Eibeibunka 50: 105-117

105 『英米文化』50, 105–117 (2020) ISSN: 0917–3536 Princess Kaiulani: A Victorian Woman Endowed with Aloha Spirit UENO Shunichi Abstract The film Princess Kaiulani (2009) depicts the life of Hawaiian Princess Kaiulani. Undeterred by the political and economic turmoil in Hawaii, her uncle King Kala kaua enter- tains grandiose fantasies of creating an empire in the Pacific by expanding the sphere of Hawaiian dominance into Polynesia. On an around-the-world tour, the King visits Japan and relates to Emperor Meiji that at one time the Japanese Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito had been engaged to marry Princess Kaiulani, but the plan had fallen apart. Moreover, King Kala kaua intends to sell a few islands to foreign countries in order to support the domestic economy of his country. Meanwhile, Princess Kaiulani is transformed into a Victorian woman after she is sent to England to receive an education. Comradery and friendship between women were central to Victorian society, and women were encouraged to cultivate feminine virtues of sympathy and altruism in order to become good spouses. Following the death of King Kalakaua, the Hawaiian monarchy is overthrown. As a fighter, Princess Kai- ulani attempts to restore the sovereignty of the throne. During this process, her status as a Victorian woman becomes useful. What does cultural sustainability mean for Hawaii? King Kala kaua attempts to sell his islands to foreign countries; meanwhile, Princess Kaiulani transforms into a magnificent Victorian woman. Therefore, what cultural heritage will they leave for the next generation? The answer is the ubiquitous Aloha spirit which inspires people to care for their brethren. Despite Princess Kaiulani becoming a Victorian woman edu- cated in England, the sympathy and altruism she displays derive from the spirit of Aloha. 1. Introduction The film Princess Kaiulani (2009) is inspired by true events. Princess Kaiulani is the daughter of Princess Miriam Likelike and Archibald Scott Cleghorn, a Scottish business- man. At the age of thirteen, Kaiulani was sent to England to receive an education. After the 106 『英米文化』50 (2020) death of her uncle King Kala kaua in 1891, her aunt, Princess Lydia Liliuokalani, became Queen and chose Kaiulani as her heir. In 1893, when seventeen-year-old Kaiulani learned that the Hawaiian monarchy had been overthrown, she took action and decided to travel to the United States the following month to meet President Grover Cleveland. She subse- quently returned to Hawaii. On March 6, 1899, she died at the age of twenty-three. 2. King Kalakaua and Japan The opening sequence of the film Princess Kaiulani takes place in Iolani Palace, “a won- derful old Victorian extravagance completed by the last of the Hawaiian kings, Kala kaua, at a cost of some $350,000 in 1882” (Peirce 325). Shortly after the film begins, Kala kaua appears on the screen making grandiose declarations. He plans to create a Pacific empire in order to expand Hawaiian dominance, undeterred by the political and economic turmoil in Hawaii (DeRouen 149). On March 4, 1881, Kala kaua visited Japan and met with the Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito) while on an around-the-world tour. King Kala kaua was the first head of state to visit Japan under the Meiji government. This meeting between the Japanese Emperor and the King of Hawaii had been postponed for over a decade because of an inter- nal dispute within the Japanese government over the issue of Japanese immigration to Hawaii. During his reign (1874–1891), King Kalakaua had sustained a policy of accepting immigrants from Japan. In response to a strongly worded request by the Hawaiian government, Japan officially sanctioned the immigration of Japanese people to Hawaii in 1884. In 1885, approximately 1,000 Japanese people immigrated from Japan to Hawaii in January and June, respectively. These Japanese people were declared “voluntary emigrants” and began working as laborers upon arrival. An emigration treaty was agreed to in 1886, and “authorized” emigrants began departing from Yokohama, Japan. With this treaty, the Japa- nese government requested the strict protection for Japanese emigrants to Hawaii as per articles 61 and 62 of the Hawaii Constitution: Article 61. Any man who has lived in Hawaii more than a year and has more than certain assets or income has a right to vote for a member of the National Assembly of Hawaii. Article 62. Any man who has lived in the land for more than three years and possesses a certain amount of property or income is eligible for candidacy for membership in the UENO Shunichi Princess Kaiulani 107 National Assembly. (Kamikawa 129) How can we explain King Kala kaua’s generous treatment of Japan? Why did King Kala- kaua travel to Japan, China, Siam (Thailand), India, Egypt, the United States, England, and other European countries? Did King Kala kaua’s sojourn in Japan influence his domestic and foreign policy? 3. Aloha Spirit and the Spirit of Hospitality While in Japan, King Kala kaua was given a grand welcome by Meiji Emperor, the Japa- nese Imperial Family, and the Japanese government. The most well-known text document- ing this trip is William N. Armstrong’s Around the World with a King, published in 1904. Armstrong was an immigration official and a companion of King Kalakaua. However, Masa ji Marumoto—a Nisei lawyer, community leader in Hawaii, and researcher writing about Hawaii’s Japanese American community—discovered many inconsistencies when comparing Armstrong’s book to the diary of King Kala kaua. He concluded that Armstrong wrote his book twenty-three years after the recounted events occurred and therefore made many mistakes because of poor memory (Marumoto 53). According to King Kala kaua’s diary, he stayed in Japan for nineteen days, having arrived in Yokohama on March 4 after traveling from San Francisco on the British ship Oceanic and departing from Nagasaki for Shanghai on the Japanese ship Tokio Maru on March 22. Of the nineteen days, he spent the first day in Yokohama, after which he spent the next twelve days in Tokyo. During the remaining six days, while waiting for the Tokio Maru to finish departure preparations, he visited Kobe, Osaka, and Kyoto; sailed across the Inland Sea to Nagasaki; and went sightseeing in Nagasaki. For the entirety of his trip, Kala kaua was the personal guest of Emperor Meiji. Prior to arriving in Japan, Kala kaua had not notified the Japanese government that he would be coming because he planned to remain anonymous and only visit for a few days. However, Kala kaua was surprised by the extremely cordial welcome given to him by the Emperor, his reception committee, and the Japanese government. When Kala kaua’s ship approached Yokohama, a royal salute of twenty-one guns was performed. When Kala kaua landed on Japanese soil, the Japanese Marine Band played Hawaii Ponoi, the Hawaiian National Anthem. The next day, on March 5, Kalakaua met the Emperor and Empress in Tokyo. Kala kaua commented on the Emperor’s display of courtesy, 108 『英米文化』50 (2020) writing that an emotion came over him and he could not help but shed a tear of Aloha (Marumoto 56). From March 7 to 12, Kalakaua was taken on a tour to inspect a government printing office, arsenal, civil engineering school, and other institutions. Kala kaua was impressed by the scientific development Japan had achieved in such a short period of time. On March 9, Kala kaua inspected the Naval Academy, where Prince Yamashina Sadamaro (later known as Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito) was a cadet. Kalakaua commented on the Prince’s character, writing, “He is a lively, young, bright, intelligent, and promising lad of thirteen years old.” Before his sojourn in Japan ended, Kala kaua expressed to the Emperor through intermediaries a proposal for Sadamaro to be engaged to Princess Kaiulani, who was then less than six years old (Marumoto 56). On March 14, King Kala kaua was awarded with the Order of the Chrysanthemum, which was the highest order in Japan at the time. In return, on the next day, the Emperor received the Order of Kamehameha I. After which, Kalakaua left Tokyo and wrote the following: Adieu Japan, beautiful Japan. I feel as if I will have a continual longing to see this interesting country with its kind and hospitable inhabitants for a long long time. Aloha Nui. (Marumoto 62) Interestingly enough, besides mention of the engagement proposal between Prince Yamashina Sadamaro (Higashifushimi Yorihito) and Princess Kaiulani, there are no descrip- tions concerning the meetings, interviews, or negotiations conducted in Japan in Kala kaua’s diary. Undoubtedly, the main purpose of his visit to Japan was to request that Japanese people be encouraged to migrate to Hawaii. Indeed, Kala kaua believed that Japanese people were capable of saving the nation and people of Hawaii. However, both Japan and the United States were interested in the Pacific region and waited to see how the other side would react. Moreover, Japan had no intention of seeking control of the Pacific Ocean because they believed that their navy could not compete with the United States. Therefore, the Japanese government had no option but to accept Hawaii’s annexation by the United States (Kuno 32–33). With regard to the engagement between Prince Yamashina Sadamaro (Higashifushimi Yorihito) and Princess Kaiulani, it never came to fruition due to concerns over the future of Japan–United States relations. Since 1880, a series of scandals had rocked Hawaiian society. Because of irresponsible spending by Kala kaua, public debt rose from $388,900 in 1880 UENO Shunichi Princess Kaiulani 109 to $2,600,000 by 1890 (Kuykendall and Day 169). As a way of remedying the situation, Kalakaua attempted to sell his islands to foreign countries.

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