We received an email from <Yoshihawaii> on august 14, 2004 about the history of Musashiya. Choutaro Miyamoto immigrated to Hawai'i in 1904 and opened a clothing store named Musa-Shiya at 330 North King Street. He passed away in 1915 and the store's name was changed to Musashiya-Shoten (shoten means trading company) by his son Kouichiro. In 1934, the shop was sold to Fujiijunichi-shoten and its name was again changed. This time to Musashiya - The Shirt Maker.

Musashiya is often cited for its role in the development of the 'Hawaiian' or 'Aloha' shirt in the 1930s. It was known for making shirts from Japanese Kimono fabric with a starting price of 95 cents per shirt.

The photo above shows a ladder under the store sign and a piece of plywood leaning against it. Perhaps this is the occasion of the opening of their Waikiki store?