Tom H. Onaka
Year Inducted: 2009
Onaka Ranch | Hawai'i
Even more than his strapping 6 foot frame, Tom Onaka often stood out from a crowd because of his tough, independent nature and direct way of expressing himself. He was, in other words, a true cowboy and rancher.
Tom was born into the role. While there were other Japanese who worked for cattle ranches, historians speculate that Tom’s father, Kiichi Onaka, may have been the first person of Japanese ancestry in the United States to own and operate his own ranch.
Kiichi Onaka emigrated from Japan in 1905 to work on a sugar plantation in Kona. He purchased seven milking cows in 1914, the origins of the Onaka Ranch. After the sugar plantation closed in the 1920’s, Kiichi picked up additional acreage and expanded the size of his herd.
Tom, born in 1910, ranched all his life and eventually took over the modest family ranch. A minority in the cattle business, Tom survived by working hard and standing up for his rights. It didn’t hurt that he could ride and rope with the best of them. Tom was the first Japanese rancher to rope, drive and drag his cattle out to waiting boats in order to ship them to O’ahu. Maneuvering longhorn cattle in the open ocean from a swimming horse was a dangerous task reserved for only the most skilled paniolo.
A forward thinking man, Tom defied the odds by acquiring a purebred Hereford bull in 1953, and dramatically improving the quality of his stock. Then in 1956, he leased an additional 1,300 acres in South Kona , which he proceeded to develop with the help of his eldest son, Gilbert. While upgrading the ranch, Tom insisted that son Charlie attend college to earn a degree in animal science. He knew that in order to extend the family legacy, cattlemen would need greater knowledge to face the changing times.
Today, the South Kona land, combined with the mauka pasture in Holualoa comprises the 1,350 acre Onaka Ranch operation. It is a proud 95 year old family legacy that Tom Onaka built on what his father Kiichi started and is continued to this day by his son, Charlie. “I am very proud of my dad and the role he played in the cattle industry during those hard times,” Charlie says. “He and all the other paniolo are not here anymore, but I know they are looking down with pride at their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”