Japanese Cemetery at Mount Olivet Cemetery

Year: 1912

There are two cemeteries for the Japanese in the New York area. In the autumn of 1912, the Japanese Mutual Aid Society (Nihonjin Kyosaikai) bought a cemetery from Mount Olivet Cemetery Company for $2,500. In 1914, it became the property of the Japanese Association of New York (Nihonjin Kai) after the Japanese Mutual Aid Society and Japanese Association merged. A tombstone marking the Japanese tomb was erected in June 1915. The Japanese Association bought an adjacent property and made a second cemetery in 1929, but the U.S. government took both properties after the outbreak of the WWII and auctioned it off to the Mount Olivet Cemetery Company in 1943. A bosankai visit, co-sponsored by JAA, the New York Buddhist Church, and the Japanese American United Church, is held annually on Memorial Day in May. Regular attendees include members of the Consulate General of Japan, The Nippon Club, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and area Japanese Schools. From the 100-Year History of Japanese Americans, New York Handbook

Source: JAA
Added Date: 03/20/2021