Picture Bride Stories

by Barbara F. Kawakami

During the 1885 to 1924 immigration period of plantation laborers from Japan to Hawaii, more than 200,000 Japanese, mostly single men, made the long journey by ship to the Hawaiian Islands. As it became apparent that they would never return to Japan, many of the men sent for brides to join them in their adopted home. More than 20,000 of these picture brides immigrated from Japan and Okinawa to Hawaii to marry husbands whom they knew only through photographs exchanged between them or their families.



Based on Barbara Kawakami's first-hand interviews with sixteen of these women, Picture Bride Stories is a poignant collection that recounts the diverse circumstances that led them to marry strangers, their voyages to Hawaii, the surprises and trials that they encountered upon arriving, and the lives they led upon settling in a strange new land. Many found hardship, yet persevered and endured the difficult conditions of the sugarcane and pineapple plantations for the sake of their children. As they acclimated to a foreign place and forged new relationships, they overcame challenges and eventually prospered in a better life. The stories of the issei women exemplify the importance of friendships and familial networks in coping with poverty and economic security. Although these remarkable women are gone, their legacy lives on in their children, grandchildren, and succeeding generations.

In addition to the oral histories--the result of forty years of interviews--the author provides substantial background on marriage customs and labor practices on the plantations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Japan, History

328 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2016

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last picture bride interviewed for this book arrived in Honolulu in 1924, which as I calculate it, is just about the time that author, Barbara Kawakami, began her young life on the Waipahu sugar plantation. Like the brides and many of their children, Kawakami had to end her education (at 8th grade) to help support her family. At age 52 she sought and received a GED, and went forward academically.

Her master’s thesis “The Role and Position of Farm Women in Suye Mura” (Japan) and a later book influenced by her studies and her 38 year career as a dressmaker: Japanese Immigrant Clothing in Hawaii, 1885-1941 inform the 16 interviews in this book. These first hand accounts from the 1980’s are supplemented by research and interviews with surviving children. At this time the women were in their 80’s or 90’s; while some lived to be over 100; none of them is alive today.

Here are a few take-aways on the system:

• It seems to be an extension of the matchmaking custom in Japan at the time. These marriages resulted from a family member who knew, or knew of, both the bride and groom. While widespread (each interviewed woman arrived by boat with many other picture brides) it was not a commercial or catalog enterprise.
• These brides came in the period of 1909-1923, a period of restricted immigration, only permitting immigration by relatives and picture brides. (Marriages were usually legal in Japan with the husband represented by a family member and made legal in the US upon arrival.)
• The immigration process seems benign. Those who had to wait weeks for their husbands (usually from outer islands) to pick them up must have been given lodging/food, since they came with nothing and only mention the stress of waiting, not exposure or hunger. (In the Epilogue, an immigration official arranged another marriage for a bride whose husband never came.) There is mention of one bride sent back for having leprosy.
• No one from these families was interned in WWII, Some enlisted or were drafted into the US military. Only one family came under investigation, it was for a trip a few years earlier to see family in Japan.

Here are a few take-aways on the brides:

• Most did not have a say in this life changing enterprise. How much did their parents really know about the life their daughters would live on these plantations?
• Even those from poor circumstances in Japan, were aghast at the living conditions they were brought to.
• The men clearly took advantage of these brides. Most of the husbands drank and/or gambled. Some women had to work in the fields to send money to their husband’s family in Japan.
• The women had no way to return to Japan (some were even told not to return). When they worked they made ½ of what the men made. Once they had children, they were trapped in a condition of virtual slavery.
• In living long lives (outliving husbands) and emerging into the US post-war prosperity, each of these women enjoyed their retirement years. Surely many died young and did not experience this happy ending.
• The children and grandchildren of these brides did well.

Barbara Kawakami is the perfect compiler, editor and creator of this important oral history. She has great listening skills and the background to give the stories context.

This is highly recommended for those interested in this place and time.

[Rachel Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book talks about 200,000 men who traveled out to the islands by ship. They went from Japan to Hawaii. When they arrived they knew that they had to marry. Therefore 20,000 women moved to the same place only by knowing them from photographs and letters. They were basically marrying strangers and taking stage and long voyages. It was very hard for them to move to a completely different place and start their new life there. Before they knew it they were passing down generation after generation.

[Arlette Kiriyama · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. It was well written and tells the stories of 16 women who went to Hawaii from Japan and Okinawa as picture brides in the early 20th century. The reason I enjoyed it so much was because my grandparents were immigrants to Hawaii during the same period and even though by grandmother was not a picture bride, the stories gave me a lot of insight into what life was like for the issei women, especially those who worked as plantation laborers.