Photo: Mari Taketa
TAmashiro Market closes for good on April 30th, taking with it a part of Honolulu’s identity and a part of ours. But all of us who are grieving need to know this: This time capsule of a Kalihi fish and poke shop is a success story for the Tamashiro family, who are closing it on their own terms after 85 years. Brothers Cyrus and Guy Tamashiro are 72 and 69 years old. They deserve a long and healthy retirement. This is the story in a nutshell.
But of course there is more, one more enormity. Three generations built a legend that, in our time, launched the fourth generation towards their own dreams. That their children have grown up to have a career of their own is a great satisfaction for the Tamashiro brothers. Taking over the family business was his choice, which for Guy has meant 52 years of waking up at 4 a.m. to get to the Honolulu Fish Auction for the 5:30 opening bell. The ‘ahi, nairagi and other seafood he chooses, fish by fish, fill the market’s poke and fillet cases. For nearly the same amount of time, Cyrus has been getting up at 5 a.m. to open the store and handle the business until closing.
For much of that time, the brothers were also caregivers, and until Louise Tamashiro died at the age of 94 in late January, they took turns spending the night with their mother. When they told her they were thinking of retiring soon, Cyrus says, Louise blessed her. “Go ahead,” she said. “Take care, take care of your bodies.”
Part of the poke case last Friday. Photo: Mari Taketa
So it’s time. If there is a silver lining, it’s that we lose the Tamashiro market in its golden hour. There is no other like it. After next Thursday, it will exist in our memories: from the favorite poke (‘ahi onion is still the best seller), ‘opihi you can buy by the pound, from tender madako, shiny New Zealand Ora King salmon, live crabs and pickled limu and snacks. The fishing boat hanging above the grocery aisle. The giant red crab in front.
Cyrus and Guy Tamashiro made time to speak with us a few days ago. They were jovial. old school great And grateful But for feeding my memories from the time I was up to those crabs, for being there when I needed fish for sick parents (and the ‘ahi bloodline for a sick cat), and most of all for what Tamashiro Market means to Honolulu, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Cyrus Tamashiro: when KHON broke the newssocial media has just taken over, worldwide. My phone lit up. We didn’t even get a chance to tell our cousins. We had a lot to do. We had to apologize, you know what? It wasn’t supposed to come out, we were supposed to announce it on March 30thth31St.
It broke on a Friday and by Saturday morning there were about 20 people in line. I thought they must want to bite at the weekend. The 20 people went straight to get the shirts. They continued until they used up two months’ supply in one day. So we order more and go through three months supply in one day. It hasn’t stopped. Today we only had long sleeve shirts, but about twenty of them stood in line and bought everything we had.
The t-shirt line. Photo: Courtesy of Guy Tamashiro
Do our employees take over? I don’t think anyone wants to take all the responsibility. It’s not easy. Even when I sleep, I dream about work. What will the weather be like? Will fish be available? Can we fill orders, can customers get what they need? I really can’t rest.
The biggest surprise is that it lasted this long. The years pass very quickly. We do what we’re doing, we don’t think about our aging bodies, how long the business has been running, and recently we’re like, hey, we’re going to be 85! We saw an old photo: May 1stSt1941, the grand opening of Tamashiro Market in Hilo. There are my father, my grandparents and my uncle, surrounded by flowers in the little shop.
[When the business moved to Honolulu in 1947]there were very few fish markets. I think my dad thought it would be a good opportunity to bring in things that other places didn’t have, like live crabs and lobsters. When he saw the potential of poke, he converted our meat department to poke. It was kind of a risk, but he said I think we’re going to do really good business with the poke. This was in the early 1970s. Back then, we were offering as many kinds of poke as Baskin-Robbins has ice cream. And then other people caught on 10, 20 years later.
SEE ALSO: Finally, the winner of the Honolulu PokeFest fan favorite voting contest
We never deviated from using fresh fish. When frozen carbon monoxide came out, people used it and masked the natural flavor with sauces. We always want the natural flavors to come out. We improve it with seasonings and other ingredients, but not in excess. The fresh fish in our bite was important.
I like the taste of fish. For me it is the easiest to cook, very tasty, healthy. I can eat fish every day. Japanese breakfasts are the best because instead of bacon and spam, you have fish, so good. Fish and eggs and miso soup.
Guy and Cyrus Tamashiro, asked to “act naturally”. Photo: Mari Taketa
So since the 70s, Guy started saying I want to buy fish and started going to the auction. Full day from 6pm.
Guy Tamashiro: It was exciting. The ‘A’ala Park Auction [Honolulu Fish Auction’s original site was near the park]it was a challenge because all the old guys didn’t want to let the young punk in. They finally gave way when my father asked a boy, can you please show my son? Then they didn’t try to block me as much.
The old auction, the language was very colorful. This was to make it difficult for outsiders to enter. There was Chinese, Japanese, pidgin, all kinds of languages. Some terms were really stupid, like bow wow wow that’s $1.11. “Chowder pung,” I don’t know how to spell it, was 75 cents. Ikeni, same price for the next fish. Now, it’s just listing the price, and it’s going down until someone makes an offer.
SEE ALSO: Ethel’s Grill: Why it closed and what’s ahead for the Kalihi Hole-in-the-Wall
Cyrus: I have a lot of customers asking me, where am I going to get this? Where will I get this? Let me get your name and number, let me see who’s selling it. Like the New Zealand king salmon, or ‘inamona. So I went to a lot of different markets. I have seen them before, but now I look at them with a different eye. A seller, he is doing a great job, but the parking is terrible. You know, for old people. I am an old person and it is very difficult for me. I didn’t realize how easy our parking is.
Boy: There is parking here, and we have the variety, live crabs, lobsters and all that. I think that made it easier for our customers because whether it’s poke, fish or groceries…
Cyrus: I had this company offering me, I want your name to live on. We’ll give you a bunch of money, we’ll use your recipe, we’ll have Tamashiro Market on the poster. I said it’s not the same. What matters are the ingredients that go in, i then is the recipe The starting ingredients have a lot to do with how the poke turns out. The boy looks at me, it’s blank. I just don’t think it will work. That’s why we have to go down to the auction and pick the ones we want, get the top madako, I’ve found out it only takes us. I’m going to ask, is there anywhere else I can refer my clients and I can go there too?
No daylight in sight for me yet. There is a lot of work to be done, just to get to this point. But it’s exciting to think that in a little while it will be over and I can relax.
Photo: Mari Taketa
Boy: I get up at 4, and I’m usually at the store by 5, getting all the paperwork ready to go to the auction, and then it starts at 5:30. And for some reason, I’m still here.
Cyrus: I get up at 5, I’m at the store by 6:30 and I’m here until closing. Sometimes, I’m here at night in the office.
When we were younger, our store hours were longer. But we are not so young anymore.
People have been like we better buy the poke we’re used to before they close, buy the fish before they close. But they come with stories, really, really good stories. A girl said you know what? If it wasn’t for Tamashiro Market, I wouldn’t be here. what do you mean My mother and father met at Tamashiro market. They saw each other a couple of times, and then my father asked my mother, who was a haole from the mainland, who was a local boy, had the courage to ask her out. They married and had children and grandchildren. He said I owe my life to Tamashiro.
It feels good to hear the stories. Very uplifting. we made friends We took so many pictures with our customers.
Boy: It has been very beautiful. A wonderful experience.
Cyrus: We should have announced that we were closing a year ago.
Boy: I can actually watch a Netflix series. What is Netflix?
Cyrus: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thanks to our customers, our employees. Thanks to our fishermen, our suppliers and business partners. Everyone has contributed to making this a rewarding and memorable career. Now it’s time to rest. We want to rest and relax. It’s fun, go, go, but it’s harder to go 100 miles an hour.
But yes, thank you very much to everyone.
Boy: yes This is so true.
Mari Taketa is editor of Frolic Hawai’i and dining editor of HONOLULU Magazine.
