August Events: Korean Prisoners of War

The majority of those who were imprisoned at Honouliuli were not American civilans, but prisoners of war. Much like the Okinawan POWs, a large portion of the population at Honouliuli was made up of Korean men conscripted by the Japanese army. Forced into skirmishes in the Pacific, these men were captured and imprisoned, all for fighting for a country to which they held no loyalty.

For the month of August, the 10th anniversary focuses not only on the Korean POW story in Honouliuli, but the broader history of Koreans and Korean identity in the Hawaiian Islands.

In addition, there will also be a speaker highlighting the even lesser-known European incarcerees in Hawaiʻi, for Honouliuli imprisoned German and Italian Americans. This month will also feature taiko performances, a movie screening, and a special tour.

Please Note:

Nearly all of our Speaker Series events will be virtual.

Event details will be posted closer to the month in which they take place. Please check back for updates to the calendar and event pages.

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Speaker: Mary Danico

Center for Oral History

Date and Time: August 2025, exact date and time TBD.

Discussion Summary: Korean POWs of Honouliuli

Biography: Danico has written extensively on Asian American communities and identities, anti-racist and anti-oppression, and is finishing up a manuscript on Asian American and Latino millennials and GenZ. She's also interested in oceanic ethnic studies and the Asian diaspora. Her research involves mixed methodologies; however, she has centered oral histories as a primary source of collecting interviews in her work. Danico is associated with the Center for Oral History.

Speaker: Duk Hee Murabayashi

Resident Expert on Koreans in Hawaiʻi

Date and Time: August 2025, exact date and time TBD.

Discussion Summary: Join the discussion about Korean prisoners of war at Honouliuli and learn from local resident and expert Duk Hee Murabayashi about how the Korean residents interacted with the Korean POWs in Honouliuli. She will be joined by Mary Danico, an expert on oral histories, in this round-robin style discussion.

Biography: Duk Hee Murabayashi is a resident scholar and expert dedicated to telling the history of Koreans in Hawai'i. For the past 20 years, Mrs. Murabayashi has devoted her full time to researching Korean immigration history in Hawai'i and published five books, One Hundred Years of Korean Immigration in Hawaii (in Korean,2003), History of Korean Christian Church, Korean Christian Institute and Dongji Hoi (in Korean, 2008), Korean Experience Chronology in the United States (in Korean and English, 2010), A Centennial History of the Korean National Association (in Korean, 2013), Syngman Rhee’s Thirty Years in Hawaii (in Korean, 2015), Traces of Dr. Syngman Rhee’s Overseas Independence Movement (in Korean, 2016, co-writer).

Speaker: Dr. Alan Rosenfeld

The University of Hawaiʻi

Date and Time: August 2025, exact date and time TBD.

Discussion Summary: Lessons from Camp Honouliuli: Breaking Down Myths and Assumptions about Wartime Internment in Hawai‘i

Looking primarily at the experiences of those civilians interned at Sand Island and Camp Honouliuli as German and Italian Alien Enemies, Alan Rosenfeld will discuss several common sense assumptions about civilian internment in wartime Hawai‘i that evaporate when measured against the historical record. In addition to logs maintained by internment camp authorities, Rosenfeld relies largely upon the transcripts of Hawaii's wartime hearing boards, which offered a vague semblance of jurisprudence to civilian internees. The lessons drawn from these experiences of more than eighty years ago may offer insights into contemporary political contexts.

Biography: Dr. Alan Rosenfeld is the Associate Vice President for Academic Programs and Policy (AVPAPP) for the University of Hawaiʻi System. In this capacity, Dr. Rosenfeld partners with the ten UH campuses and various UH System offices to provide leadership in academic program and policy development as well as articulation, transfer, strategic planning, inter-campus academic program collaboration, and the University’s efforts to address state workforce needs. Rosenfeld spent fourteen years at UH West O‘ahu, where he earned tenure and promotion to Professor of History. Rosenfeld served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and WSCUC Accreditation Liaison Officer at UH West O‘ahu, having previously held faculty roles as Humanities Division Chair and Faculty Senate Chair. Rosenfeld earned a BA in History at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by an MA and PhD in Modern German History at the University of California, Irvine.

Taiko Center of the Pacific Performances

Date and Location:
August 10, 2025, John F. Kennedy Theater, 1770 E West Rd, Honolulu, HI 96822, Time TBD

About the Event: Join Taiko master Kenny Endo for the Kenny Endo 50th Anniversary Celebration Concerts taking place in August. The Taiko Center of the Pacific will collaborate with other artists and TCP alumni to bring Japan's traditional music to Hawaiʻi. In a significant gesture to Honouliuli National Historic Site, Kenny Endo will also feature a taiko drum housed by Nichiren Mission that was used in Honouliuli Internment Camp.

Movie Screening: "Voices Behind Barbed Wire" with Panelists

Doris Duke Theater; Kinetic Productions

Date and Location: August 17th, 2025, Doris Duke Theater at the Honolulu Museum of Art, 900 Kinau St, Honolulu, HI 96814, Time TBD

Parking information can be found here

About the Event: Local Hawaiʻi resident and Director Ryan Kawamoto has created multiple documentaries about internment and incarceration in Hawaiʻi with his production company Kinetic Productions. "Voices Behind Barbed Wire" tells the story of Japanese-Americans living in Hawaiʻi after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and how their families were affected by martial law. Thanks to Pacific Historic Parks, the community will be able to watch the one hour film for free at the Doris Duke Theater at the Honolulu Museum of Art. This special film screening will be followed by a discussion of Honouliuli and Hawaii's internment experience with panel members, including Ryan Kawamoto himself, Carole Hayashino, the former President/Executive Director of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i, and author Tom Coffman who wrote a book on how Hawaiʻi protected its Japanese American population from mass incarceration.

Acknowledgements
Courtesy of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i, Voices Behind Barbed Wire

Another Ryan Kawamoto documentary will be screened as part of Honouliuli's 10th anniversary celebrations in October:

Removed by Force (October 19)

Earlier this year, NPS partnered with the Honolulu Museum of Art to screen the film Untold Story:

Untold Story (June 22)

Konko Mission Tour

Konko Mission of Wahiawa

Date and Location: August 16 2025, Konko Mission of Wahiawa, 207 Muliwai Ave, Wahiawa, HI 96786, 10:00-11:00 AM

Street parking is available but this may be difficult since the Mission is located in a residential neighborhood. No RSVP required.

About the Event: Honouliuli National Historic Site recognizes and honors the women incarcerated at the camp during wartime. In honor of Women's History Month, we are partnering with Konko Mission of Wahiawa, a mission founded in 1940 by Reverend Haruko Takahashi, a Honouliuli incarceree. The Konko Mission of Wahiawa will reflect upon the history, vision, and legacy of Takahashi and explain the mission's significant connection to Honouliuli, give an overview of the spiritual practices conducted, and even have a hands-on experience to write a prayer of gratitude. Haruko Takahashi's life story will be shared and there will also be a showcase of her memorobilia and photos.

For more information on Japanese women in internment camps, visit our Women in the Camps page or read Breaking the Silence for an overview of Honouliuli.

Honouliuli Monthly Bookstore Educational Item

Pearl Harbor National Memorial Gift Shop

Date and Location: August 2025, 1 Arizona Memorial Place, Honolulu, HI, 96818

About the Event: The Honouliuli National Historic Site bookstore is located in the Pearl Harbor National Memorial bookstore. The bookstore, which carries items beyond just books, provides visitors with a range of interpretive and educational materials about Honouliuli. The income generated from these items supports important historic preservation, ongoing research, visitor interpretation, natural and cultural resources management, and educational programs at the park.

To find other ways to help support the park, explore the drop down menu under the Get Involved section of the navigation banner.