Photo from the past.

I don’t exactly have the knowledge on how many years the age of the photo above but I guess it must be taken more than 75 years in Muar. Seated second from left was my late grandmother in white baju kurung while second from right was my late great grandmother (known to my family as Mak Tua, I never have the chance to meet her personally). That photograph was taken in Muar High School where my Mak Tua was the headmistress while my grandmother was the teacher, teaching Japanese syllabus during the Japanese occupation.

As to why I want to do this post is because this is my father’s request as he is the biggest fan of my blog. I won’t post the whole story of my grandmother as I wish to publish it on its own blog or perhaps a book soon after my thorough study of my family history is completed.

However, briefly, I would like to share that my late grandmother was a Japanese born in Singapore to a Japanese couple (the father was a trader) whom later (the mother of my grandmother) let my grandmother (who was still a baby) to her childless Japanese sister (Mak Tua) who was married to a Malay dignitary in Johor while the couple went back to Japan.

During her teenager, my grandmother (raised as a Malay) was married to my grandfather (a Malay penghulu in Benut) that I have never seen as he died when my dad was only 2 years old. The story of the keris(es) that I wrote in the prior post was actually about the inheritance from this line of my family (Malay/Bugis).

Throughout her lifetime, my great grandmother was an excellent businesswoman as she had initiated lots of ventures from school to rest house, coconut plantations etc. I was told that she even produced her own bath soap to testify that she was very enterprising. Dad said several times that my sister from 'www.khadijah.biz' inherited a lot of her enterprising traits from great grandma 'Mak Tua'.

I was made to understand that my grandma’s family who was originally from Kyushu, Japan, came to Singapore many years ago to work, trade and involved in business as the condition of their then hometown in Japan was very poor economically. A manuscript stating that 'the history of Japanese migrating outside 'Japan' since 400 years ago' is in my possession.

Sadly, after the British came back from the world war, Mak Tua the strong lady was inhumanely tortured by the British but survive. Still, she insisted to remain in this country she called home as a devoted Muslim widow with her only 'daugter', my grandmother up till the end of her life.

As far as I personally remember, my grandmother who read only ‘Jawi’ newspaper was an intelligent lady with good mental arithmatic who loves to cook. With an only son (my father) and 3 daughters (2 from the marriage with my step grandfather), she left us in peace about 10 years ago when I was still posted in Papua New Guinea. Al Fatihah to Allahyarhamah.


The last solo photo of grandma before she left us forever in peace a few months later.

I do hope my late great grandmother's (Mak Tua) story as an amazing lady entrepreneur will inspire our lady entrepeneurs today to be bold and brave. Ok Abah, let’s wait when I publish the research on your family, till then you take care dear.

Ps: If any Japanese or their descendants from the photo read this, please e mail me.
Pss: My aunt Hamidah who went to Japan years ago confirmed that we still have an uncle (grandma's brother who resemble the exact facial feature of my dad) and relatives over there. My grandmother tomb (Michiko Bu Wanno) is there in Japan until today as she was declared as deceased when my Mak Tua and grandma refused to go back to Japan when in reality she was still alive then.
Pss: No matter how powerful a human can be, he cant change the course of history and the past.