Hori Midwifery

This bungalow was originally constructed in 1905 as two portable classrooms from Grant Elementary School. In 1915, a Nihonmachi midwife named Mrs. Hori purchased them and had them moved to her property at 580 N Fifth Street. The portable classrooms were placed end to end, and became Mrs. Hori’s home, boarding house, and midwivery practice. Many local Nisei claim the Hori Midwifery as their birthplace.

Mrs. Hori’s daughter married a Hawaiian-born dentist in 1920, Dr. Hisaichi Nakahara. Dr. Nakahara was the first Nisei dentist in San Jose and a founder of the American Loyalty League (later known as the Japanese American Citizens League). The front of the building was turned into his office, and a porch and two clusters of Tuscan columns were added.

The building became a rooming house for a time after the Hori family moved out, and then it operated as Mr. Ed Morioka’s real estate businesses. The building is now rented out to tenants as a duplex.

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