Picture Brides

In our reading from Takaki over the weekend, there was mention of shashin keekon or the picture bride system.  This system was very similar to the Chinese system that was explained in earlier readings and by Ester.  I found this very interesting because both of my paternal great-grandmothers came to America more specifically, Hawaii, through the picture bride system.  The picture bride system is exactly as it sounds or appears from its name.  The couple that was to be wed would exchange pictures with each other, in many cases the groom would send a picture of himself as much younger than he was in actuality.  My Great-Grandma Arakawa (Kazuko Katekaru) sailed to Hawaii on the Tatsutamaru in 1923 and shortly there after was married to my Great-Grandpa, Kame Arakawa.  My other Great-Grandma, Moto Kobayashi (Taniguchi) came in 1917 and like my other great-grandmother, was married virtually right off the boat to my Great-Grandpa Gonzo Kobayashi.  Unlike the film we saw today in class, neither of my Great-Grandpas worked on the plantations.  One was a blacksmith and the other owned a laundromat in Waipahu.  After seeing the film today, I had a far greater appreciation for the courage it took my great-grandmothers to board a ship, bound for Hawaii, and set to marry someone that they had only seen in a picture.