyday objects with sentimental value to crafts made by loved ones to traditional ornaments and trinkets. This removal box includes various Japanese objects including:

Soroban (算盤)

The soroban is a Japanese abacus consisting of a wooden frame which holds columns of beads. It is derived from the ancient Chinese suanpan, and is still used in Japanese primary schools to help children grasp basic arithmetic through visual learning.

Child’s geta (下駄)

Geta are traditional Japanese shoes with an elevated wooden sole and fabric straps resembling flip-flops. Geta are thought to have originated in Southern China, and today are typically worn with yukata (summer kimono).

Origami picture of matsuri festival (祭の折り紙絵)

Origami is the art of paper folding, and is often associated with Japanese culture. Matsuri are Japanese festive occasions, usually involving food stalls, entertainment and carnival games. Some may be based around temples and shrines and involve processions.

Temari (decorative ball) (手鞠)

Temari, literally ‘hand balls’, are a form of Japanese folk art, originating in China. Traditionally made from old kimono fabric, temari are decorative thread balls that can be used in children’s play, or as ornaments or accessories.

Owan (eating bowl) (お椀)

Owan are used to serve hot soup - usually miso-shiru (miso soup) - and are typically made of lacquered wood and may have a lid.

Furoshiki (風呂敷)

Furoshiki, literally ‘bath spread’, is a Japanese wrapping cloth traditionally used to bundle clothes at the public baths. Nowadays, they are mainly used as an eco-friendly way to wrap gifts.

Cha ire (茶入れ)

A cha ire is a small ceramic jar used to hold tea powder for use in making thick tea (koicha) in Japanese tea ceremonies. Cha ire traditionally have an ivory lid with a gold leafed underside.

Tetsubin 鉄瓶

Tetsubin are Japanese cast-iron kettles with a top handle, pouring spout and lid. They are used for boiling and pouring hot water for making tea.

Hashibako (箸箱)

Hashikabo, literally ‘chopsticks box’, are as the name suggests containers for holding and transporting chopsticks.

There is little documented history of Japanese women in the UK. Our oral history project aimed to begin filling this historical gap, bringing community members together to uncover and explore the stories of Japanese women who have settled in the UK since the end of the Second World War. Through one-to-one interviews conducted by a team of Japanese heritage volunteers, we collected the stories of 30 Japanese women in their own words, breathing life into a little-known history by rooting it in personal experience and memory.

In this section, we explore some of the stories of the women we interviewed for the project. These include excerpts from the full interviews, which we encourage you to listen to by scanning the QR code. Although they share common threads, each story is unique and complex. We hope they can speak for themselves.

Please scan this QR code to be taken to a Soundcloud page where you will be able to listen to the audio clips.

Lola Isako Okazaki-Ward Track #1

Location: Derby Date of arrival: 1954

Masayo Aizawa Track #2

Location: London Date of arrival: 1995

Junko McNeely-Seki Track #3

Location: Near Belfast Date of arrival: 2003 Kyoko Evans Track #4

Location: Dorset Date of arrival: 1974

Hiroko Sherwin Track #5

Location: Bradford-on-Avon Date of arrival: 2000

Elizabeth Fusae Thurley Track #6

Location: London Date of arrival: 1957

Atsuko Kamura Track #7

Location: London Date of arrival: 1989

Noriko Matsubara Track #8

Location: Durham Date of arrival: 2000s

Mariko Doi Track #9 Location: London Date of arrival: Mid ‘90s

Kyoko Atsumi Track #10

Location: Edinburgh Date of arrival: Early ‘90s

Akemi Tanaka Track #11

Location: London Date of arrival: 1994

Kimiko Eva Track #12

Location: Newcastle Date of arrival: 1982

Chiko Komai Track #13

Location: London Date of arrival: Early ‘90s

Masako Whitehouse Track #14

Location: Cornwall Date of arrival: 1967

Tomoko Komura Track #15 Location: London Date of arrival: 2004

Megumi Kubota Track #16 Location: London Date of arrival: 1994 Kyoko Speechley Track #17

Location: London Date of arrival: 1966

Miyuki Tanaka Track #18

Location: London Date of arrival: 1994

Haruka Kuroda Track #19

Location: Southend Date of arrival: 1993

Nao Nagai Track #20

Location: London Date of arrival: Mid ‘90s

Tsunagu/Connect: Uncovering the Lives of Our Mothers Earth2Air

Intergenerational conversations are a key way in which oral and family histories are passed down and kept alive through generations. One Sunday in November 2021, parents, children, and young adults joined filmmaker Fumi Gomez for an online filmmaking workshop that covered basic interviewing and filmmaking techniques. Together they came up with a list of questions to ask that included:

- What is your name and where were you born?

- When did you move to London/the UK and why?

- What was your biggest surprise when you moved here?

- Can you tell me the story about this object/photo/image you have chosen and why it is special to you?

- If you moved back to Japan what is the one thing you would take with you from the UK?

Seven families conducted their own interviews at home, with each child interviewing their mother. Uncovering the Lives of Our Mothers is a film created from these interviews.

Can we hear your story?

We would love to add your story to our collection, whether you are from Japan or Bangladesh, Hong Kong or Nigeria, please tell us where you were born and one lasting memory you have from around the time you first arrived in the UK.

repository celebrating the migrant experience in the UK. We can’t wait to hear what you have to say.

Our first podcast features some of the women involved with Tsunagu/ Connect. They talk about what brought them to the UK, the reasons they have stayed and some of the challenges they have faced as immigrants in this country.

Ep 1 - Kumiko Mendl & Kazuko Hohki

Join Kumiko and Kazuko as they explain the motivation behind Tsunagu/ Connect and what the project means to them.

Ep 2 - Keiko Itoh

Keiko uncovers what life was like for the Japanese community in pre-war Britain. The Second World War left an ultimatum: to return to Japan or stay in the UK.

Ep 4 - Ryoko Akama

Ryoko discusses identity and the curiosity and conflict of who you are, especially as racial trends and attitudes change over time.

Ep 5 - Houmi Miura

Houmi was given a choice to return to Japan with her family. She opted to reside in the UK and had to quickly confront identity at an early age.

Ep 6 - Haruna Komatsu

Haruna was determined to live out her teenage dream so formed her own band. She details her journey from childhood and how David Bowie persuaded her to travel to the UK.

Ep 7 - Mariko Hayashi

Ep 3 - Lola Isako Okazaki Ward Lola recalls her treacherous journey to Britain on the Empire Windrush in 1954, love at first sight and adopting English culture.

Mariko discusses how her work retains her connection to her roots.

Each episode is approximately 30 minutes long

anchor.fm/newearththeatre

Please scan this QR code and you will be directed to a website where you will be able to record your story. These recordings will form part of a

Co-creators

Kumiko Mendl Kazuko Hohki

Project Manager

Lighting Design

Nao Nagai

to her parents belies the uncertainty she is feeling.

Kay Stephens Producer Tammie Rhee

Augmented Reality

Postcards

£3 each, £10 entire set

Beautiful Yorkshire Busy fixing up her new house, Mirai is full of lists and plans for the future.

Streets of Soho

New Earth Theatre has collaborated with artist Natsko Seki to illustrate and design five Augmented Reality Postcards. When viewed from a designated website via the camera on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, these images will trigger an augmented reality experience. Each postcard tells a unique story inspired by the oral history interviews that were done. These postcards are available for sale at the venue or from the New Earth Theatre website.

Composing lyrics in her off time, musician and sound engineer Rin must suffer the men she encounters in the recording studio.

Heathrow Airport

Acting student Junko dreams of becoming a star, but first she has to overcome the challenges of an immigration interview.

Artwork Illustration Natsko Seki Press Kate Morley PR Photography Ikin Yum Web Design Joshua Baker

Tsunagu/Connect: The Exhibition Designer TK Hay Production Manager Anna Smith

Panels Design Vanessa Ng

Brochure Design Derek Man Tsunagu/Connect Live

Greetings from London

From a lonely bedsit in West London, Japanese student Mayumi sends a cheerful postcard home to her parents in Japan.

Empire Windrush

Newlywed Fumiko is moving to England with her new husband Kenneth on the Empire Windrush. An upbeat message

Enamel Pin Badge £4

Inspired by the project artwork, this pin badge designed by Natsko Seki is also available to buy at the venue and online.

Nickel plated metal, Butterfly clutch fitting, 50 x 21.3 mm

Co-Directors

Kumiko Mendl Kazuko Hohki

Dramaturg and Contributing Playwright Stewart Melton Sound Design Tingying Dong

Movement Direction Sachi Kimura Production Manager Anna Smith Stage Manager Zoe Smith Cast Tomoko Komura Meg Kubota Yuki Sutton You-Ri Yamanaka

Augmented Reality Postcards Illustrator Natsko Seki Creative Technologist John Hampson 3D Models Neil Jakeman Sound Design Nicola T. Chang Models

Toshiko Kurata Aki Nakagawa Yuyu Wang Voices

Matsumoto Hinako Tomoko Komura Meg Kubota Haruka Kuroda Aki Nakagawa

Uncovering the Lives of Our Mothers Filmmaker and workshop leader Fumi Gomez

Film participants

Ayumi Addison Masayo Aizawa

Aya Kamura Mirto Tomoko Komura Joe Komura Lambden Haruka Kuroda Iris-Mia KurodaConnington Hanako Kuyama Grace Kuyama Iena Mirto Kino Stephenson Mia Watanabe Tamami YoshimuraWood Lucas YoshimuraWood Earth 2 Air Podcast

Podcast Participants

Keiko Itoh

Lola Isako Okazaki Ward Ryoko Akama Houmi Miura Haruna Komatsu Mariko Hayashi

Sound editor Zhiya Chen

Oral History

Oral History volunteers

Yuka Harada-Parr Mariko Hayashi Valerie KanekoLucas

Yuko Leece Chantelle Clare Linane Houmi Miura Naoko Nomoto Masaaki Sagara

Clare Sumi Miyuki Tanaka Kanon Tsuda Yuko TsukaharaGaydu Emily Uchida Finch Project Contributors Ryoko Akama Nobuko Mason Marie Nevin Teruko Chagrin Kazumi Taguchi Momoe Ode Yuki Johnson

Special thanks to Moé Saito, Basement94, AR Department, Goldsmiths University of London, Ed Greig, Jack Lowe, Aid for Japan, Extant, Kinolibrary, Akiko Sato, Dror Shohet, Juri Ito, Natalie B Wong, Nicola Chang, Verity Lane, Haruka Kuroda, BOLD Chinese Arts Now and NDT Broadgate, LAMDA, Theatre

Royal Stratford East, Ice and Fire, NO CARS, Frank Chickens

In Memory of Akemi Tanaka 1958-2021

Thank you, Akemi san, for sharing your story with us.