This booklet illustrates the Buraku discrimination issue from a historical perspective and in the today’s social context. Containing numerous photos, graphs and statistical tables, it helps readers gain an easy yet comprehensive understanding of the problem. This booklet is unique as its text is in both English and Japanese.

Contents

History 1: From the Early Modern to the Modern Ages

• Discriminated-against People in the Early Modern Age
• Performers in the Early Modern Age
• Gravestones with Discriminatory Kaimyo (posthumous names)
• The Feudal Class System
• The Shibuzome Uprising (1856)
• The Emancipation Edict (1871)
• The Peasant Riots against the Emancipation Edict (1871-1877)
• The Declaration of the Levelers Association and its General Policy (1922)

History 2: From the Foundation of the Levelers Association to the Resumption of the Buraku Liberation Movement after World War II

• The Flag with a Crown of Thorns
• Mr. Jiichiro Matsumoto (1887-1966)
• The Serada Village Incident (1925)
• The Denunciation Struggle against Marriage Discrimination in Takamatsu (1933)
• The National Committee for Buraku Liberation (1946-1955)

History 3: Internationalization and Improvement of the Human Rights Situation

• The “All Romance” Struggle (1951)
• Petition Drive Seeking State Measures for Buraku Liberation
• The Sayama Case (1963)
• Mr. Kazuo Ishikawa’s Release on Parole
• The “Buraku Lists”
• Discriminatory Remarks During the Third World Conference on Religion and Peace
• The Campaign for the Ratification of International Covenants (1977-1979)
• The International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR)

Education

• Campaign for Free Provision of Textbooks
• The National Dowa Educators’ Association
• The Children’s Association for Buraku Liberation
• The Literacy Movement
• Korean Ethnic School

Employment

• Slaughter-house Employment
• Shoemaking
• Recycling Copper Wires
• Garbage Collection
• Drum Making

The Reality of Buraku Discrimination and Today’s Liberation Movement

• Urban Buraku Communities-Before the Enactment of the Special Measures Laws
• Urban Buraku Communities-After the Enactment of the Special Measures Laws
• Rural Buraku Communities-Before the Enactment of the Special Measures Laws
• Former Rural Buraku Communities-After the Enactment of the Laws
• Conditions of Undesignated Buraku Community
• Marriage Discrimination
• Discrimination on the Internet
• Discriminatory Background Investigation Incident
• Illegal Obtainment of Copies of the Family Register
• Discriminatory Placards
• Threats by a University Student
• The Role of the Mass-Media
• The National Campaign for the Enactment of the Fundamental Law for Buraku Liberation

The Reality of Buraku Discrimination

• Financial status of Buraku Households
• Employment Status of Workers in Buraku
• Annual Income of Workers in Buraku
• Educational Achievement of Buraku People
• Enrollment in School of Buraku People
• Details of Human Rights Violation Faced by Buraku People
• Attitude of Parents of Non-Buraku Origin Regarding the Marriage of their Child