THE japanese immigrationin Brazil began on June 18, 1908 with the arrival of the first Japanese ship, Kasato Maru, in the port of Santos.
Background
At the end of the 19th century, with the Meiji Revolution (1868), Japan opened up to the world and changed its social organization.
In this way, taxes levied on peasants increased, forcing thousands of people to head to the city. Likewise, the population had grown and the Japanese government began to encourage immigration to America.
Meanwhile, Brazil was also undergoing profound changes. With the end of the slave trade, in 1850, the price of an enslaved person increased and the planters began to hire European immigrant labor to make up for the lack of slaves.
Thus, we realized that the stimulus to bring immigrants to Brazil was due to racial prejudice. Coffee plantation owners preferred to pay a white foreigner to a black worker who already knew how to do the job.
Japanese Immigration in the Republic
With the advent of the Republic, this policy of eliminating the African was intensified. On October 5, 1892, Law No. 97 was passed, which allowed Japanese and Chinese immigration to Brazil.
It also provided for the opening of embassies and the signing of trade agreements between both countries.
Japan has taken an interest in this opening and Ambassador Fukashi Sugimura takes up his diplomatic post and examines conditions in the country.
Very well received, Sugimura writes a report favorable to the coming of Japanese to Brazil. Subsequently, Japanese immigration is handed over to private companies.
The companies then advertised in which they sold the coffee plant as the "golden tree", harvesting it was an easy task and the immigrant would quickly get rich and return rich to Japan.
Arrival of Japanese Immigrants
In 1908, the ship "Kasato Maru" arrived at the Port of Santos, in São Paulo, bringing 781 Japanese. Single people were not allowed, only married people with children.
Japanese immigrants signed 3-, 5- and 7-year employment contracts with the owners of the farms and, in case of non-compliance, they had to pay heavy fines.
Without speaking the language and without any infrastructure prepared to receive them, the Japanese immigrants realized that they had been deceived.
As contracts ended, many left the coffee plantations. Those who did not want to wait, on the other hand, fled to large cities and to other states such as Minas Gerais and Paraná, where land had a more affordable price.
With patience and determination, the Japanese manage to farm in the countryside or open businesses in the city and stabilize their lives. It is estimated that 190,000 Japanese came to Brazil before World War II.
Japanese Immigration in World War II
During the 1940s, however, the scenario would quickly change. Brazil supported the United States and England in World War II (1939-1945) while Japan fought alongside Germany and Italy.
When Brazil declares war on the Axis countries in 1942, a series of laws will harm communities Japanese such as closing schools, associations, sports clubs and the use of national symbols Japanese.
In addition, their sales are impaired, they are prohibited from meeting, and many have had their property and assets confiscated.
In state assemblies, the prohibition of the coming of the “yellow element” to the country was discussed, as this would represent a danger to society.
In any case, Japanese immigrants would continue to arrive until the 1970s.
Influences
Japanese immigrants introduced new crops such as tea or silkworms in the Brazilian countryside. They perfect the cultivation of potatoes, tomatoes and rice and, for this reason, they were called "agricultural gods".
They also brought religions like the Buddhism and Shinto, typical dances and martial arts such as judo and karate.
Japanese-Brazilian Personalities
Several immigrants and Japanese descendants stood out in Brazil. Let's look at some examples:
- Haruo Ohara (1909-1999), farmer and photographer
- Tomie Ohtake (1913-2015), plastic artist and painter
- Yukishigue Tamura (1915-2011), political
- Tikashi Fukushima (1920-2001), painter and draughtsman
- Manabu Mabe (1924-1997), draughtsman, painter and upholsterer
- Tizuka Yamazaki (1949), filmmaker
- Hugo Hoyama (1969), athlete
- Lincoln Ueda (1974), athlete
- Daniele Suzuki (1977), actress and presenter
- Juliana Imai (1985), model
Curiosities
- There are several institutions that preserve the memory of Japanese immigrants, such as the Historical Museum of the Japanese Immigration from Brazil, in São Paulo or the Museum of Agricultural Colonization of Paraná, in Rolândia.
- In the city of São Paulo, the Liberdade district is a reference for commerce and Japanese culture.
- Brazil is the country that concentrates the largest population of Japanese people outside of Japan.
Read more:
- Immigration in Brazil
- Japan
- Japan Economy
- acculturation
- Meiji Revolution
