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Japanese Prostitution in Hawaii During the Immigration Period

Joan Hori

In the history of the Japanese in Hawaii the picture bride who toiled on

the plantation and raised her Japanese-American children is the stereotypical

immigrant woman. Yet scattered references in the literature also

portray the immigrant Japanese woman as a prostitute. This is an aspect

of ethnic history that has only recently been explored.1

The 1900 census of Hawaii provides some little known details of the

Japanese community in Hawaii. In Honolulu, among the Japanese

carpenters, laborers, clerks, gardeners, servants, and housewives also

resided the following people: Toshie—Japanese female, 19 years old,

occupation prostitute; Kimi—Japanese female, 18 years old, occupation

prostitute; Fuki—Japanese female, 19 years old, occupation prostitute;

and Saki—Japanese female, 18 years old, occupation prostitute. All were

boarders at the household of a 42-year old Japanese male namedK

Yokoyama, a carpenter by occupation. In another household headed by

Chio, a 22-year old Japanese female whose occupation is listed as

prostitute, were boarders Yoshihara, a 34-year old Japanese male who

was a clerk; Chino, 24-year old Japanese prostitute; and Kahn, 23-year

old Japanese prostitute. The prostitute Kiona, aged 29, headed still

another household of the following boarders, all of whom were Japanese

prostitutes: Iwa, 18 years old; Siono, 19 years old; Mina, 18 years old;

Akie, 17 years old; and Take, 24 years old.2

At that time in Honolulu these prostitutes were not an isolated few.

In 1900 Henry E. Cooper, Attorney General of Hawaii, reported a large

increase among women earning their living by prostitution, with the

Japanese accounting for a large part of the increase. He provided statistics

on the number and nationality of registered prostitutes in Honolulu

during December 1898 and December 1899. In 1898 there were 26

Joan Hori is a reference librarian at Sinclair Library, University of Hawaii.

" 3

Hawaiian prostitutes, 5 "half-caste", 8 French, 2 British, 1 American,

and 115 Japanese. Among identified prostitutes in 1899 there were 19

Hawaiians, no "half-caste", 20 French, 2 British, 2 Americans, and 226

Japanese.3 In the seaport society of Honolulu where men outnumbered

women more than two to one, and where prostitution was a flourishing

business, the "Act to Mitigate the Evils and Diseases Arising from

Prostitution" had been passed in 1869. This was an effort to fight the

spread of venereal diseases, and it required that all prostitutes in and

around Honolulu register and submit themselves to periodic physical

examinations. The Act was included in the Revised Laws of Hawaii

of 1905.

Hawaiian and immigrant women did not constitute even 50% of their

racial communities in Hawaii. In 1866 the percentages of women to men

were Hawaiian 47.05% and Chinese 9.17%. In 1878 the percentages

were Hawaiian 46.75%, Chinese 3.9%, and Portuguese 13.3%. In 1890

they were Hawaiian 46.67%, Chinese 5.09%, Portuguese 44.55%, and

Japanese 18.45 %.4

The proportion of Japanese women to men immigrants was of

continuing concern to the men, the sugar planters, and the Hawaiian

and Japanese governments. There were never enough women brought