Prosperity and Depression in Prewar Rural Japan as Observed by a Fujianese Migrant Draper

<p>  The period from the late 19^th to the mid-20^th Centuries witnessed a large group of Chinese migrant drapers from coastal Fujian of southern China actively conducting business in rural Japan in their capacity as travelling textile and cloth peddlers. One of them, Mr. Jiang, a Fuqing draper who immigrated to Fukuoka from his home village in Fujian in 1920 and then moved to Ashikaga in 1930, is a case of particular interest to be explored. Based on Mr. Jiang's private reminiscence, this article aims at examining various aspects of these Fujianese drapers, focusing on their life experiences, business activities, kidnapping, daily life, as well as the changes in rural Japan caused by the nationwide modernization policies in the country.</p><p> </p><p>  A number of social and economic aspects observed from the late Taisho era to the early Showa era are discussed and analyzed, such as the prosperous mining industry in Fukuoka, the textile manufacturing sector in Ashikaga, and mutual dependence between foreign drapers and local villagers, which was an interesting traditional custom embedded in rural Japan. Prosperity of modern industries and traditional customs jointly became a significant pulling factor that attracted thousands of Fujianese drapers immigrating to Japan while also making their business successful in Japanʼs villages. The increasing gap between the rich and the poor in the society of rural Japan was quickly noticed by the acute Fujianese migrant drapers, and they were, as a result, involved in the local commercial competition in addition to the immoral abductions of local children and young women. Such activities, however, had their origins in the capitalist economy and fierce commercial competition.</p><p> </p><p>  Obviously, the large number of Fujianese migrant drapers constituted part of the landscape of changing rural areas in prewar Japan. The Fujianese drapers and Japanese villagers were neighbors, and they shared a common living space. Such a harmonious relationship, nevertheless, was damaged with the development of Japanʼs expansion overseas, which greatly encouraged Japanese villagers to identify with their motherland. The Fujianese migrant drapers were consequently perceived as “outsiders” and pushed aside by their Japanese neighbors. In other words, a multi-layer relationship between Fujianese migrant drapers and Japanese villagers could clearly be observed in this case study.</p>