Non fiction biography

Masumi Mitsui is an uncelebrated Canadian hero. He is well known in the Japanese Canadian community and in the annals of the 10th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces who served Canada in World War 1. But the average Canadian has never heard of him and that is an injustice to his service to Canada.

Canadian Samurai is an effort to right this oversight. This biography shines a light on his courage and determination to become a Canadian citizen. It traces his early childhood as he learns about his samurai heritage and follows him to Canada as a young man seeking a new beginning.

Like many other Asians coming to Canada in the early 1900’s, he encountered harsh racism and hatred at the same time European immigrants were being welcomed with open arms. This story tears open the unspeakable history and legacy of Canada’s treatment of Asian immigrants. The racism they experienced then, persists today in Canada and around the world.

The personal character of this one man speaks volumes on the topic of understanding and acceptance. When people took the time to get to know Masumi, they discovered a focused and benevolent man, someone who would be a worthy friend. We can still learn a great deal from his actions during his lifetime. He should be celebrated as a Canadian hero and a true pioneer of Canada’s immigration mindset.

The story contains many references to the ancient Japanese practice of bushido. Masumi demonstrates how he uses these skills, passed down to him by his grandfather, to make life choices and find inner strength. His grandfather was a link to the glorious days of shoguns and warriors as he was one of the last samurai to serve a Japanese emperor. The title is a tribute to Masumi's use of his family traditions to become a citizen of Canada.