Henry Furumizo

Henry Kukuzo Furumizo (1900–1993) was a Japanese-born orchid grower and hybridizer based in Kahului, Maui.

Born in Fukushima, Japan, Furumizo specialized in breeding Vanda and related tropical orchids. He registered numerous hybrids with the Royal Horticultural Society under the name H. Furumizo during the late 1960s and 1970s. His registered hybrids included Vanda Henry Furumizo (1968), Vanda James Furumizo (1969), Vanda Farley Furumizo (1969), and Vanda Stuart Furumizo (1971). He died in Kahului on April 3, 1993, at age 92. His obituary lists his wife, Kiyoko; his son, Satomi; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Furumizo’s son, Satomi James Furumizo (1932–2013), was born on Maui and worked as a fabrication mechanic in the aerospace industry. He was also an orchid hobbyist. Satomi’s obituary identifies his children as Farley, Stuart, and Julie, and states that he had five grandchildren.

The orchid registrations correspond to these family members:

• Vanda James Furumizo — 1969 — Satomi James Furumizo
• Vanda Farley Furumizo — 1969 — grandson Farley
• Vanda Stuart Furumizo — 1971 — grandson Stuart
• Ascocenda Julie Furumizo — 1983 — granddaughter Julie

Farley, Julie, and Stuart were born in California in 1959, 1962, and 1964, respectively. The orchid registrations preserve the names of Henry’s son and three grandchildren, with the Furumizo surname carried directly into the registered hybrid names.