The M. Yoshida Buildings, More than a Century of Commerce in Hale‘iwa
Submitted by the North Shore Chamber of Commerce’s Historic Preservation Committee; working to preserve and perpetuate the legacy of historic Hale‘iwa. Reprinted with permission. The North Shore Chamber of Commerce, as part of its mission of historic preservation of significant sites in Hale‘iwa, installed two bronze plaques commemorating the Yoshida buildings in October 2023. Similar to eighteen other plaques that can now be found throughout Hale‘iwa, the plaque language depicts the architectural and entrepreneurial history of the buildings. The M. Yoshida Buildings, 1923-2024 Often described as buildings made of cubes of sugar stone, the Yoshida Buildings in Hale‘iwa were actually constructed with hand cut blocks of lava rock. The façade of each building was covered with plaster and paint while the exterior stone walls were left exposed. The unique “sugar cube” appearance of the buildings’ exterior has changed little since they were constructed by Nosaka Contractors for Matsuji and Hatsune Yoshida in 1923. Matsuji, a first-generation Issei, arrived in Hawai‘i from Niigata in 1902 and was believed to have worked for the Waialua Sugar Plantation. In 1910 he married Hatsune Takaki, also a first-generation Issei, who came to Hawai‘i from Kumamoto Japan in 1907. They raised three daughters, Ayako, Kikuyo and Sumie in their family residence behind the Yoshida Buildings. By 1916 the Yoshidas were running a general store in a single-story wood frame building on the property. The twin buildings were completed several years later, proclaiming the M. Yoshida name. The Yoshida Store opened in the South Building with imported Japanese merchandise, groceries, and dry goods for sale. When Matsuji died in 1944, his wife Hatsune operated the store with the help of her two younger daughters. It was demanding work for [...]