Chieko Koyama Tribute

god bless you always!

My grandma just died. She was 94-years-old and her name was Chieko Koyama. She was born in Wakayama Prefecture in Japan (Near Nara). She married my grandpa, Fukujiro Koyama(a fisherman) in an arranged marriage and moved to Canada. They had 4 kids. After grandpa died (about 5 years ago), grandma told me all about the internment and gave me a camera - a 1940 Kodak Six-16 Junior. During the war she refused to give up her camera despite the fact that the law called on the Japanese to turn over their potential spy equipment. It wasn't that she was a rebel, or that she'd planned to document the war, it was just that the camera had cost her $12, was brand new, and she wanted photos of her kids. When she died, her home was filled with photos of her loved ones, not just of her 4 kids, but of the 30 somewhat family members who came together to celebrate a woman whose love had touched so many.