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Triumph Over Discrimination
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| The
Fujiwara family. Makiko (front row, right) wearing a
hanbok with Tetsukyu (second from right) and Hiromi
(far right) |
The Fujiwara
family living in Japan's Kansai region illustrate the
complexity of identity issues facing Koreans in Japan. Ms.
Makiko Fujiwara's father was Korean and her mother Japanese.
Makiko is officially Japanese, but her husband, Tetsukyu, a
second-generation Korean resident in Japan, is Korean. Each of
their five children has chosen his or her own nationality, and
three are Koreans and two are Japanese.
Although there are ancient historical links between Japan and
Korea which have given rise to Japanese Buddhism, writing,
construction techniques, art, music and culture, Japan's
attitude to its cultural benefactor has frequently been one of
prejudice rather than respect and appreciation. The initial
responsibility for this discrimination lies with the Japanese
colonization of Korea from 1910 to 1945. During this time, the
Japanese government invaded and desecrated Korea, and Koreans
living in Japan were treated with contempt by most Japanese
who blindly followed their government's lead. Koreans were
made to adopt Japanese names and then forced into slave labor
in Japanese mines and factories. After the war, second- and
third-generation Koreans in Japan continued to struggle
against xenophobic discrimination.
Tetsukyu, who now manages an organic food business, can still
recall the discrimination and bullying he suffered as a child.
When he was a schoolboy, discrimination against Koreans was
blatant: his teacher told him it was pointless for him to
attend senior high school because he wouldn't be able to get a
job upon graduation. In 1953, Tetsukyu and his mother became
members of the Soka Gakkai after hearing about Buddhist
teachings related to equality and the meaning of life. The
Buddhist teaching which clarifies that every individual,
regardless of nationality, possesses the Buddha nature was
something he had been seeking for many years.
Makiko joined the Soka Gakkai in 1961 and started work in a
beauty salon after leaving junior high school. Her parents had
divorced, and she and her brothers were living with their
mother and stepfather. She started practicing Buddhism when,
after the tragic death of her brothers in a fire, she was
inspired by the encouragement and support of local Soka Gakkai
members. Eventually, she opened her own beauty parlor.
Makiko frequently experienced discrimination and prejudice
while she was bringing up her five children. However, she
continued to live in accordance with her ideals, transforming
every adversity into an opportunity for growth.
Makiko believes that her strength to triumph over
discrimination came from her Buddhist practice. She has always
brought her children up to treasure their Korean heritage. Her
eldest daughter, Hiromi, once performed a Korean dance wearing
a hanbok, Korea's traditional national dress, at an arts
festival at Kansai Soka Kindergarten. After the performance,
SGI President Ikeda, the school's founder, talked to the
student body about Yu Kwan-sun (1904--1920), a patriot
schoolgirl in the independence movement who is considered a
Korean Joan of Arc, and who was tortured and killed by the
Japanese military during the brutal colonial occupation of her
country.
Listening to Mr. Ikeda's speech, Hiromi recalled the
discrimination that had prevented her father from completing
his education. She has subsequently campaigned for
universities and colleges in Japan to open their doors to
applicants from special schools for Korean children.
Makiko's greatest inspiration came in 1999 when Dr. Oh Man Wan
of Korea's Cheju National University visited Japan. At that
time, SGI President Ikeda reflected on the cruel devastation
wrought by Japan on its cultural benefactor, calling on the
Japanese people to apologize from the bottom of their hearts
and deeply respect their Korean neighbors. "Before I am a
Japanese," he declared, "I am a world citizen. In my
heart, I believe that the same blood flows in all of our
veins."
For Makiko, this was a vindication of her perseverance in
educating her children to treasure their Korean inheritance.
"Differences in race and color are trivial; it is the
heart that is important," she declares.
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