Dear anyone called Chikakane

My name is Sarah. I am British and live in England. I am searching for my Japanese family history.  I am writing to you because your name is Chikakane and I am searching for any information or family of Mamoru Chikakane. He was my grandfather.

Mamoru Chikakane died in England in 1936. He had two sons by an English woman called Lydia Latham. My father was the youngest son, born in 1934. He was just 2 years old when his father, Mamoru, died.  The death certificate in England tells us that Mamoru had an accident on a ship and died later from his injuries. He was 40 years old, so is believed to have been born around 1896.

It is possible but not certain that when he was younger, Mamoru worked on a ship called Hikosan Maru. The name is listed at Ellis Island in New York where the ship docked once. The ship was sunk in the East Atlantic in 1917 by a U-boat, all crew survived. The SS Hikosan Maru was built by James Laing, Sunderland in 1892 and owned at the time of her loss by Goko Shokai (Kawachi Kentauro), Tarumi.

We do not know much more. There were stories of parcels or gifts coming from Japan to the young family, so we think there were relations that knew of Mamoru’s children.

We have so little information. We do not know where in Japan Mamoru was born. We have no correct record of his name. We would be most grateful if you could check your family records for Mamoru Chikakane.

My father lived his life with almost no knowledge of his father or Japanese family. He is now very ill and will not live much longer. As his children we would like to bring some of his Japanese family to life for him before he dies.

Thank you for any help you can offer. Please do share this with other Chikakane family.