COURTESY OF THE TANIGUCHI FAMILY The Taniguchi Store moved to its Beretania Street location in the 1970s.

Proprietor was famous
for range of ethnic food

Mynah birds that George Taniguchi raised by hand from chicks came inside his house Saturday to perch on the hand of his grandson, Chris Watanabe, 13. A Buddhist altar held burning candles and papayas as food to help Taniguchi on his journey.

Taniguchi, longtime proprietor of his namesake McCully store, died Thursday in Honolulu.

Taniguchi, 78, and his wife, Michiyo, ran the Taniguchi Store from 1950, the year of their marriage, until their retirement in 1992.

The "mom-and-pop" store was known for dozens of ready-made Japanese, Hawaiian and Filipino foods that the Taniguchis and their staff painstakingly made from scratch, plus fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish and flowers, and imported Japanese groceries.

Taniguchi Store was renowned for its selection of Japanese pickled vegetables, both imported and locally made.

Though she doesn't take credit for inventing Spam or hot-dog musubi, Michiyo Taniguchi, who was in charge of the store's kitchen, said she believes the store helped popularize these Hawaii-style bentos.

Taniguchi's parents, Kiichi and Hide, founded the store on King Street in 1926 and "my husband was born in that store" on Oct. 19, 1926, Mrs. Taniguchi said.

The only times George Taniguchi was absent from the store for a significant length of time were a stint as an interpreter for the U.S. Army in Japan after World War II and for a few years in the 1980s when he was recovering from a brain tumor, Mrs. Taniguchi said yesterday.

It was during his tour of duty in Japan in the late 1940s that Michiyo, a California-born American citizen whose family returned to Japan for her schooling, met her husband-to-be.

Michiyo and George Taniguchi moved the store to its 2065 S. Beretania St. location in the 1970s. It continued as a candy store under a new proprietor, who kept the name, from 1992 to 2000.

"My father had a real good relationship with the landlord," said only son Benson Taniguchi. "As long as it was a grocery store that served the neighborhood, the rent would be kept reasonable."

He recalled, "He was very strong to employees and to customers he was very nice." Many former workers have returned in later years to thank his father for giving them discipline on the job, he said. "He ran a tight ship."

Though the old Taniguchi store is gone now, the family tradition as merchants lives on through son-in-law Kosei Watanabe, manager of the Fujipan Bakery, which is right next door. His wife, Lynne, Taniguchi's only daughter, teaches school at Maryknoll.

Watanabe said his most vivid memory of the importance of Taniguchi Store to the neighborhood was at New Year's, when people from all over Oahu would flock to the store for their supply of seasonal foods.

"They were there before Shirokiya, before Marukai," he said.

Granddaughter Lorianne Watanabe, 24, grew up living over both the bakery and the store.

"I remember for my hula shows my grandmother would make hundreds of Spam musubis," she said. "Or grandpa would make sushi for a basketball game.

"My grandfather was a hard-working and compassionate individual who always will be an inspiration to his wife, children and grandchildren he left behind," Lorianne Watanabe said.

"He was always so passionate about everything," said granddaughter Kristie Watanabe, 17. "Even when we got a scolding, we knew he loved us."

Her grandfather attended most of her Maryknoll basketball games and fellow team members called him "Grandpa." Some even visited him in the hospital earlier this month when he was recovering from surgery, reminding him that he promised to attend their graduation ceremony.

But on Wednesday, the day Taniguchi originally was to return home, he took a turn for the worse.

In addition to his wife and two children, Taniguchi is survived by one of his three sisters, Chieko Katayama, and five grandchildren.

He was a member of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission, American Veterans Association and Honolulu Country Club.

"He was a samurai," Kosei Watanabe said.

"Now promoted to shogun," his widow said.

Services will be held at Hosoi Gardens Honolulu Mortuary at 6 p.m. on May 31, with visitation at 5 p.m.