"That Great American Niche"

The Cherry Blossom Festival and the making of Japanese America in Hawai'i

Abstract

The history of the Japanese community in Hawai’i is deeply tied to the history of Hawaiian statehood. Before the outbreak of World War II, much of the community worked in poor conditions in Hawaiian sugarcane fields, and after decades of difficulty receiving meaningful concessions from sugar planters, some believed Hawaiian statehood would allow for more successful labor advocacy. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent imposition of martial law in Hawai’i, open Japanese cultural expression was heavily frowned upon, with many in the Japanese community forced to hide possessions brought from Japan and to stop speaking Japanese in order to avoid scrutiny from the military government. Even after the war ended, despite having “proven” their loyalty to America, there was a reluctance among the Japanese population to revive cultural celebrations or traditions—especially as politicians began disavowing Hawaiian statehood on the basis of its supposedly un-American culture. Using the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival as a case study, I examine English and Japanese-language local newspapers to illustrate how the Japanese community created a hybrid Japanese American culture that was not only socially and economically beneficial, but also helped advance the movement for Hawaiian statehood.