Our family has been serving the Oahu community since 1900. Hosoi has witnessed a lot of history over the years and helped thousand of families celebrate the lives of loved ones. From the archives of our family albums, here are the photos, stories, and history that date back, over 100 years.
1900
Hosoi Garden Mortuary, Inc. was established in 1900 by founder, Isamu Hosoi - although, it was then known as Hosoi Funeral Home. In those horse drawn buggy days, Isamu Hosoi driving the caisson was a familiar sight, being one of the first formal mortuaries established in the territory. In those early days, Isamu Hosoi learned the key to success was a compassionate and caring staff based on a familial and comfortable atmosphere.
1933
The Kukui Street location served well for 32 years until 1933 when the funeral home was moved away from the growing downtown Honolulu to a refurbished and renovated house on the outskirts of Honolulu, adjacent to the Foster Botanical Gardens. Still a family business, the tradition was continued as Herman Hosoi, son of Isamu Hosoi, assumed the reins of the company. Still committed to community service during the blackout days of Pearl Harbor and World War II, Herman Hosoi donned a steel helmet and made his rounds as an air raid warden, one of the city’s block-by-block guardians.
1962
As the times and topography of Honolulu changed, the construction of the H-1 freeway and the Honolulu Redevelopment Agency uprooted many residences and businesses. The funeral home was no exception. Served with an eviction notice, Herman Hosoi strengthened his resolve to continue the mortuary and quickly planned for relocation. In 1957 the mortuary was chartered as a corporation with the backing of some 2,000 faithful stockholders. This paved the way for a move to the present site on the corner of Nuuanu and Kukui Streets and in 1962 the mortuary opened as Hosoi Garden Mortuary, Inc. with one of the largest and modern facilities in Honolulu at the time.
1978
Clifford Hosoi, son of Herman Hosoi and Sadako Hosoi, joined the mortuary in 1978 as the third generation to continue running the family business. In December of 1993, he was named President and CEO. He has been dedicated to helping local families and managing the mortuary ever since.
2013
Throughout the years, our priority remains the same - to serve the local community and support its people during a very hard time. In order to better serve our families, we recognized the need to update and modernize our facilities. With the help of award winning architects, Ferraro Choi, we embarked on an architectural journey to create a multi-level parking garage, a new chapel, viewing room, and the most modern cremation facilities the island has to offer.