The content of this article is written with authoritative information combined with personal opinions, and the source of the literature and screenshots have been marked in the article, please be aware.
More than 100 years ago, a mighty fleet of immigrants crossed the Pacific Ocean and sent tens of thousands of Japanese to Brazil on the other side, where they saw Brazil as a golden paradise and a place of hope for a future that escaped poverty.
However, with the tide of 100 years of history, this journey is far more complicated than imagined, full of hardships, struggles, and the throes of cultural collision.
Those Japanese who have crossed the ocean are just pieces on the chessboard of the Japan government.
Loading...
Source: Why are there so many Japan immigrants in Brazil? People's Daily Online 2016-05-26
The "paradise" of your dreams
At the end of the 19th century, after the Meiji Restoration, Japan society was like a pot of boiling water, thriving on the surface, but undercurrent on the inside.
The wave of industrialization swept in, bringing about economic take-off, but also bringing about explosive population growth. Limited land resources and a burgeoning population are like two powerful forces squeezing each other, pushing Japan society to the brink of collapse.
"The country can't roll anymore, and if it goes on like this, you can only drink the northwest wind!" At that time, Japan society was full of such anxiety and panic.
In order to alleviate the increasingly acute social contradictions at home and to find a new way out of the growing imperial ambitions, the Japan government set its sights overseas, and a well-planned wave of immigration began.
And Brazil, the distant southern United States, with its vast land, rich resources and open immigration policy, has become a "fragrant bait" in the eyes of the Japan government.
"Go to Brazil, where there is gold everywhere, and you can live a good life with white rice and sugar water!" The flood of posters and advertisements portrayed Brazil as a "paradise" of opportunities, attracting countless desperate Japanese poor.
In 1907, the first Japanese immigrants embarked on the Kasato Maru bound for Brazil with a vision for the future.
However, they were greeted not by the imaginary "paradise", but by the harsh environment and the harsh reality.
Language barriers, cultural differences, and huge differences in living habits are like invisible barriers that separate them from Brazil society.
In order to survive and preserve their cultural roots, they huddled together to keep warm, established closed Japanese communities, and tenaciously guarded their cultural roots in foreign lands.
For the Japan government, however, these uprooted migrants are merely a tool to achieve their national strategy.
By exporting surplus population to Brazil, the Japan government can not only relieve domestic social pressure, but also obtain huge economic benefits, and expand Japan's international influence by exporting Japan culture to other parts of the world.
Choices under the baptism of war
However, with the outbreak of World War II, the dream of "paradise" for Japan immigrants to Brazil was completely reduced to a cruel disillusionment.
The Brazil government, which had warmly welcomed them, was deeply wary and suspicious of the Japanese community in the shadow of the iron heel of Japan's fascists.
"Japan are spies!" "They will cooperate with the inside and the outside to subvert our country!" Rumors such as these have spread throughout Brazil society and pushed the Japanese community to the forefront.
In order to avoid persecution, many families of Japanese descent have been forced to change their names, abandon their familiar language and culture, and even distance themselves from their own compatriots.
The clouds of war, like a lingering nightmare, hung over the hearts of every Japanese descendant.
They are forbidden to use Japanese, their children are forced to learn Portugal, and their cultural traditions are treated as beasts of prey, ruthlessly suppressed and destroyed.
The once closed Japanese community, under the iron fist of war, had to be forced to open its doors and try to integrate into the unfamiliar Brazil society.
However, this forced integration is full of pain and struggle, language barriers, cultural differences, and identity confusion, like an insurmountable chasm, separating the Japanese community from Brazil society.
They are like rootless duckweeds, oscillating between two cultures, struggling to find a true sense of belonging.
A cultural blend between the two countries
After the end of World War II, Japan was in ruins, and Japanese immigrants in Brazil also ushered in new opportunities. With hard work, wisdom and tenacity, they have established themselves in Brazil society and have made remarkable achievements in the fields of economy and culture.
At the same time, as Japan's economy took off, the ties between the Japanese community in Brazil and their country of origin became increasingly close.
They brought Japan's advanced technology and management experience back to Brazil and promoted the development of Brazil's economy; They also brought Brazil's warm and unrestrained culture back to Japan, breathing new vitality into Japan society.
Soccer is a popular sport that has taken the world by storm and has become a cultural bridge between Japan and Brazil.
Driven by Japanese footballers in Brazil, Japan has grown by leaps and bounds to become a leader in Asian football.
Brazil Jiu-Jitsu, a new martial arts system that combines Japanese judo and Brazil martial arts, has become Brazil's "national skill" and is popular all over the world.
Today, Brazil has become the country with the largest diaspora of Japanese descent, and the Japanese community has become an integral part of Brazil society.
They are no longer the closed, conservative group, but are actively integrated into Brazil society, playing an increasingly important role in politics, economy, culture and other fields.
A hundred years of vicissitudes, the process of Japan's immigration to Brazil is an epic full of hardships and struggles, and it is also a good story of cultural integration and integration.
From their original dream of "paradise", to their forced integration into Brazil society, to their current role as a cultural bridge between Japan and Brazil, they demonstrate the infinite possibilities of human beings transcending borders and integrating cultures.
The author thinks
Looking back over the past 100 years, those Japan who have crossed the ocean may never have imagined that they and their descendants would take root and grow in this strange land, and eventually become a cultural link between two distant countries.
Their stories have also become a unique landscape in the history of human civilization, showing the power of cultural integration and the infinite hope of mankind for a better future.