Senzo Ishihara and Haru Kiriake, (Children of Unknown Couple 1 & 2)

Couples 1 and 2 are a mystery to us.  However, there is a little bit that we know, and it comes by way of records found on their grandson, Shigeo Ishihara.   The clues found while looking for Shigeo are the ones that lead to the next generation with the belief that they are Senzo Ishihara and Haru (Kiriake?) Ishihara.

[Jen's maternal GGrandparents]
[Mervyn Ishihara > Ishihara/Manaku]

Senzo Ishihara
BIRTH: 1873, Japan
DEATH: after 1913

Haru
BIRTH: 1874, Japan
DEATH: after 1913

Much of what we know of Senzo and Haru comes from working backward, trying to piece together Shigeo's life and that of his siblings. Shigeo assumed the name around the time he is married to Rose. This has been a mystery for many years, and we have been uncertain why there seems to be missing birth information and other details for Shigeo.

Immigration from Japan to Hawaii: (from here)
Between 1869 and 1885 Japan barred emigration to Hawaii in fears that Japanese laborers would be degrading to the reputation of the Japanese race, as had occurred with the Chinese.  After the ban was lifted, immigrants arrived to work on sugar cane and pineapple plantations.   At their height in 1920, they constituted 43% of Hawaii's population.  By 1920, 98% of all Japanese children in Hawaii attended Japanese schools.

Other important jobs for immigrants include the cannery, digging irrigation ditches.  Between 1905-1910, additional countries began allowing immigrantion: Phillipines, Russia.  A very interesting website marches through time (HawaiiHistory.org), and indicates that as of 1910, there were more Japanese descendents than any other ethnic group.

Senzo and Haru Ishihara immigrated from Niigata, Japan to Hawaii in December 1898. A year later, on 28 Dec 1899 they had their first son, later known as Shigeo, at Honokaa,, Hawaii. On the 1900 Census, he is listed as 7 months old as of June. He was one of three children. Shigeo was the oldest, most likely named Toshinoshin or Yosinosiu as his original Japanese name. Senzo and Haru also had a daughter, Minori, and son, William Nobuo Ishihara. The death record for Minori Ishihara Planas, lists birth on 5 August 1902, died January 1985. Sometimes she is referred to as "Nora" in other documents. The birth certificate for William Nobu Ishihara, b 5 May 1907, is from Kona, Oahu to Senzo and Haru Ishihara.

 Hawaiian children of Senzo and Haru Ishihara:

1. Shigeo Ishihara (1899-1955) m. 1926 Rose Kealoahapauole Manaku (1904-1998)
2. Minori Ishihara (1902-1985) m. 1920 Mageen Planas (1896-??)
3. William Nobu Ishihara Sr (1907-1988) m. Mabel Kahele (1914-2002)

On the 1910 Census with for Senzo {Shinto} and Haru Ishihara, they were living in Honolulu with Tsuhinashi (male, 9), Minoji (female, 8), and Noboge (male, 3).  Shinto (Senzo) is a laborer doing odd jobs.  The family lived in an unnumbered house on Webb Lane in Honolulu.  Webb lane no longer exists, but is reported to be near King/Kukui Street.

There was major disruption in the family when Senzo (age 38, farm laborer) left in steerage for Yokohama Nov 29 1913 with Haru (age 36, listed as "prostitute") aboard the USS China, without their children listed on the manifest.  This appears to be a deportation based upon the raids on the prostitution (married and single) affecting Iwilei in the first decade of the 20th century among Japanese women. (source 1, source 2). 

Clues Section
Pre-1930 Census:
If we want to go further back, we have to take some family lore and make some assumptions.  This is how it goes:

1. Uncle Kevin recalls talk of Uncle Noble Ishihara (possibly Nobu-- getting to that).  This Uncle Noble, seems to match perfectly for the documentation for one William Nobu Ishihara.  His obituary follows:   "Ishihara, William Nobu, 81, of Honolulu, died August 16, 1988.  He was born in Honolulu and was retired from the City and County Fire Department after more than 27 years of service.  Survived by wife, Mabel K.; Daughter, Gwendolyn (Sniffen) Joseph; three grandsons; two granddaughters; six great-grandsons; nieces and nephews."
2. Grampy Ishihara (Mervyn) has mentioned that he had a relative who was a fireman in Honolulu.
3. If we continue for the search for this William N. Ishihara,  we can trace him back in time.  As of the   1940 Census, he was a helper in an electric shop (age 31 in 1940, lived on N Kukui Street, Honolulu), and in that same census William N Ishihara was married to Mabel (pineapple canner), consistent with (2).
4. A 1933 town directory lists 67 N. Kukui street for Uncle Noble.  On the same page, Shige is a clerk at Am-Hawn Motors Co.  living at 978 Akepo Lane.  (The 1951 directory lists 370a N Kukui.)
5. There is a birth certificate for William Nobu Ishihara, b 5 May 1907, from Kona, Oahu to Senzo and Haru Ishihara.
6. Uncle Kevin had mentioned that according to Aunty Lei, Grammy gave Uncle Mona the name Senzo from Grampy's side.  If Uncle Noble was a brother to Shigeo, that is consistent that Senzo is Shigeo's father's name.

Assuming this is correct, we can try to come from the other direction on Senzo and Haru Ishihara:

1. There is an December 1898 Immigration passenger list from Japan showing Senzou Ishihara, coming from Niigata Japan.  Haru is on the same film with the same immigration year and birth location of Niigata Japan.
2. There is a 1900 census record for a Senzo (b. Jan 1873) and Haro Isuhara (b. Jul 1874), living in Hamakua.  This lists them as immigrating in 1898.  They have a son listed "Yoinosiu" born December 1899.  I believe this is Shigeo.  
3. There's a 1910 Census with a Shinto and Haru Ishihara living in Honolulu with Tsuhinashi (male, 9), Minoji (female, 8), and Noboge (male, 3).  Shinto is a laborer doing odd jobs.  Note that the spellings are a little off, but comparing the spelling Tsuhinashi and Yoinosiu, I could imagine a haole census taker messing up.
4. There is a death record for that middle child, Minoji Ishihara, Shige's younger sister.  She came to be known as Minori Ishihara Planas, b 5 August 1902, died January 1985.  Sometimes she is referred to as "Nora" in other documents.
5. Senzo (age 38, farm laborer) left in steerage for Yokohama Nov 29 1913 with Haru (age 36, listed as "prostitute") aboard the USS China, without their children listed on the manifest.  This seems to indicate a forcible deportation.
6. On the 1920 Census, these same kids from (8) are listed as living with Kanji Kiriake, a 56 year old widower (carpenter) who immigrated from Japan in 1899 (about the same time as the Ishiharas.)  The kids are listed as neices and nephews, which would likely mean that Haru was his sister. (Unless Senzou's sister was the wife who passed away.)  However, it is highly possible that Kanji is just a nickname, because it is also a generic term for Japanese writing characters.
7. In 1940, Minori ("Nora") was listed as married, working as a household servant (cook) at 1909 Awapuhi Street for the Philip Silves family, making $600 a year.
8. Nora had gone back and forth to the Philippines with her husband, Mageen G (Magdaleno) Planas.  Mageen worked on the Pineapple farm (1930 census), at Lahaina, Maui.

In summary, I believe that these three kids were orphaned when their parents left in 1913, left to Uncle Kanji to raise Shige and his siblings at age 14.  This is a significant reason for a son to avoid talking about his parents.  Shige would have renamed himself sometime between age 20-25 to his "new" legal name, prior to marrying Rose.