K. “Henry” Kojomoto (1867 – 1913)
Henry Kojomoto moved to Whitehorse in 1901 and became a very successful Whitehorse businessman. He owned the Golden Eagle Hotel and the Central and Commercial cafes and was a generous man who fed more homeless men than any other restaurant owner in town. He was a leader in the Whitehorse Japanese community and a member of the Whitehorse Anglican Church. Henry Kojomoto applied for Canadian citizenship around 1907. He was planning to join his wife and children in Japan when he died of Bright’s Disease, the disease that also killed his brother George in 1907. Over 100 people attended Henry’s funeral, held at George Kojomoto’s grave site in Whitehorse. Henry’s body was cremated at a special crematory constructed about a mile north of Whitehorse and his ashes were sent to his family in Japan.1)