The old Dobashi Market was opened by Issei Kinosuke Dobashi in 1912 as Kinokuniya Shoten, a grocery store named after his hometown near the River Ki in Japan. The original store was a one-story, wood frame structure offering a variety of items needed by new immigrants such as candles, vegetables, and fresh or salted fish.

The original building was torn down in 1935 and replaced by the first non-wood frame building on Jackson Street, where they continued to stock Japanese food as well as farm tools, shoes, fishing equipment, and other useful items. Upon Kinosuke’s retirement, he passed the store on to his Nisei sons.

The Dobashi family was interned during World War II but returned and reopened the store at 240 Jackson Street in 1945. Today, the old Dobashi market building houses Tsugaru Restaurant. The Dobashi market closed its doors in early 2006 after nearly 100 years of serving San Jose’s Japantown community.

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