The story of Kuakini Health System begins with the California Gold Rush and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Thousands of Chinese came to the United States for the gold rush or to work on the railroad, and after it was completed in 1869, many Americans felt threatened by them. In response, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
Hawaii’s sugar growers had been employing Chinese workers and now faced a problem. The solution, they decided, was to bring in Japanese laborers. Between 1885 and 1920, 70,000 Japanese, mostly men without wives, moved to the islands.
Many of the single Chinese men who came to Hawaii married Hawaiian women. Japanese men either brought a wife, sent for a picture bride or stayed single.
To care for all the womenless men, a Japanese Benevolent Society (Nihonjin Jizenkai) was founded in 1892. It started the Japanese Charity Hospital in Kapalama on July 15, 1900, with doctors Sansaburo Kobayashi, Iga Mori and Matsuji Misawa presiding. The hospital cost just $3,100 to build and had 38 beds.
The hospital outgrew this facility and moved to a second location about where the Liliha library is now. Demand was great, and the society solicited funds for a larger hospital.
Emperor Taisho of Japan contributed to the building of a 70-bed facility at its current site on Kuakini Street in 1918. The 4-acre site was large enough for 1918 and future needs. The name was shortened to Japanese Hospital.
The nurses and doctors spoke and kept records in Japanese. Doctors wore "yukata" (cotton kimonos) and "geta" (wooden slippers). Signs were in kanji. There were communal baths and teahouse parties.
The hospital grew, and by 1920 it was the second-largest civilian hospital in the country, according to the Star-Bulletin. In 1934, Emperor Showa of Japan contributed to the hospital’s expansion to 100 beds.
A copper dome atop the current medical center building was erected to recognize the support Kuakini received from the royal family of Japan, who made several donations to the hospital. The dome resembles a chrysanthemum, which is the flower of the royal family.
World War II, however, changed everything. The large copper nameplate, with the words Nihonjin Byoin (Japanese Hospital) was taken down, and everything Japanese was removed. Twenty-three civilian casualties were brought in on Dec. 7, 1941, for treatment.
With the exception of Dr. Masaji Marumoto and Dr. Tsuneji Shinkawa, all Japanese Hospital administrators and Jizenkai leaders were interned shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack.
The U.S. Army took over the hospital in 1941. The name was changed to Kuakini Hospital and Home on Aug. 1, 1942, 70 years ago this week, because it was on Kuakini Street.
Kuakini Street was named for Sereno Bishop, whose nickname was Kuakini. A son of missionaries, Sereno was born in Kailua-Kona where the governor, John Adams Kuakini, was a family friend.
Sereno Bishop became principal of Lahainaluna School. In his later years Bishop developed the area near Liliha and Kuakini, and named the streets for himself and the former governor.
After the war Kuakini Hospital returned to civilian control, and its mission broadened to serving the medical needs of the entire community. Japanese customs and language were dropped, and it became an American hospital.
There were others, but Kuakini Health System is the last surviving hospital established by Japanese immigrants in the United States. Today, in its second century of service, its 500 doctors treat more than 6,000 patients a year.
Bob Sigall, author of the "Companies We Keep" books, looks through his collection of old photos to tell stories each Friday of Hawaii people, places and companies. Email him at Sigall@Yahoo.com.
