Keiko Kodaka Sawyer

Keiko Kodaka Sawyer passed away peacefully of natural causes on January 22, 2024, in herhome in Torrance, Ca. She was 98. She was born on October 22, 1925, in Kamata, Japan, and was the oldest of eight siblings.

After WWII, she studied English which led to her employment with the Japanese government. There she met the love of her life, William Douglas Sawyer, a Master Sergeant in the United States Army stationed in Japan. They were married for 27 years until his passing in 1982.

Keiko moved to the United States in 1955 when the US Army stationed William in Fort Lewis, Wa. Her two sons, Clifford and Joseph, were both born there. In 1959, William was stationed at Fort Ord, Ca., and the family took up residence in nearby Salinas, Ca. Keiko resided in Salinas until 1991 where she worked for 24 years at the Nestle Corporation.

Keiko joined the Soka Gakkai in 1966 where she faithfully practiced Nichiren Buddhism for 58 years. Early on in her Buddhist practice she encountered a passage from the writings of Nichiren that became her foundation in faith. “Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month. Should you slacken in your resolve even a bit, devils will take advantage.” (“On Persecutions Befalling the Sage,” WND-1, p. 997)

Wherever she lived and practiced in the SGI-USA she took it as her mission for kosen-rufu and she joyfully took leadership and patiently cared for people and helped them develop their faith in the Gohonzon. Her family relocated to San Francisco, Ca. (1990), Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (1996), and Torrance, Ca. (2005).

The two pillars of her practice that she truly enjoyed were visiting members and chanting daimoku. It was never a problem for her to chant for 3-4 hours each day, because as she said “I love to chant.” This gave her the strength to continue driving until she was 90 so she could attend meetings and be with her fellow members.

Throughout her life she never hesitated to share Nichiren Buddhism with others. She often took tai-chi, reflexology and yoga classes to maintain her health but also to make new friends and meet open-minded people to introduce them to Buddhism.

During her youth she loved sewing, kimekomi (Japanese doll making) and ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement). Once she moved to the US she expanded her interests to knitting, painting, shadowbox art and gardening. In her later years quilting became her true passion and she especially loved gifting handmade quilts to couples expecting their first baby.

Keiko always had a great desire to learn and never tired of challenging herself to learn new things. She was courageous in life and courageous in faith. Her vibrant spirit and strong presence in the family will be missed.

She is survived by her six siblings in Japan, her two sons, Clifford and Joseph, her daughter-in-law, Janet, her five grandchildren, Stephanie, Michael, Ryan, Keiko and William, and great-granddaughter Tomomi.