In the early 1946 Tsutomu Maehara returned from being incarcerated during World War II at Tule Lake to open Anzen Hardware on First Street in Little Tokyo. The Hotel Supply store supplied many local SRO (single room occupancy) hotels with basic necessary items such as toilet paper, cleaning supplies, paints, etc. As Japanese-Americans moved to the suburbs and with the decline of SRO hotels, Anzen evolved into a hardware store, supplying American Hardware tools, Japanese Gardening tools, and Japanese knives. During this time, Nori Takatani (a relative of Tsutomu’s) joined the Anzen family and worked with us for over 70 years.

After eighty years, Anzen Hardware & Supply Co returned to its original location at 220 East First Street, under the new ownership of Tsutomu’s daughter and grandson, Jo Ann and Philip Hirose.