Embedded Files
At St. Andrew’s, the lives of the saints remind us that God’s grace is revealed in many times and places, often through people whose faithfulness bridges cultures, confronts injustice, and transforms communities. Since welcoming our new rector last fall, our parish has found itself blessed with a personal connection to one such figure — the Rev. Hiram Hisanori Kano, known as the “Saint of Nebraska.”
Kano’s story is one of resilience, reconciliation, and deep service to God and neighbor. His ministry among Japanese immigrants, his steadfast witness in the face of prejudice, and his devotion to justice and education continue to inspire the Church today. As a parish with a living link to his legacy, we are honored to share his story and to join the Episcopal Church in commemorating his feast day each October 24th.
“We had committed no crime, yet we were imprisoned and our human rights taken away... at the same time this camp was indeed the work given me by God... I made a firm resolution to go about His business.” - Fr. Hiram Kano
Early Life in Japan
In Japanese American communities, first-generation immigrants from Japan are known as Issei. Most Issei came from rural backgrounds and arrived in the United States with limited financial resources. Hiram Hisanori Kano’s story began differently. Born on January 30, 1889, in Tokyo, Japan, he was one of six children of Viscount Hisayoshi Kano and his wife. Hisayoshi Kano was the governor of Kagoshima Prefecture and member of the Japanese Diet (parlament). This noble lineage afforded Hiram opportunities uncommon for most Japanese immigrants, allowing him the freedom to pursue his own interests.
Back left: Hiram Hisanori Kano, along with his parents and siblings. He has two older brothers (one died when he was very young), an older sister and three younger sisters.
William Jennings Bryan
Meeting William Jennings Bryan
While studying agriculture at the University of Tokyo, Kano’s family hosted William Jennings Bryan, the famed American statesman from Nebraska. Bryan encouraged him to travel to the United States to explore the connections between Japanese and American farming practices.
Coming to America
On October 3, 1916, at the age of 27, Kano sailed from Japan to the United States aboard the S.S. Siberia Maru, a passenger liner built in 1902 at Harland & Wolff in Belfast, Ireland—the same shipyard that constructed the RMS Titanic. He carried with him a letter of introduction from William Jennings Bryan, the famed Nebraskan statesman. After arriving in San Francisco, Kano traveled inland to Lincoln, Nebraska—a journey that took him far from the cosmopolitan life of Tokyo to the open prairies of the American Midwest. Enrolling at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and already fluent in English, he adopted the name “Hiram” and began building bridges between cultures.
Undated photo of S.S. Siberia Maru coming into port in San Francisco
Ship's manafest with Hisanori Kano's name listed on line 19
Hiram and Ivy's wedding photo
Life in Nebraska and Early Challenges
He completed his master’s degree in agricultural economics in 1918, purchased a 320-acre farm near Litchfield the following year, and on June 25, 1919, in Seattle, Washington, married Ai Ivy Nagai, a young woman from a prominent Japanese family. Their wedding was officiated by Pastor Fukumatsu Okazaki of the Seattle Japanese Baptist Church. He and Ivy named the farm Humble Cottage Farm.
In the early 1920s, anti-Asian sentiment in Nebraska’s legislature led to repeated attempts to ban Japanese immigrants from owning farmland. Kano successfully opposed the first attempt, but in 1921 the Nebraska Alien Land Law passed, further restricting opportunities for Japanese immigrants, who already had no path to citizenship. Because he had purchased Humble Cottage Farm before the law took effect, Kano was able to retain it, but the new restrictions made it impossible for him—or other Japanese immigrants in Nebraska—to expand their holdings or freely transfer land.
Hiram and Ivy's wedding certificate
A Call to Ministry
During this period, Kano met and formed a close friendship with Bishop George Allen Beecher, the Episcopal Bishop of Western Nebraska. Their shared opposition to discriminatory laws deepened their relationship. Recognizing Kano’s deep faith, intellect, and desire to serve others, Bishop Beecher encouraged him to consider ministry.
The Right Rev. George Allen Beecher
Father Kano
Serving Japanese Communities
In 1925, Kano left farming to become a lay missionary for the Episcopal Church, ministering to Japanese families in the North Platte River Valley. Ordained a deacon in 1928 and a priest in 1936, he served some 600 Japanese sugar beet farmers spread across Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, and South Dakota.
In 1930, Bishop George Allen Beecher sent Deacon Kano to serve near Fort Robinson, ministering to Japanese railroad and farm workers in western Nebraska.
Rev. Kano with congregation in North Platte.
Arrest and Internment
On December 7, 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor changed Kano’s life dramatically. That afternoon, after leading worship at his church in North Platte, he was arrested by local police. As a prominent figure in Nebraska’s Japanese community, he became an immediate target of suspicion. The following day, he was moved in secrecy to Omaha to prevent public attention or unrest.
At the time, anti-Japanese sentiment was intense, and as the recognized leader of Nebraska’s Japanese population, Kano drew particular scrutiny. Despite his loyalty to the United States, a hearing at Fort Crook classified him as a “Class A potential threat,” resulting in his internment—the only Japanese American from Nebraska, Wyoming, or Colorado to be imprisoned during the war.
Ministry in the Camps
Kano spent more than two years in internment camps located in some of the harshest regions of the country. Even in confinement, he continued to minister to anyone in need—fellow Japanese internees, American soldiers who were AWOL, and even German prisoners of war. He also taught English, history, and nature studies, with his classes often filled to capacity.
Despite losing his freedom, Kano saw the camps as a new mission field. He organized worship, offered pastoral care across cultural lines, and became a bridge between communities who otherwise would never have met. His calm presence and dedication earned him the respect not only of internees, but also of guards and camp officials. In his memoir Nikkei Farmer on the Nebraska Plains, he reflected that the time of confinement deepened his calling to reconciliation, turning injustice into an unexpected ministry of hope.
Nashotah House Theological Seminary
Return to Ministry and Citizenship
Paroled in December 1943, Kano was sent for his safety and further theological study to Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Delafield, Wisconsin. After graduating in 1946, he returned to Nebraska. For years, racial restrictions prevented him from becoming a U.S. citizen, but the McCarran–Walter Act of 1952 changed that. On May 5, 1953, Hiram and his wife, Ivy Kano, became the first Japanese Nebraskans to receive citizenship.
Teaching and Retirement
Deeply patriotic, Kano and his wife began teaching naturalization classes, helping every Issei in Nebraska become a citizen within two years. On September 8, 1953, twenty-four Japanese immigrants took the oath of citizenship in a Lincoln County District Court ceremony. Hiram, newly a U.S. citizen himself, was there to celebrate alongside them. In 1957, he retired to a small farm just outside of Fort Collins, Colorado.
Japanese immigrants naturalized on September 8, 1953. This photo was taken after the ceremony in the Crystal Ballroom of the Pawnee Hotel in North Platte. Front row center is District Judge John H. Kuns. Back row left: The Reverend Hiram Hisanori Kano
Final Years and Passing
The Rev. Hiram Hisanori Kano passed away on October 24, 1988 in Fort Collins, Colorado, just three months shy of his 100th birthday. He was laid to rest in Sunset Memorial Park in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. His wife, Ivy survived him by eight years, passing away in 1996 at the age of 99, and is buried beside him. His life remains a testament to resilience, faith, and service—an enduring example of bridging cultures, confronting injustice, and living out the Gospel.
Recognition as a Saint
The Rev. Hiram Hisanori Kano’s extraordinary witness did not end with his death in 1988. Over the decades, his story has continued to inspire Episcopalians across the country, especially in the Diocese of Nebraska where his ministry was rooted. His life embodied steadfast faith, reconciliation across cultures, and unwavering service in the face of prejudice and injustice.
In 2009, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church authorized Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints, a trial expansion of the Church’s calendar of holy people, which included Kano with a feast day on October 24—the anniversary of his death. In 2015, at the 78th General Convention in Salt Lake City, the Episcopal Church passed Resolution 2015-A055, officially including Kano in Holy Women, Holy Men. He was added alongside five others, including notable figures such as Albert Schweitzer and Dag Hammarskjöld, underscoring the breadth and depth of Christian witness recognized by the Church.
Today, St. Hiram Hisanori Kano is celebrated not only as a priest and advocate for Japanese Americans, but also as a model of Christian discipleship—one who proclaimed the Gospel through teaching, pastoral care, and the pursuit of justice. His feast day invites the Church to reflect on how faith can transform hardship into ministry and bridge divides in our communities and our world.
Collect for Hiram Hisanori Kano, October 24
I: “Almighty God who hast reconciled the world unto thyself through Christ: Entrust to thy church the ministry of reconciliation as thou didst to thy servant Hiram Hisanori Kano, and raise up ambassadors for Christ to proclaim thy love and peace wherever conflict and hatred divide; through Jesus Christ our Lord who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.”
II: “Almighty God who has reconciled the world to yourself through Christ: Entrust to your church the ministry of reconciliation as you did to your servant Hiram Hisanori Kano, and raise up ambassadors for Christ to proclaim your love and peace wherever conflict and hatred divide; through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.”
Report abuse