Tuhia he tohutoro mō tēnei wāhanga - I whānau a Kono i te tau 1943 ki Hilo, Hawaii ki a Yoshinori rāua ko Atsuko Asayama; ko ōna tīpuna he manene nō Hapani. Ko tētahi o ana maharatanga tuatahi no te 1 o Paenga-whāwhā i puta mai i te ruu o te motu o Aleutian i te tau 1946
; i ngaro i tōna whānau tō rātou kāinga, e tata ana ki te taha o te wai kei reira nei ngā kari o Liliuokalani i tēnei rā, ā, i akina rātau ki te noho tata ki ōna tupuna, e whakahaere ana i tētahi pāmu rākau huka iti i Kaiwiki. I whakaarahia ia hei Shin Buddhist, a ko tana whaea me tana kuia he mema kaha o Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin.