History

A Brief History of Okinawa’s “Father of Emigration”

Sept. 4: Okinawan Immigration Webinar The Hawaii United Okinawa Association and the University of Hawai’i at Mänoa Center for Okinawan Studies will present an Okinawan immigration webinar on Friday, Sept. 4, from 5-7 p.m., HST. The...

The Okinawan Genealogical Society of Hawaii Helps Family Tree Branches Come to Life Dan Nakasone Special to The Hawai‘i Herald What school you went?” is a common question heard in Hawai‘i when meeting a fellow “local” for the first time. That question is usually followed by, “What year you grad?” and “You know so-and-so?” In....

Creating the Maui Nisei Veterans Memorial Center Melvin Inamasu and Violet Harada Courtesy of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i Persistence and grit are essential attributes of leadership. Leonard Oka possesses both in spades. It took Oka over three decades to realize his vision of a center on Maui to honor Nisei veterans. In the....

They Strengthened Their Bond as Brothers After Serving Opposing Sides in the Battle of Okinawa By Byrnes Yamashita Special to The Hawai‘i Herald Do you sometimes think about how a simple twist of fate changed your life and the lives of others? As the world commemorates the 75th anniversary of the end of World War....

WHO/WHAT: The Go For Broke National Education Center will hold the 21st anniversary of its Go For Broke Monument via streaming services. The moving ceremony features keynote Kisa Ito, granddaughter of 442nd RCT veteran...

Rev. Bert Sumikawa Helps Descendants Honor Ancestors at the Bellows Japanese Cemetery Gregg K. Kakesako Special to The Hawai‘i Herald This year, obon — the 500-year-old Japanese Buddhist custom honoring ancestors’ spirits — will deepen Ann Nakata’s connection with her family roots. Just two months ago, 72-year-old Nakata, a retired Kapahulu florist, discovered she had....

Grandma Nonaka’s Legacy Still Lives Carolyn Morinishi Special to The Hawai‘i Herald “Kyö wa Odaisan yo. Pau kaukau, we go.” Takano Nonaka of Hanapëpë, Kaua’i, or Baban as her grandchildren affectionately called her, was as committed to spirituality as she was to her family. Every month during the 1960s, she would call to her grandchildren....

The Historic Hawai‘i Foundation will present a Preservation Award to the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center and Maui artist Kirk Kurokawa for the mural wall he produced for the center. Kurokawa painted the larger-than-life mural wall using ordinary house paint. His work on the mural was featured in a story by contributing writer Melissa Tanji in....

The Pivotal Role the UH Professor Played in the Recovery of the Ehime Maru Melvin Inamasu and Violet Harada Courtesy Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i George Joji Tanabe Jr. likens himself to a salmon that traveled from a river to the open ocean and then returned home to spawn. Tanabe grew up in Waialua on....