Honouliuli National Historic Site
Honouliuli, which roughly translates to Blue Harbor or Dark Bay, is the largest ahupua’a on
Oahu and represents an expansive leeward portion of west Oahu. In 1848 the ahupua’a of
Honouliuli was allocated to the granddaughter and great niece of King Kamehameha I during
the Māhele ‘Āina (division of lands). Although this region possessed fertile soil, the “arid” climate
prevented cultivation of crops. In 1850 the lands were sold to the Industrialist James Campbell.
Through the usage of aqueducts, Campbell was able to bring much-needed water to this region
and establish a profitable business, The Oahu Sugar Company.
On December 7th, 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack on the Hawaiian islands. Government
and military officials were incredibly swift in their mobilization to protect the Islands from what
they believed to be an imminent invasion. While the attack lasted roughly 1.5 hours, by 12pm a
Martial Law plan (1941-1944) was prepared and presented to the Territorial Governor Joseph
Poindexter. In his personal papers, Poindexter described being “reluctant” to declare martial law
but was “convinced” by the military. By 4:30pm Martial Law was declared. This declaration
triggered the response and mobilization of Army Intelligence, local law enforcement, and the FBI
to begin making arrests of “dangerous persons.” These entities utilized a list of 750 civilian
names. This list was compiled by the FBI over the course of a four-year period. Ultimately,
organizations like the FBI were aware of the inevitability of war in either the Pacific or
European theaters and sought to establish a database within the islands of Hawai’i. By
midnight, 450 civilians were detained, 355 of which were of Japanese ancestry.
These lists targeted individuals based on their race, ties to Axis powers, occupation, finances,
and standing within the community. Detainees would be brought to Sand Island (1941-1943) for
processing as they awaited trial. In many instances these trials were unlawful. Trials averaged 5
minutes in length with jury members being military and elite members of the community.
Additionally, character witnesses and legal counsel were dissuaded.
The influx of civilian detainees and POWs resulted in the Sand Island Detention facility quickly
reaching capacity. Additionally, officials worried that the facility’s location on an island would
make it easily accessible to enemy planes, ships, or submarines. As a result, a larger more
remote facility was proposed. As a result, 160 acres (Honouliuli) would be commandeered by the
United States military from The Oahu Sugar Company.
It is important to make the distinction between the experience of Japanese civilians residing in
Hawai’i versus those living within the continental United States. Where all Japanese individuals
living in coastal regions were forcibly displaced and relocated only a fraction of people would
experience this in Hawai’i. This is due to two factors, labor and population numbers. Japanese
civilians represented the majority population in Hawai’i (157,905 - roughly 36%). Additionally,
with many of these individuals working infrastructure jobs for the Islands and military, the idea of
mass incarceration was quickly abandoned.
The Honouliuli Prisoner of War (POW) and Internment Camp would open in March of 1943. It
would see over 4,000 POWs (Okinawans, Koreans, Taiwanese, Filippino, Japanese, and
Italians) and 300 civilian internees of Japanese and European ancestry through 1946.the
duration of the war. The camp was divided into seven compounds. Prisoners and Internees
were grouped together based on their race (Asian, Caucasian, etc.) and gender. There would be
a total of 8 female internees.
Honouliuli was the largest of 13 internment camps located in the islands of Hawai’i. It would
close in January 1946. The United States Army destroyed all compounds and returned the land
back to the Oahu Sugar Company.
In the early 1990s, renewed interest in the internment/incarceration experience of Japanese
Americans prompted the search to locate the specific location of Honouliuli. In 2002, The
Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i (JCCH) and researchers Jane Kurahara and Betsy Young
would locate Honouliuli through the usage of archived maps. In 2015, President Barack Obama
designated Honouliuli as a National Monument with site management transferred to the
National Park Service. In 2019 the park was Congressionally established as a National Historic
Site.
Pacific Historic Parks, in collaboration with the NPS and other organizations, seek to tell the
stories of the internment and POW experience as well as facilitate the broader discussion of
internment in Hawai’i during World War II.
