King Kalakaua's Japanese Screen Returns to Iolani Palace

After an absence of over one hundred years, King Kalakaua's Japanese wood panel screen returned to the Music Room of Iolani Palace on May 30, 2008. This fine example of Japanese craftsmanship and design was originally a gift to the King from the Hawaiian consul general to Japan, Robert W. Irwin, and his wife, in February of 1885.The late Seiju Ifuku, the founder of Rainbows Drive-In and an avid collector of historic objects, donated this piece to The Friends of Iolani Palace in 1978. It remained in storage for the last three decades awaiting conservation treatment. After a nation-wide appeal, current and former Hawaii residents, as far away as New York, South Carolina and California, provided the necessary funds for treatment.

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