Japanese Cemetery (Colma, California) facts for kids

Japanese Cemetery was founded in 1901 and is located at 1300 Hillside Boulevard in Colma, California. This cemetery has brought together the Japanese community in California and has worked with Buddhist, Shinto, and Christian religious organizations.

History

In the beginning of the 20th century, most Japanese living in San Francisco were buried in either the Masonic Cemetery or at Laurel Hill Cemetery near Lone Mountain. In 1901, all burials were forbidding in the city of San Francisco due to a law change. In 1901, the Jikei-kai Japanese Benevolent Society of California purchased two acres of land in Colma to create a cemetery; and graves from Laurel Hill and Masonic Cemeteries were moved here. On March 17, 1903, Jōdo Shinshū cleric Rev. Nishijima Kakyuro officiated the opening ceremony for the cemetery.

In 1906, the Meiji-era Emperor of Japan provided a grant to help bury Japanese in California.

Notable burials

The oldest graves appear to be from 1860 from the three Japanese warship Kanrin Maru crew members, which pre-dating the Japanese Cemetery of Colma. In 1860, three Japanese sailors aboard the Kanrin Maru warship died during the first Japanese Embassy to the United States. The sailors had been buried at the Marine Hospital Cemetery (which closed in 1870) in San Francisco, then later transferred to Laurel Hill Cemetery in San Francisco, and followed by a move to the Japanese Cemetery in Colma.

• Kyutaro Abiko (1865–1936), Japanese-born American businessman and newspaper editor; founder of Nichi Bei Times.
• Ayao Hattori [jp] (1863–1914), politician, pastor, and educator; sent to alleviate the anti-Japanese sentiment.
• Keisaburo Koda (1882–1964), businessperson, rice farmer, founder of Koda Farms.
• George Shima (1864–1926), businessperson, potato farmer, the first Japanese American millionaire.