Eiichiro Azuma

Antecedentes de la migración japonesa al exterior

La migración de los japoneses al extranjero comenzó con la apertura de la isla nación al resto del mundo y con su ingreso a la época moderna en 1868. Al convertirse en parte de la red internacional de mano de obra, capital y transporte, repentinamente, los japoneses se hallaron en medio de un veloz cambio socioeconómico, que por lo tanto generó una población rural lista para la migración nacional e internacional.

Comienzos de la migración al exterior

En 1868, un empresario norteamericano envió a un grupo ...

Once he was our friend
The owner of the store now
Behaves nervously
Refusing to sell us goods

Shizue Iwatsuki¹

With the war coming to an end, Oregon experienced renewed anti-Japanese movements. In Gresham, local farmers and businessmen, inspired by the economic advantage of Japanese exclusion, started a campaign to prevent their return as early as 1943. This movement led to the establishment of the Oregon Anti-Japanese Inc., in November, 1944. Later renamed the Japanese Exclusion League, this group called for “the enactment of legislation, both State and Federal, designed to exclude from United States citizenship now ineligible for ...

The harsh winds of autumn
Pierce the spirit of those
Who live at the mercy of fate
Created by the war.

Akiyama¹

The internees had primitive living conditions. The North Portland Assembly Center had previously been used as the Pacific International Livestock Exposition Building and was barely adapted for human habitation. Each family was assigned to a small, single room in a large barrack with walls made of thin plywood sheets. In order to make each room as “homey” as possible, the internees made shelves, tables, chairs, cupboards and other furniture and appliances for themselves. They hung curtains or ...

We have spent two-thirds of our lives in the United States and we feel we are more American than Japanese; we are willing to do anything we may be asked to do to help our foster mother.

A Portland Issei, January 23, 1942¹

Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor had a profound impact on Issei life. Immediately classified as “enemy aliens,” they were no longer able to assure security for themselves or for their children. “Asleep or awake, I felt as if I were losing the color in my face,” said a Portland merchant. “I knew that our lives ...

A series of exclusions
Now getting used to it
I spend each day farming

Honda Fugetsu¹

While building their community and industries, Japanese immigrants struggled against exclusionists’ threats. Combined with the rise of anti-foreign sentiments of World War I, the rapid growth of Issei agriculture stirred whites’ fear of Japanese competition. As the Hood River Japanese farmers showed a notable prosperity with a high level of land ownership, they became the prime target of organized exclusionist attacks. The local American Legion was the forerunner of the movement. It not only opposed Japanese land ownership in Hood River but also ...