S. Hata Building
Encyclopedia
Sadanosuke Hata was a Japanese businessman who built a historic structure called the S. Hata Building in Hilo, Hawaii, in 1912. It now contains specialty shops, professional offices, a restaurant, and the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center, a visitors center for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
.
Sadanosuke's younger brother Yoichi Hata (1884 - ?) was another notable Japanese businessman who founded a major wholesale food distribution company in Hawaii.
in 1891.
In 1893, Mr. Hata worked as an agent for Odo Shoten in Honolulu (shoten means "store" in the Japanese language
), responsible for taking orders from large sugar plantations on the Hāmākua coast which employed many Japanese immigrant workers. This gave him the inspiration to start his own business at Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii
on January 3, 1896 called S. Hata Shoten, Limited. He sold Japanese silks, kimonos, as well as oriental souvenirs and provisions. Business was slow in the first years, so he hired out his horse and hackney carriage
as a taxicab for visitors.
After the annexation by the United States
to become the Territory of Hawaii
in 1898, the plantations flourished, as did his business. He moved to a larger building at the corner of Mamo and Keawe streets.
He branched out back to Honolulu and Hiroshima, Osaka, Japan, Kyoto, Japan, and Yokohama, Japan.
Yoichi Hata, Sadanosuke's younger brother (born 1884) also arrived in Hilo and worked as bookkeeper at S. Hata Shoten. The business was so prosperous in 1912 that it needed more space. The previous building became a wholesale food distributing outlet ran by Yoichi Hata. Sadanosuke planned a new $25,000 structure on wetlands on Front Street (later renamed Kamehameha Avenue) near the railroad tracks to the plantations. A condition of the United States government's selling this land was that Mr. Hata erect a concrete building within a year's time.
, Hilo Federal Building and Volcano Block Building
are the others from that period that remain. The first floor has several store-fronts. A wooden staircase leads to a second floor of office space, with 14 arched windows. In 1913 he opened the Hilo Sake Brewing Company.
In 1919 two wood structures were added to the back, one commercial and one residential.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor
the Hata family was part of the Japanese American internment
.
In September 1942 (during World War II
) the Hata Building was seized and later auctioned by the United States government.
Hata's second daughter, Mrs. Kasujiro Kagawa, purchased the building at that time.
Because it was so solidly built, it survived the tsunami
caused by the April 1, 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake that devastated much of Hilo. The train tracks of the Hawaii Consolidated Railway
were destroyed in that tsunami, so the building now is on the commercial street nearest the ocean.
The path of the railroad was used for the new Hawaii Belt Road (state route 19), called the Waterfront Highway at this point.
The 18650 ft2 building originally had a full basement, but it was filled in following another major tsunami from the 1960 Valdivia earthquake. Its condition deteriorated and by 1990 it was scheduled to be demolished.
David Levenson bought the property from Hata's descendants, renovated the interior while restoring the exterior, and rented it to a number of local businesses. The metal awning between the two stories was replaced, but the wrought iron brackets were restored. It is located at 308 Kamehameha Avenue, coordinates 19°43′25"N 155°5′5"W.
The Hilo Farmers Market was started on this block in 1988, held every Wednesday and Saturday at the end of Mamo Street.
The building was listed as state historic site 10-35-7420 on January 14, 1989 and added to the National Register of Historic Places listings on the island of Hawaii on August 27, 1991 as site 91001087.
The family formed the Sadanosuke Hata Charitable Foundation in 1999 which supports the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii in Honolulu.
In 2003 the building was sold to the Takeyama family.
He became a director of the newly formed Peoples Bank of Hilo on September 1, 1916.
The Y. Hata company was incorporated as a separate entity in 1922, and is still run by a descendant. Branches were opened in Osaka in 1936 and Honolulu in 1937. After the 1960 tsunami, the original wholesale building on Ponahawai Street was abandoned, and offices were moved to a new industrial area, 300 Kanoelehua Avenue in Hilo, and 285 Sand Island Road in Honolulu. In addition to food distribution to markets across the Hawaiian islands, restaurant supplies and chef services are now offered. They are also the major supplier to the U.S. military in Hawaii. Yoichi's son Minoru was CEO from the 1960s until the late 90s and then Yoichi's son Frank was chairman until 2008, and Frank's son Russell Hata took over in May, 2008.
, which are protected along with their surrounding waters as the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The name comes from Moku pāpapa in the Hawaiian language
which means "flat reef island". This name was used in chants of Ancient Hawaii
, perhaps referring to the area now known as French Frigate Shoals
, or the northwestern islands in general. The Northwestern islands stretch for hundreds of miles northwest of the main Hawaiian islands
; ironically, the discovery center is on the southeastern-most island in the chain, the farthest one away from the reserve.
A 2500 gallons (9,463.5 l) salt-water aquarium displays some of the fish of the reefs. A mock-up of the control panel of Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory
's exploration submersible, the Pisces V
, allows visitors to use working robot arms. One entire wall is covered by a large mural painted by local artist Layne Luna depicting the coral reef. Several life-sized models of fish and manta rays hang from the ceiling. Another exhibit plays a recording of the creation chant of Hawaiian mythology
known as Kumulipo
. Signs are in the Hawaiian language
and English.
Public educational meetings are often held in the meeting room, such as those of the Pacific American Foundation. Admission to the 4000 ft2 center is free although donations are accepted. It is open Tuesday through Saturday 9AM to 4PM, closed holidays.
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest of the islands of Kauai and Niihau. They are administered by the U.S. state of Hawaii except Midway Atoll, which has temporary residential facilities and is...
.
Sadanosuke's younger brother Yoichi Hata (1884 - ?) was another notable Japanese businessman who founded a major wholesale food distribution company in Hawaii.
Hata family
Sadanosuke Hata was born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1868 and immigrated to Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
in 1891.
In 1893, Mr. Hata worked as an agent for Odo Shoten in Honolulu (shoten means "store" in the Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
), responsible for taking orders from large sugar plantations on the Hāmākua coast which employed many Japanese immigrant workers. This gave him the inspiration to start his own business at Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
on January 3, 1896 called S. Hata Shoten, Limited. He sold Japanese silks, kimonos, as well as oriental souvenirs and provisions. Business was slow in the first years, so he hired out his horse and hackney carriage
Hackney carriage
A hackney or hackney carriage is a carriage or automobile for hire...
as a taxicab for visitors.
After the annexation by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to become the Territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
in 1898, the plantations flourished, as did his business. He moved to a larger building at the corner of Mamo and Keawe streets.
He branched out back to Honolulu and Hiroshima, Osaka, Japan, Kyoto, Japan, and Yokohama, Japan.
Yoichi Hata, Sadanosuke's younger brother (born 1884) also arrived in Hilo and worked as bookkeeper at S. Hata Shoten. The business was so prosperous in 1912 that it needed more space. The previous building became a wholesale food distributing outlet ran by Yoichi Hata. Sadanosuke planned a new $25,000 structure on wetlands on Front Street (later renamed Kamehameha Avenue) near the railroad tracks to the plantations. A condition of the United States government's selling this land was that Mr. Hata erect a concrete building within a year's time.
Building
At the time it was built, almost all other structures in Hawaii outside of Honolulu were built of wood. The building is about 109 feet (33.2 m) by 60 feet (18.3 m) of reinforced concrete. Such a large masonry building indicated the upward mobility of the Japanese population. The Hilo Masonic LodgeHilo Masonic Lodge Hall-Bishop Trust Building
Hilo Masonic Lodge Hall also known as the Bishop Trust Building, is a historic structure in Hilo, Hawaii used for 75 years by a Freemasonry group.-History:The Masonic Lodge in Hilo was founded in 1896 at the home of William W. Goodale...
, Hilo Federal Building and Volcano Block Building
Volcano Block Building
-History:Completed in 1914, this two story commercial building of reinforced concrete in the Italian Renaissance style is representative of the major structures built in Hilo between 1910 and 1915 as the city grew to be the second largest commercial center in the Hawaiian Islands.Measuring...
are the others from that period that remain. The first floor has several store-fronts. A wooden staircase leads to a second floor of office space, with 14 arched windows. In 1913 he opened the Hilo Sake Brewing Company.
In 1919 two wood structures were added to the back, one commercial and one residential.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
the Hata family was part of the Japanese American internment
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
.
In September 1942 (during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
) the Hata Building was seized and later auctioned by the United States government.
Hata's second daughter, Mrs. Kasujiro Kagawa, purchased the building at that time.
Because it was so solidly built, it survived the tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
caused by the April 1, 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake that devastated much of Hilo. The train tracks of the Hawaii Consolidated Railway
Hawaii Consolidated Railway
The Hawaii Consolidated Railway , originally named the Hilo Railway, was a standard gauge common carrier railroad that served much of the east coast of the island of Hawaii until an important section of the line was destroyed by a tsunami on April 1, 1946.- Origin :Like the Oahu Railway and Land...
were destroyed in that tsunami, so the building now is on the commercial street nearest the ocean.
The path of the railroad was used for the new Hawaii Belt Road (state route 19), called the Waterfront Highway at this point.
The 18650 ft2 building originally had a full basement, but it was filled in following another major tsunami from the 1960 Valdivia earthquake. Its condition deteriorated and by 1990 it was scheduled to be demolished.
David Levenson bought the property from Hata's descendants, renovated the interior while restoring the exterior, and rented it to a number of local businesses. The metal awning between the two stories was replaced, but the wrought iron brackets were restored. It is located at 308 Kamehameha Avenue, coordinates 19°43′25"N 155°5′5"W.
The Hilo Farmers Market was started on this block in 1988, held every Wednesday and Saturday at the end of Mamo Street.
The building was listed as state historic site 10-35-7420 on January 14, 1989 and added to the National Register of Historic Places listings on the island of Hawaii on August 27, 1991 as site 91001087.
The family formed the Sadanosuke Hata Charitable Foundation in 1999 which supports the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii in Honolulu.
In 2003 the building was sold to the Takeyama family.
Yoichi Hata
Yoichi Hata married Naeko Hirata in 1905, and they had 8 sons and 1 daughter. These include Susumu (1917–2003), Yukiko (1918–2000), Minoru, Akira, Yoshimi, Frank J. and others.He became a director of the newly formed Peoples Bank of Hilo on September 1, 1916.
The Y. Hata company was incorporated as a separate entity in 1922, and is still run by a descendant. Branches were opened in Osaka in 1936 and Honolulu in 1937. After the 1960 tsunami, the original wholesale building on Ponahawai Street was abandoned, and offices were moved to a new industrial area, 300 Kanoelehua Avenue in Hilo, and 285 Sand Island Road in Honolulu. In addition to food distribution to markets across the Hawaiian islands, restaurant supplies and chef services are now offered. They are also the major supplier to the U.S. military in Hawaii. Yoichi's son Minoru was CEO from the 1960s until the late 90s and then Yoichi's son Frank was chairman until 2008, and Frank's son Russell Hata took over in May, 2008.
Mokupāpapa Discovery center
In May 2003, the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center opened in the restored S. Hata building. It displays educational interactive exhibits on the Northwestern Hawaiian IslandsNorthwestern Hawaiian Islands
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest of the islands of Kauai and Niihau. They are administered by the U.S. state of Hawaii except Midway Atoll, which has temporary residential facilities and is...
, which are protected along with their surrounding waters as the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The name comes from Moku pāpapa in the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
which means "flat reef island". This name was used in chants of Ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
, perhaps referring to the area now known as French Frigate Shoals
French Frigate Shoals
The French Frigate Shoals is the largest atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its name commemorates French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse, who nearly lost two frigates when attempting to navigate the shoals...
, or the northwestern islands in general. The Northwestern islands stretch for hundreds of miles northwest of the main Hawaiian islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
; ironically, the discovery center is on the southeastern-most island in the chain, the farthest one away from the reserve.
A 2500 gallons (9,463.5 l) salt-water aquarium displays some of the fish of the reefs. A mock-up of the control panel of Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory
Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory
The Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory is a regional undersea research facility under the auspices of the U. S. government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Undersea Research Program and administered by the University of Hawaii. Its headquarters are at University of...
's exploration submersible, the Pisces V
Pisces V
Pisces V is a deep-submergence vehicle of the Pisces class built in 1973.Pisces V is type of manned submersible ocean exploration device, powered by battery, and capable of operating to depths of 2000 m , a depth that is optimum for use in the sea waters around the Hawaiian Islands...
, allows visitors to use working robot arms. One entire wall is covered by a large mural painted by local artist Layne Luna depicting the coral reef. Several life-sized models of fish and manta rays hang from the ceiling. Another exhibit plays a recording of the creation chant of Hawaiian mythology
Hawaiian mythology
Hawaiian mythology refers to the legends, historical tales and sayings of the ancient Hawaiian people. It is considered a variant of a more general Polynesian mythology, developing its own unique character for several centuries before about 1800. It is associated with the Hawaiian religion...
known as Kumulipo
Kumulipo
In ancient Hawaiian mythology, the Kumulipo is a chant in the Hawaiian language telling a creation story. It also includes a genealogy of the members of Hawaiian royalty.-Creation chant:Many cultures have their own beliefs on how the earth came to be created...
. Signs are in the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
and English.
Public educational meetings are often held in the meeting room, such as those of the Pacific American Foundation. Admission to the 4000 ft2 center is free although donations are accepted. It is open Tuesday through Saturday 9AM to 4PM, closed holidays.