Born in Araraquara in 1946, Jorge Junzi Okubaro is a multifaceted intellectual with a diverse academic and professional trajectory, having taught university entrance exams prep courses in Physics and Mathematics to support himself through his studies in Civil Engineering, Journalism and Social Sciences at the University of São Paulo (USP).
In addition to his work as a journalist and writer, he is a member of the Deliberative Council of the Brazilian Press Association (ABI) and chairs the Center for Japanese-Brazilian Studies (CENB or Jinmonken), contributing to the debate on relevant topics in Japanese-Brazilian culture and society.
But becoming president of Jinmonken happened by chance, just like his choice to become a journalist was an opportunity that arose through a friend. The author still faces some difficulties as the institution’s director, trying to restore Jinmonken’s former greatness. The collection constitutes a fundamental patrimony to safeguard cultural identity, establishing a vital link between generations.
Okubaro highlights the difficulties inherent in managing a large entity, in particular the need to translate key parts from antiquated Japanese, an undertaking that requires considerable financial resources. Another barrier to be overcome is the shortage of translators fluent in pre-orthographic reform Japanese from before 1946. He comments that this reform simplified writing and reduced the number of kanji, thus making it even more challenging to find professionals who can work with texts from before this change.
Okubaro also emphasizes the importance of strengthening CENB’s research team, especially Portuguese-speaking researchers, to ensure the continuity and preservation of the collection. He argues that the lack of professionals and lack of financial resources have compromised the institution’s dynamics and put its existence at risk. He expresses deep concern about the possibility of closing Jinmonken in Brazil, since the institution’s publisher was fundamental in carrying out research into its books and other important works on Japanese immigration. The preservation of this organization is crucial for the continuity of studies on the Nikkei community in Brazil.
Okubaro has written and co-authored several books of his own. His preeminent work is O súdito: (Banzai, Massateru!) [The Subject (Banzai, Massateru!)] (2006), which was “transformative in every sense,” in the words of the writer. The work deepened his interest in Nikkei culture, especially Okinawan culture.
Okubaro tells us that his identity as an Okinawan Nikkei in Brazil was a complex formation marked by cultural duality, in which he felt like he was part of an ethnic minority not only in Brazilian society but also in the Japanese community. He mentions that his mother made him practice Okinawan dance, sanshin and kendo, but Okubaro did not take to any of these activities. And the Okinawan dialect (Uchinaaguchi) could only be used at home. He even mentions that his mother, Fussako, fearing that he would be ridiculed, forbade him to speak the dialect in public, which further increased his isolation and shame about his roots. Only after six years of research and writing about his father’s life did the author come to understand that he had never stopped being Uchinanchu (having Okinawan spirit).
At first, Jorge, his wife Nancy, and his older brother thought that the book would divide the family and that the Okinawans would hate them, but it turned out that after its release, the work “contributed to Okinawans starting to identify themselves as such. They had been ashamed to present themselves as Okinawans, in fact I don’t know if the book contributed much, but it contributed to some degree to Okinawans beginning to identify themselves with more courage, and I became part of Okinawan associations, which I had no contact with before 2006,” reveals the author.
History of Massateru and family
The book O súdito: (Banzai, Massateru!) tells the story of the protagonist, Massateru Hokubaru, father of the author Jorge J. Okubaro. In 1918, at just 13 years old, Massateru left Okinawa and immigrated to Brazil together with his uncle and aunt Taru and Ushii, who were recently married. Massateru was the second son of the couple Chuudoo and Taru (his mother had the same name as her brother-in-law).
Massateru was among the nearly 6,000 immigrants who entered Brazil in 1918. In 1931, at the age of 16, Massateru married Fussako. They had a total of nine children, seven biological and two adopted. Over the years, the couple labored in agriculture, owned an ice cream shop and a dye shop, and worked as market vendors. The father failed in all of his professional choices and “left no assets or debts,” said the writer in his 2006 work.
The family suffered many hardships and deprivations after their arrival in Brazil. Under a measure taken by the Vargas administration after the establishment of the Estado Novo (1937-1945), immigrants’ assets were frozen and they lost control of their property. Such actions were implemented in order to isolate foreign communities and reduce their participation in society.
Troubles resulting from World War II and the emergence of Shindo Renmei
The situation deteriorated drastically on January 29, 1942, with the rupture of diplomatic relations between Brazil and the Axis countries (Germany, Italy and Japan). The Japanese community found itself deprived of its diplomatic representatives with the closure of embassies and consulates. Foreign languages were banned, and foreign schools like Nihongakkō (日本語学校) were forced to adopt Portuguese as their main language and use Brazilian names. News from Japan arrived precariously, because the Brazilian government also banned the circulation of Japanese newspapers and other materials.
Some Japanese people were able to tune into Radio Tokyo broadcasts. The news of Brazilian ships sunk by German submarines in 1942 caused outrage among the Brazilian population. There were several demonstrations against the Axis, in which the general population attacked and destroyed Japanese homes, since they Japanese immigrants were easier to identify than those from other countries. In February 1943, Japanese living in the Liberdade neighborhood of São Paulo were ordered to leave. In July, Brazilian authorities ordered the removal of immigrants from the São Paulo coastal strip within 24 hours (Okubaro, 2006).
Despite the prohibitions, the immigrants resisted and gathered together. Even without access to accurate information, they trusted what they learned through word of mouth. There was a group of Japanese living in Brazil who considered the news about Japan’s defeat in the war to be false and believed that the Brazilians, defeated along with the Americans, were trying to avoid publicly admitting this fact.
This is how the organization Caminho dos Súditos (Shindo Renmei) emerged. Its members came to comprise almost three quarters of all Japanese who came to Brazil between 1908 and 1941, when immigration was suspended. The prohibition of publications in Japanese and the immigrants’ difficulty reading Portuguese favored the dissemination of false information. In addition, the official Japanese radio station was taken off the air, which deprived the Japanese community of information (Okubaro, 2006).
The writer highlights the importance and “need for society to be well-informed about relevant facts.” For him, the “ban on the circulation of information in Japanese strengthened the emergence of the lies disseminated by Shindo Renmei.” He also emphasizes that misinformation travels very quickly and very widely and this generates absurd opinions, one of the main lessons we can learn from the history of Shindo Renmei to avoid similar conflicts in the future.
In 1946, while Fussako was awaiting the birth of his seventh child, Jorge “Junji,” Massateru was arrested for being a member of the Shindo Renmei organization. After a month in prison in São Paulo, he returned to his family in Araraquara, where he was initially ashamed but later recognized the error of his conviction.
Massateru’s prison situation also put him at risk of deportation. To remain in Brazil, he had to prove that he had Brazilian children whose livelihood depended on his care. The difference in the children’s records, the older ones with Japanese names and the younger ones with Brazilian names, reflected the complexity of their identity and the difficulty of adapting to a new reality.
Many immigrants still fought and divided themselves between Kachigumi (勝ち組) and Makegumi (負け組), that is, the victorious group and the defeated group. There was a division between the immigrants and in this nebulous period, Seicho-No-Ie, a Japanese religious group, sent a representative to Brazil to address this duality among the Japanese. It was not a matter of discussing victory or defeat, because, ideally, Japan “is an eternally victorious nation” (Okubaro, p. 357, 2006). Although it did not fully satisfy their thirst for intellectual knowledge, the sacred texts offered a spiritual dimension that consoled them in the face of defeat. The writer tells us that his mother became a speaker at Seicho-no-Ie, but he himself did not become a follower.
In 2024, in Brazil, the Amnesty Commission of the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship recognized the repression and political persecution suffered by Japanese immigrants and their descendants during the Vargas Era and apologized officially to these victims. Since 2015, the Japanese community, represented by the Okinawa Kenjin Association of Brazil and documentary filmmaker Mário Jun Okuhara, had been seeking an official retraction of the crimes of mistreatment and discrimination committed against the Japanese during World War II (Okubaro, 2024).
The book O súdito: (Banzai, Massateru!) shows that experiences are shared, that is, many of our experiences are collective, shaped by common social, cultural and historical factors. Feelings such as love, loss, joy and sadness are universal and transcend individuality.
Massateru Hokubaru’s story, narrated by his son Jorge J. Okubaro, is a reminder that our individual stories are part of a larger narrative. Perhaps the writer is not fully aware of the profound impact his work had on the Okinawan community and other Nikkei. Although it can be confused with the story of other Japanese immigrants, Massateru’s journey is a testament to the difficulties and triumphs faced by those seeking a better life.
Although he faced several failures in his professional career, the protagonist, like many immigrants, dedicated himself to building a better future for his descendants. Choosing to remain in Brazil, he invested in their integration into Brazilian society, encouraging them to learn the Portuguese language and adopt Catholic rituals, like most Brazilians, in order to provide his children with more promising opportunities and bridge the cultural gap. Okubaro notes that, relative to the expectations of the era and the historical context, the siblings had satisfactory lives. Most of them graduated in Economics, one sister studied Law, and two other brothers did not graduate but nonetheless achieved a good degree of personal fulfillment.
The ability to connect through stories is an trait inherent to humanity. Sharing experiences like Massateru Hokubaru’s strengthens community bonds and makes us feel part of something bigger. Massateru’s story, though unique, can serve as a mirror for many other Japanese immigrants, whether Uchinaanchu (Okinawans) or Naichi (Main Island Japanese).
References
Okubaro, Jorge J. O súdito: (Banzai, Massateru!). São Paulo: Editora Terceiro Nome, 2006.
Okubaro, Jorge J. “A hora das vítimas.” São Paulo: Estadão. July 30, 2024. Accessed on November 25, 2024.
© 2025 Meiry Mayumi Onohara
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