Hand painted onto the circular ceiling of longtime Hauula community member Kenneth Kenzo Furukawa’s three-story house are these words in Hawaiian: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” The words encircle an angelic scene Furukawa said he decided to paint after seeing many majestic ceilings on his trips to Europe.
Furukawa said house is named “Ku’u Home Me Na Anela O Nalani,” or “My Home With the Angels of the Heavens.” He said turning it into the structure it is today has been a matter of prayer. More than 30 years after buying a small, two-bedroom house, today the interior of his three-story home features a spiral staircase leading up to the ceiling art and Hawaiian words of ho‘okipa, or hospitality, that was painted and designed by Furukawa himself.
“I want kids to understand that you can. From an uncle who thought … I could not even live off [his first paycheck], to getting a house, I want them to know that you can. Nothing’s impossible.”
Despite not completing any formal training in architecture or design, Furukawa said whenever he goes to a new place, he always envisions what he would do to change it. When designing changes for his own house, Furukawa shared, it was no different. He said he would stand outside the sliding glass door on the deck and picture how he wanted to change its structure.
When he first came to look at the house, it was 42 years old, and Furukawa said it reminded him of his grandfather’s ranch house on Moloka‘i. The ranch house was built in the old board and batten style with old fashioned windows, Furukawa explained, which he said he likes, along with architecture and “nice things.”
One of Furukawa’s good friends and fellow full-time volunteer at the Hauula Community Association, Dotty Kelly-Paddock, said her friend is a gentle soul with a big heart for his community. “Ken [Furukawa] cares very deeply about making things nice and looking nice. He always says that in our meetings [community association meetings]. He wants people to care about their community and how it looks.” She added Furukawa frequently goes around the community offering to powerwash any of his neighbors’ properties, including the walkway in front of 7-Eleven.
Furukawa added, “My philosophy is, whatever your place is, ugly or whatever, you create your space.” Son to a Hawaiian mother and Japanese father, Furukawa said his parents named him after his father’s father, who passed away a month before Furukawa was born. “Kenzo,” Furukawa’s middle name, pays tribute to this grandfather and means “creative builder,” Furukawa explained.
It was this creative builder aspect of Furukawa’s personality that propelled his home-renovation project. Three years after he moved in, Furukawa said he had drawn up plans for the new design of his house. Using the resources available to him, including the bishop of his ward at the time who was a contractor looking for work, Furukawa made his designs come to life.
Furukawa shared other projects he has designed and completed over the years include a mini model of the Washington D.C. Temple and a Christus statue, both of which were displayed at the 1977 Moloka‘i Junior Chamber of Commerce (JCC) Annual Carnival. Furukawa explained this annual carnival was a huge affair in Moloka‘i where he grew up.
Furukawa said he was inspired by the 127-foot-tall replica of the eastern spires of the Salt Lake City temple that were displayed at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, according to the BYU Religious Education website. With this example in mind, Furukawa said he envisioned more for the Church’s booth at his hometown carnival and drew up plans for a mini Washington D.C. Temple because he liked the architecture. His dad helped him put it together, he added.
Another of Furukawa’s friends and fellow church member, Steven Carter, said Furukawa is not only creative but also he’s driven. “Creativity means something, but creativity coupled with work means a heck of a lot more. … He’s [Furukawa] a very hard worker, and he is willing to roll up his sleeves [and work]. And I think that kind of reflects itself in the way that he serves too. He doesn’t just talk the talk; he walks the walk.”
Making do
After graduating from BYU in Provo in 1980, Furukawa returned to Hawaii and lived with his sister in Honolulu, where he got a job at American Express Travel. “When I first got my first paycheck, when I looked at my paycheck I went, ‘They made a mistake. If this is my pay, I cannot live off of this!’” So, he went to his boss and asked her to check and make sure everything was okay.
When she assured him that nothing was askew, Furukawa said he thought to himself, “I cannot live with this pay!” Nine years later, however, his financial planner told him he had reached his goal and could afford his own house, Furukawa shared.
From there, Furukawa said his life was dollar movies, working two jobs, catching the bus whenever he could to save money and working on his house whenever he got the chance. Walking around his house, Furukawa also described different additions, such as countertops and curtains, that he received for free or relatively cheap because he’s not afraid to use materials others are throwing away to bring his ideas to life.
“My grandmother on the Japanese side of the family always said, ‘Go [to] school, study hard, work hard, save your money.’ But I always liked nice things. But you know, if you can’t afford it, then you just do with what you have.”
Furukawa said he was always interested in architecture, even when he was a child. When asked what style of house he wanted when he was growing up, Furukawa said he could not decide on any one style, adding, “‘No, I don’t want just one house. I need at least six.’” Although people have been surprised by this declaration, Furukawa said it proved prophetic in a way. After his father passed away, Furukawa said he and his sister were left with all the houses their dad had built on Moloka‘i, which happened to be six of them.
A good neighbor to all
He bought his now 75-year-old house in Hauula in June of 1990 and said he has lived there ever since. However, he visits Moloka‘i frequently to check on the rental units of his other houses. Although he didn’t originally have the best impression of Hauula, Furukawa explained, “That’s what I bought because that’s what I could afford.”
However, during his time here, he said his love for the place has expanded. Kelly-Paddock said, “[Furukawa is] so concerned about the community. He is very busy with his church and his rental properties, but I would say [the] Hauula community comes in there very close to next place.”
Kelly-Paddock, originally from Indiana, said she met Furukawa in 2009, although they both moved to Honolulu in the 1980s. In 2014, the two of them started “Hui O Hauula,” a nonprofit with the goal to “improve the resilience of the community,” shared Kelly-Paddock.
Carter, who teaches at BYU–Hawaii as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education & Social Work, described Furukawa as “endearingly frank” and said he is always willing to serve but is also very direct.
“Ken [Furukawa] is one of those people who is just a good neighbor to all. He may say some things sometimes that not everybody agrees with, but he’s just a good neighbor to all. He’s sincere.” Carter explained Furukawa is always helping his neighbors with their yard work. One time, Furukawa brought grass in a garbage bag all the way from Moloka‘i and helped Carter and his family plant it in their yard, Carter shared.
“He’s willing to do—in his own kind of funny, quirky way—whatever he can do to serve people around him. I think service is a core part of who he is.”