A group of women poses outdoors; one woman near the center is marked with a yellow arrow.

Lois Hideko Niiya: the Force Behind the Japanese Church of Christ

Published September 29, 2026

Utah women are everywhere – shaping our communities, our past, and our future. In this “Where Women Made History” series, learn about women from across Utah and the places they influenced. 

Contributed by Emma Webb

Lois Hideko Niiya (Hashimoto), a college graduate who played a pivotal role in establishing the Japanese Church of Christ in Salt Lake City, is frequently remembered because of the men in her family. Niiya’s husband, Edward Diagoro Hashimoto, came to the United States in 1890 and built a labor agency that earned him the title of “Diagoro Sama” (great man). Meanwhile, her son, Dr. Edward Hashimoto, was a respected doctor who taught at the University of Utah and saw patients at his home clinic. Meanwhile, Niiya contributed to the economic, religious, and cultural wellbeing of her community and the state.

Niiya was born in the Kobe region of Japan in 1888. At a time when women were rarely educated, Niiya graduated from Kobe College, a missionary college, and came to the United States in 1906 to complete postgraduate work at the University of California. After marrying E.D. Hashimoto, Niiya relocated to Salt Lake City, where her family laid the foundation for the Japanese community. E.D. had his hand in many businesses, but he is best known for his labor agency, which brought Japanese laborers to the United States to work in the railroads and the mines, two industries that greatly improved the state’s economic outlook. The family also ran a store on 163 West and South Temple where Niiya often managed the storefront and interacted with customers – evidence of her contributions to the family income.

The growing Japanese population in Salt Lake City spurred the establishment of the Japanese Church of Christ in 1918. Under the leadership of Reverend Kenjo Tajima, the congregation undertook proselyting efforts by organizing a Ladies Society and the Christian Endeavor Society to recruit Japanese converts in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and some of Colorado. The congregation grew to the point that they desired a formal church, and the community organized to fund its construction.

As the daughter of an Episcopalian minister, Niiya found faith very important, and she worked tirelessly to establish the Japanese Church of Christ. Her son recalled: “Mother made this Japanese church downtown and went around to all of Dad’s businessmen friends and got donations and built that little church all by herself… I remember going around seeing Dr. Plum, G.E., bankers, and so on that knew Hashimoto; she twisted their arms and finally got enough money to build the church.” Construction on the church was completed on November 2nd, 1924, and Niiya celebrated with the rest of her congregation by donating her Japanese New Testament, a precious keepsake that she had brought from Japan 18 years earlier, for preservation in the time capsule. The church remained an essential institution for Niiya, and she attended it frequently for the rest of her life.

Though Lois Hideko Niiya is often remembered as the wife of a businessman and the mother of a professor, where would those men have been without her contributions? Her business acumen and community leadership sustained the family store and the Japanese Church of Christ, while her educational achievements set a powerful example for her son. Today, the Japanese Church of Christ still stands in downtown Salt Lake City as a lasting, physical testament to Niiya’s efforts. Including stories like hers – those that reveal the essential, often overlooked, roles women played in shaping their communities – invites us to look beyond the familiar names and honor the women who made it all possible.

Group of women and children posing outdoors; one woman in center is marked with a yellow arrow.
Inscription in a book dated June 26, 1906, with handwritten dedication and Bible quote.
A large group of people poses in front of a building; one person is marked with a yellow arrow.
A group of people pose for a photo outside a house; an arrow points to one woman in the center.
A weathered metal box contains old books, papers, and newspapers on a green cutting mat.

Do you have a woman’s story to tell? Reach out to the Women’s History Initiative at [email protected].

Works Cited

Brett, Heidi. “Just a Matter of Time: Library’s Preservation Team Conserves Items in Time Capsule.” J Willard Marriott Library Blog, November 5, 2025. https://blog.lib.utah.edu/just-a-matter-of-time-librarys-preservation-team-conserves-items-in-time-capsule/.

“Experience the Japanese Church of Christ Photograph Collection.” AttheU. Accessed September 2, 2026. https://attheu.utah.edu/arts-humanities/experience-the-japanese-church-of-christ-photograph-collection/.

Hashimoto, Dr. Edward I. No.558 Edward I. Hashimoto. Interview by Leslie Kellen. J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, April 25, 1984.

Kasai, Alice, and Helen Z. Papanikolas, “Japanese Life in Utah,” in The Peoples of Utah, ed. Helen Z. Papanikolas (Utah Historical Society, 1976) 333-362.

McCormick, John. “Structure/Site Information Form,” August 1979. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/82004144_text.

Thelin, Mike. “Dr. Edward I. Hashimoto.” EHSL Digital Publishing and Collections, October 30, 2018. https://library.med.utah.edu/publishing/exhibition/dr-edward-i-hashimoto/.

Images:

  1. https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6wh3ccc
  2. https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6ff4fqb
  3. https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6ns1h9z
  4. https://blog.lib.utah.edu/just-a-matter-of-time-librarys-preservation-team-conserves-items-in-time-capsule/