Learn About Old Kaneohe In New Book
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Time is running out to hear stories from Kaneohe old-timers, but a trio of determined residents has captured dozens of memories from the town’s early Japanese settlers and poured it all into a new book.
Titled Partial History of the Japanese in Kaneohe, 1898 to 1959, the 124-page, dark-green paperback contains a treasure of details and old photos of a now-vanished rural community brought to life by hardworking immigrants during times of depression, war and peace.
Yet its creators still feel it’s incomplete. “After we published it, we thought,‘Oh, we should have written more,’ ” Kaneohe businessman Henry Iida said. “At least 80 families were contacted, but only half responded. Still, if we didn’t do it, it would get lost.
“It’s sort of a personal project,” added Iida, who edited and underwrote its publication with help from his sister Florence Fanning and her husband Harry - both retired Castle High teachers.
“I’m not a writer,” he admitted. “I just get others to do the work.”
The Fannings plunged into the research side as Florence gathered stories and Harry prowled libraries and archival sources for photos and documents.
About 2,000 books are now printed and making their way into the hands of the families, local churches, schools and libraries. Others interested in the book may call Iida at 247-4241.
Kaneohe Library manager Tom Churma, who assisted with photos, calls it a “very valuable work by sincere, very interesting people.” His branch has four copies, and the Kailua, Waimanalo and Kahuku branches have one each.
Inside, readers get to know the Arakawas, who ran the Kaneohe Poi Factory from 1943 to about 1950.“Poi was very scarce, so people would camp out the night before to get it,” wrote Daisy (Arakawa) Payton for the book.
George Ginoza related how grading of 12 former farms in Luluku Valley for a subdivision led
to the tragic Keapuka flood and the building Ho’omaluhia reservoir and park.
The church fire right next to Kaneohe fire station, the fishermen unloading their aku in Heeia Kea before the pier went up, the attempts at pineapple crops - it’s all here in informal, talk-story style.
“Kaneohe built a cannery, too, by the present Bank of Hawaii,” reported Michael Okihiro. “Japanese people built a small cannery, but that thing never last too long. And the pineapple wasn’t good.”
Two well-known Kaneohe pioneers have always been linked, as the book reveals. Tomitaro Iida, founder of T. Iida Contracting, which built half of the town, erected his family’s first home on land owned by the Yim family. It was located next door to Ah Lin Store, where Kaneohe Medical Building now stands, according to Florence Fanning (one of Tomitaro and Shizuyo Iida’s eight children).
“I feel a great sense of accomplishment,” said Florence, a former English teacher. “It brought us together, unified; everyone feels so good about it.” No time to sit back and reflect, however. The team is now compiling the Iida family tree, which has branches in Japan, Hawaii and Brazil.
“Brazil came through right away,” Fanning said.“Hawaii ones are lazy, and Japan - we’re still working on it.”
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