An American Son: The Story of George Aratani : Founder of Mikasa and Kenwood

by Naomi Hirahara, Daniel Okimoto (Introduction)

An American The Story of George Aratani, Founder of Mikasa and Kenwood.

Genres: Biography

321 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Naomi Hirahara is the USA Today-bestselling and award-winning author of multiple mystery series, noir short stories, nonfiction history books and one middle-grade novel. Her Edgar Award-winning Mas Arai series features a Los Angeles gardener and Hiroshima survivor. Her first historical mystery, CLARK AND DIVISION, which follows a Japanese American family from Manzanar to Chicago in 1944, won a Mary Higgins Clark Award in 2022. Her two other series star a young mixed race female LAPD bicycle cop, Ellie Rush, and a Filipina-Japanese American woman in Kaua'i, Lellani Santiago. She also has written a middle-grade book, 1001 CRANES. In 2025, the history book she co-wrote with Geraldine Knatz, TERMINAL ISLAND: LOST COMMUNITIES ON AMERICA'S EDGE, won a California Book Award gold medal. She, her husband and their rat terrier live happily in her birthplace of Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Hirahara did an amazing job capturing the little-known but important and inspirational history of George Aratani from young man of 22 having to take over his father's successful businesses to losing most of it thanks to Japanese-American internment to building a legacy of success. I will remember him whenever I see a Mikasa dish. Aratani benefitted greatly from his father fortuitously pushing him to attend university in Japan to learn the language and culture, enabling him to form successful business relationships and friendships between Japanese and Americans. George was a brilliant, driven man but generous and humble, and he loved and appreciated his loyal, independent-minded wife who raised their daughters and took care of homelife while he was away for much of the time.

The author obviously had full access to Mr. Aratani, conducting many interviews with him, friends, and associates. She did meticulous research to create a very detailed but personable and readable account of Aratani's life. Kudos to her for honoring Mr. Aratani and saving his history so well.