The Story of the Japanese Peruvians

They’re one of the world’s most important Japanese diaspora groups. Meet the Japanese-Peruvians, and learn their dramatic history.

By Noah Oskow

It was the late 19th century, and a rumor was spreading in the rural hinterlands of Japan. Poor farmers, only a few decades removed from their former position as peasants under the rule of now-abolished samurai fiefdoms, enduring another difficult winter, spoke to each other of a far-off land “full of gold,” where, some said, snow never fell. As Japan’s urban centers modernized, new rail tracks linking ports teeming with foreign traders in strange garb, the countryside was stagnating, and poverty reigned. But, it was said, a farmer could earn twice his monthly wages in this rumored land: a country known as “Peru.” [1]

In 1898, the Sakura-maru left its berth at the port of Yokohama, bound for the Andean coast in far off South America. On board were 790 Japanese men between the ages of 20 and 45. None would have ever before left the country. Only decades earlier, the act of leaving Japan had carried the death sentence. They intended to work on coastal plantations for a few years, save up some money, and return home. Like many immigrants before and after, the idea of quickly accruing money and departing would lead to something more permanent.