Ka cika wannan jumla: An haifi Kono a shekara ta 1943 a Hilo, Hawaii, kuma iyayenta Yoshinori da Atsuko Asayama ne; kakanninta sun yi ƙaura daga Japan. Daya daga cikin abubuwan da ta fara tunawa shi ne daga tsunami na Afrilu 1 wanda ya haifar da
1946 Girgizar kasa ta tsibirin Aleutian; iyalinta sun rasa gidansu, wanda ke kusa da gefen ruwa inda Liliuokalani Gardens yake a yau, kuma an tilasta su zauna kusa da kakanta, waɗanda ke aiki da ƙaramin gonar shuka a Kaiwiki. An haife ta a matsayin Buddha Shin, kuma mahaifiyarta da kakarta sun kasance membobin Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin.