Summary

Membership card for the Kyoto Educational Society in Japan to which Setsutaro Hasegawa belonged. He had been a teacher in Japan, before he migrated to Australia in 1897. The side with red ink refers to Kyoto Educational Society Membership; reverse side (black ink only): 'Setsutaro Hasegawa kun', 'kun' being an informal term of address suggesting who ever wrote it was older than Setsutaro and knew him well.

Setsutaro migrated to Australia from Japan in 1897 at the age of 26, just four years before the introduction of the Immigration Restriction Act which severely limited migration to Australia from countries in Asia. He established a laundry business in Geelong and by 1911 he had married an Australian-born woman and had three children.

In 1941 Setsutaro was arrested as an enemy alien and sent to Tatura internment camp in northern Victoria. Released early in 1943 due to his age and poor health, unlike most Japanese interns he was not deported to Japan after the War. Setsutaro remained in Geelong for the rest of his life and died in 1952.

Physical Description

Small card with Japanese characters in black on both sides. There is a red stamp on one side.

Significance

The Hasegawa collection enables the exploration of a number of important historical themes relating to migration, working life, and wartime internment in Victoria. Late nineteenth century and early to mid twentieth century Japanese migration and settlement experiences are little represented in the museum's collections and this collection of clothing, documents, personal items and photographs helps to redress.

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