Distinguishing Japanese from Chinese Headstones in Montana

In addition to having a large Chinese population, Montana was also home to a sizable Japanese community. Burial sites with Japanese headstones are evidenced across Montana. Frequently, these headstones are mistaken to be indicative of Chinese burial sites. This is understandable due to the similar writing style on both types of headstones. Many headstones for Japanese Montanans use Kanji, a style of writing that uses Chinese characters. Due to this use of Chinese characters, it can be difficult to distinguish if the headstone commemorates a Chinese or Japanese burial site. The best way to determine the difference is to look for the following characters: 大正. These characters indicate the reign of the Emperor Taisho (大正 ) who ruled Japan from 1912 until 1926.