著者

坂口 満宏

出版者

史学研究会 (京都大学大学院文学研究科内)

雑誌

史林 (ISSN:03869369)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.97, no.1, pp.133-170, 2014-01

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ここにいう国策移民事業とは、一九二〇年代から四〇年にかけて日本政府がブラジルへの移植民を奨励するため進めた、渡航費補助や支度金支給などの一連の施策のことである。一九二八年から一九三四年までの七年間はブラジル移民の最盛期で、この間に九万人余りの日本人がブラジルへ渡ったといわれている。では、いつ・どこから・何人の人びとが日本からブラジルに渡っていったのか。本稿の課題はこうした移民の「源流」を特定することである。まずは『伯刺西爾行移民名簿』の悉皆調査によって得られたデータをもとに、政府からの渡航費補助を受けた家族移民の輩出地を解析し、その全国的な分布を図解する。ついで移民卓越地域の事例として能本県と北海道をとりあげ、熊本県では高い小作料に苦しんだ八代郡の干拓地帯から、北海道では冷害による凶作被害をうけた道東や道中の町村から多くのブラジル移民が出たことを明らかにする。The national policy to promote the emigration enterprises described herein was composed of a series of measures advanced by the Japanese government to encourage migration and colonization in Brazil during the period from 1920s to 1940s. Those measures were programs such as assistance to defray the expenses of the voyage and an allowance for outfitting and provisions. The seven years from 1928 to 1934 were the golden age of Brazil-bound migration, and the number of emigrants from Japan reached more than 90, 000 in total during the period. Focusing on the points of origin for those moving from Japan to Brazil, this paper will discuss two major subjects. First, using the data obtained from the boarding lists of Brazil-bound migrants 伯刺西爾行移民名簿, this paper analyzes the predominant areas from which the emigrant families that received voyage subsidies from the government came and illustrates the distribution of emigrants with maps. Since the Home Ministry increased the total amount of the subsidy for voyage expenses in April 1928, most emigrants were able to receive voyage-expense assistance, which was 200 yen. This was the beginning of the Home Ministry's subsidy for family emigration. The number of emigrants, however, was also influenced by economic ups and downs, and it did not increase in a steady fashion. The travel-preparation subsidy, which was started in August 1932, drastically altered the situation. The program provided 50 yen for travel-preparation expenses for each applicant to the program. This subsidy served as pump priming, encouraging exhausted, poor peasants to decide to go to Brazil. After the start of the allowance for outfitting and provisions, prefectures such as Akita and Yamagata in the northeast and Saitama and Kanagawa in the Kanto region, which had previously produced few emigrant families, began to provide emigrants. Taking advantage of the provision-outfit allowance, emigration enterprises permeated society and developed nationally. Kumamoto was one of the "migration prefectures, " and the peak of the number of emigrants from that prefecture to Brazil came in 1929-30. The leading areas for emigrants were concentrated in the reclaimed land belt of the Yatsushiro district. Tenant farmers in the reclaimed land belt of Yatsushiro paid higher rents compared with tenants in other jurisdictions within the prefecture and, moreover, farming there required the use of a large amount of manure. The rate of leaving villages was higher than in other districts and the number of many big tenancies had also arisen. Against this historical and environmental background, Kumamoto became one of the chief "migration prefectures, " a major source of permanent emigrants to Brazil. On the other hand, in Hokkaido, the number of emigrants for Brazil increased rapidly from 1932 to 1935. One direct factor in the rapid growth of migrants was the poor harvest in 1931, as a result of which people who suffered serious damage were expected to move from Hokkaido to Brazil. Tokoro and Abashiri in eastern Hokkaido and Kamikawa in northern Hokkaido were the leading sources of families who received assistance due to the poor harvest. A considerable number of the emigrants came from families that not only received assistance for the poor harvest but also from the regular subsidy program. The flow of Brazil-bound migrants from Hokkaido continued till 1937.