Here are three bilingual publications related to the life of Jiro Muramats, his family, and his colleagues. These publications are the result of a joint research project, the principal researcher was Mayumi Kamada of Nagoya University of Commerce and Business. Nikkei Australia founding members Yuriko Nagata, Keiko Tamura as well as member Yuichi Murakami also contributed to this research project. Other contributors to these publications include: Maxine McArthur, Hiroyuki Matsumoto.
These publications are a rich source of information about the lives of the Japanese diaspora in Australia prior to World War II. At the outbreak of the War in the Pacific, almost all Japanese were interned in camps as ‘enemy aliens’. Jiro Muramats died during the war, and is now buried in the Cowra Japanese War Cemetery.
1. Jiro Muramatsu (1878-1943): A Japanese Businessman in Australia
村松治郎(１８７８−１９４３）：オーストラリアで生きた日本人ビジネスマン
This is a bilingual (Japanese and English) publication about Jiro Muramats, and also a rich source of archival photos.
Jiro Muramats arrived in Australia at the age of 15. He was later naturalised as a British subject, and spent the rest of his life in Australia. Jiro succeeded his father’s business and expanded it, also becoming involved in the pearling industry. He was the only Japanese who owned pearling boats in Australia. His businesses were in Cossack, Western Australia, and Darwin in the Northern Territory.
2. Jiro Muramats and his family: portraits of the family connecting Japan and Australia
村松治郎とそのファミリー：日豪を繋いだ家族の肖像
This booklet was compiled from photographs owned by relatives of Jiro Muramats and his younger brother Saburo.
3. Kenji Fujita’s Sketchbook: Memories of Cossack, Western Australia (1925-1938)
藤田健児スケッチブック：西豪州コサック追想（大正一四年ー昭和一三年）
Authors：Hiroyuki Matsumoto, Mayumi Kamada, Keiko Tamura, Yuichi Murakami
Excerpt from foreward: ‘Mr Kenji Fujita was born in Kozagawa, Wakayama Prefecture in 1903 and left for Australia in 1925 to work for Jiro Muramats who ran businesses in pearling and commerce at Cossack in Western Australia. Fujita worked in various roles on pearling luggers: boat crew, tender and diver. In his eighties, he drew sketches of memorable scenes from his recollections of Australia.’
Thank you to the those who did the research on this project. It’s a fascinating story that has intrigued me for some time. The daughter who went to Brazil has been of some interest to me. Now I know what happened to her. Jiro and his wife would have been contemporaries of my Great Grandfather Setsutaro Hasegawa at the Tatura camp. I wonder what conversations they might have had.