Statewide County HI Archives Biographies.....Okumura, Takie April 18, 1864 - 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
J. Orr jessicanorr@gmail.com November 18, 2011, 7:06 pm

Source: The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders, Honolulu Star Bulletin, Ltd. Territory of Hawaii, 1925
Author: Edited by George F. Nellist

TAKIE OKUMURA, Minister and Educator. Rev. Takie Okumura, pastor of the Makiki 
Japanese Church since 1902, founder of the Japanese Language School, Japanese 
Y.M.C.A. and other Japanese organizations in Honolulu, has been a leading 
figure in Americanization and educational work among his own race for three 
decades.
  Formerly an ardent follower of Shintoism, Rev. Okumura was converted to 
Christianity in 1889 and attended the Doshisha University Divinity School, 
Japan, from 1890 to 1894, preaching each week at Kusatsu, Omi, and building a 
church there. In August, 1894, he came to Honolulu as associated pastor to 
Rev. Jiro Okabe of the Nuuanu Church. In 1895 he succeeded to the pastorate. 
Nuuanu church then had 92 members. During Rev. Okumura’s pastorate of eight 
years the membership grew to 380, and Nuuanu church was the first Japanese 
church in the territory to become financially independent of the Hawaiian 
Board. In 1903 Rev. Okumura retired from the Nuuanu church and started the 
organization of another Christian group in the Makiki district. Slowly this 
project grew into the present Makiki church, now having a membership of about 
1,000 and the largest Japanese Sunday School in Hawaii.
  The Japanese Language School, founded by Rev. Okumura in 1896, was the 
outgrowth of his conviction that such a school was needed in Hawaii to check 
the desire of Japanese laborers to return to their mother country. In 
connection with the school, the Christian Boys’ Home was started by Rev. 
Okumura, and the work of Americanization and Christianization in the Honolulu 
Japanese colony was greatly strengthened. Rev. Okumura also founded the Girls’ 
Home and the Japanese Kindergarten, served as president of the Temperance 
Society for several terms, aided in the upbuilding of the Benevolent Society, 
the Japanese Y.M.C.A. and other organizations of an educational and religious 
nature.
  Born in Kochi, Japan, April 18, 1864, Rev. Okumura is the son of Matajuro 
Okumura and Roshi Tamura, and the descendant of a long line of Samurais. In 
1887 he married Katsu Ogawa, and they have seven children, Umetaro, Fuyuki, 
Mataki, Suyeki, Hatsuye, Tsugiye and Yoshiye.


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