Uehara, Keiji

Hawai Inshoki [Impressions of Hawaii]

Tokyo: Shinkosha, 1924. [2],4,[2],4,[26],192,[4]pp., plus three folding maps at rear. Original printed cloth boards, with contemporary glassine wrapper affixed to pastedowns; in original cardstock box with printed paper labels. Minor fading and soiling to cloth. Early ownership inscription and owner's ink stamps on rear pastedown. Light toning internally. Moderate wear and a couple of repaired tears to card box, but still a nice example. Very good, overall. Item #3933

"A guidebook for Hawaii based on personal impressions, with notes on Hawaii's history, industry, agriculture, education, social organizational activities, and individuals."— The Japanese in Hawaii. According to the same reference, the author was an early immigrant to Hawaii and a promoter of the islands to other citizens of Japan. In his introduction to the present book, Uehara explains that he is offering a guide book to the islands because he was not aware of any other guides published in Japanese and most Japanese visitors to the United States relied on Baedekers, which did not include the Hawaiian Islands.

The book is illustrated with 26 half-tone photographs of Hawaiian scenes, including surfers, Japanese immigrants, agriculture, and Hawaiian people and with scattered, additional in-text images. The three folding maps at the rear delineate Oahu, Kuwai, and Hawaii. A rare and significant guidebook to 1920s Hawaii by a Japanese immigrant to the islands -- OCLC locates only three copies, two in Japan and one at the University of Hawaii.
The Japanese in Hawaii 370.

Price: $2,250.00