Kazuko Sinoto (c. 1928 – August 5, 2013) was a

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

and immigration researcher who specialized in the history of Japanese migration to Hawaii. Her best known works included "A Pictorial History of the Japanese in Hawaii 1885-1924," co-written with Dr.

Franklin Odo Franklin S. Odo (May 6, 1939 – September 28, 2022) was a Japanese American author, scholar, activist, and historian. Odo served as the director of the Asian Pacific American Program at the Smithsonian Institution from the program's inception ...

. The pictorial history was published in 1985 to mark the 100th anniversary of the first Japanese contract immigrant laborers to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Biography

Sinoto was born Kazuko Sato in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, to Shigeomi and Kinuko Sato. In 1957, Sinoto, who had married Yosihiko H. Sinoto, emigrated to

with their son, Akihiko. She was married to Yosihiko H. Sinoto, an

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

of Hawaii and the

Pacific Islands The Pacific islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of several ...

, for 64 years, until her death in 2013. Kazuko Sinoto gained permanent residency in the United States in 1966 and became a

U.S. citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Consti ...

in 1982. Kazuko Sinoto was a

housewife A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sew ...

for five years after her arrival in Hawaii. She then took a job at the

Bishop Museum The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu, Hawaii, Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1 ...

bookstore Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, book people, bookmen, or bookwomen. History The found ...

and

gift shop A gift shop or souvenir shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs, memorabilia, and other items relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, toys, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collection ...

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. In 1976, the Hawai'i Immigrant Heritage Preservation Center was opened at the Bishop Museum. Sinoto left her position with the bookstore to become a staff member at the museum's newly established immigration center. She soon specialized in the history of the

Japanese in Hawaii The Japanese in Hawaii (simply Japanese Hawaiians or "Local Japanese", rarely Kepanī) are the second largest ethnic group in Hawaii. At their height in 1920, they constituted 43% of Hawaii's population. They now number about 16.7% of the isl ...

. Sinoto collected, cataloged and displayed artifacts related to the Japanese Americans for more than 37 years. Many of the items and documents were acquired and donated from the public. Additionally, Sinoto oversaw the creation of exhibitions on the Japanese and other ethnic groups in Hawaii. In 1985, Sinoto published her best known work, ''A Pictorial History of the Japanese in Hawaii 1885-1924''. The book, which was co-authored with Dr.

, was released to coincide with the anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese contract workers in Hawaii in 1885. Sinoto researched

Japanese-language is the principal language of the Japonic language family spoken by the Japanese people. It has around 123 million speakers, primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language, and within the Japanese diaspora worldwide. ...

newspapers for eight years to compile sources for the book. She also wrote the captions and acquired the book's photographs and other illustrations. Sinoto became a consultant after leaving the Bishop Museum and continued her research on the Japanese in Hawaii. She was a founding member of the Joseph Heco Society of Hawaii. During her later life, Sinoto worked to digitize the entire Bishop Museum Hawaii Japanese Immigrant Collection, which consists of more than 13,000 documents, books, photographs, and other objects. Sinoto died at her home following a two-month illness on August 5, 2013, at the age of 85. She was survived by her husband of 64 years, anthropologist Yosihiko H. Sinoto; their son, Akihiko; her sister, Kyoko Tremblais; and three grandchildren, Luke Kaneko, Laurent (Brandy), and Leigh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinoto, Kazuko 2013 deaths American historians Historians of Hawaii Writers from Honolulu Japanese emigrants to the United States Hawaii people of Japanese descent People from Honolulu People from Oahu People from Osaka Year of birth uncertain