Kazuko Sinoto
Kazuko Sinoto (c. 1928 – August 5, 2013) was a Japanese-born American historian 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. The pictorial history was published in 1985 to mark the 100th anniversary of the first Japanese contract immigrant laborers to Hawaii.[1]
Sinoto was born Kazuko Sato in Osaka, Japan, to Shigeomi and Kinuko Sato.[1][2] In 1957, Sinoto, who had married Yosihiko H. Sinoto, emigrated to Hawaii with their son, Akihiko.[1] She was married to Yosihiko H. Sinoto, an anthropologist of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, for 64 years, until her death in 2013.[1] Kazuko Sinoto gained permanent residency in the United States in 1966 and became a U.S. citizen in 1982.[1]
Kazuko Sinoto was a housewife for five years after her arrival in Hawaii.[1] She then took a job at the Bishop Museum's bookstore and gift shop in Honolulu.[1] In 1976, the Hawai'i Immigrant Heritage Preservation Center was opened at the Bishop Museum.[1] Sinoto left her position with the bookstore to become a staff member at the museum's newly established immigration center.[1] She soon specialized in the history of the Japanese in Hawaii. Sinoto collected, cataloged and displayed artifacts related to the Japanese Americans for more than 37 years.[1] Many of the items and documents were acquired and donated from the public.[1] Additionally, Sinoto oversaw the creation of exhibitions on the Japanese and other ethnic groups in Hawaii.[1]
In 1985, Sinoto published her best known work, "A Pictorial History of the Japanese in Hawaii 1885-1924."[1] The book, which was co-authored with Dr. Franklin Odo, was released to coincide with the anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese contract workers in Hawaii in 1885.[1] Sinoto researched Japanese-language newspapers for eight years to compile sources for the book.[1] She also wrote the captions and acquired the book's photographs and other illustrations.[1]
Kazuko 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.[1] 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.[1]
Sinoto died at her home following a two-month illness on August 5, 2013, at the age of 85.[1] 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.[1][2]