Final, Revised Essay...

Should Children Know About the Buraku Problem?

Introduction

“If your boyfriend or girlfriend is from buraku society, will you get married with him or her?” This was one of the questions that I was asked in a class of high school. I got confused by this question because it was the first time that I recognized the buraku problem. In other words, I had never heard of the word, “buraku” until I became a high school student.

According to S. Kitaguchi, who is a professor of Kinki University, and G. Groemer, who is a professor of Yamanashi University, buraku was accepted as one term of social class eta, or impure, which was not included the traditional hierarchy of Shi-nou-kou-shou (samurai or warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants) during the period of Tokugawa (1603-1867) (cited in Gordon 2) and people in buraku were started to be discriminated. In 1871, Meiji Emancipation Edict (Ordinance No. 61) was created to abolish the hierarchy of Shi-nou-kou-shou. However, even though 140 years has passed from the abolition, discrimination to people who live in buraku areas are not completely removed yet (Kitaguchi 3) and the discrimination was started to call as buraku problem or dowa (harmony) issue. For example, there is an action to give people from buraku freedom called Buraku Liberation Movement. Through the movement, people try to abolish the discrimination (Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute.) Marriage is one essential problem which still continues. There are cases that relatives disagree to the marriage of a person because his or her partner is from buraku. It is easy to find some questions that are asking about marriage problem if you search on the internet with key words “buraku” and “marriage”. Although a situation is getting better than past, it cannot be ignored that some people are suffered from the effect even in these days.

To stop the problem, during their compulsory school lives, children should know about the buraku problem through classes because the problem will be prevented and stopped more effectively by giving children the correct knowledge than if children have no knowledge. Thus, school curriculum should be changed to teach this issue more effectively and specifically.

Ⅰ． The Current Situation of Buraku Education

As it is written in the first paragraph of this essay, I did not know the existence of buraku problems until I became a high school student. According to Gordon, who is a social science professor of University of California Santa Cruz, buraku problems are not so noticed in Kanto area (79). I wonder if it is true, so I took a survey for my section mates and also for my friends from junior high school. I have got 15 replies for the survey, and most of the people have heard of the buraku problem, but there are only few people that have specific knowledge about it. According to Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), “special emphasis is placed on dowa issues in ‘social studies’ and ‘moral education.’ ” However, according to the survey, only eight out of 15 people were taught by teachers in the school through their compulsory education. Age of these 15 people included university freshman through their parent. It is able to be known from the survey that the guide line is not so effective for the study of the buraku problem through many years.

Ⅱ. Opinions of People for the Buraku Education

             It is true that some people are against teaching about the buraku problem because they think it is better for solution of the issue not to have such knowledge. In other words, such people think that the discrimination will be automatically eliminated if people forget about it. There is a case of Suginami district: people from Buraku Liberation League (a group which trying to give people from buraku freedom) gave their opinion against including buraku problem to the text because in the text, buraku problem is written as it is just a sad, beautiful story; which is not true (Group of Parents). From this case, it can be known that to teach about the discrimination have the risk to misunderstand of it. However, after 140 years from the abolishment of the hierarchy, there is discrimination against people from the buraku area still continuing.

Even teaching about the buraku problem has risks, it is needed to be taught in the school. In the survey, I asked people how they feel about the education of the buraku problem. Surprisingly, all the people who answered to my survey (including the teacher of the elementary school) agreed to the buraku education. According to the teacher, such knowledge should be given when people are in their childhood because young children have flexible mind and when the children grow up, the knowledge will lead them not to continue the discrimination. Moreover, other people mentioned that memory from the childhood is hardly forgotten.

Ⅲ. Possible Solutions

MEXT should change to give specific guide line to give children the knowledge about buraku problem because current guide line is too abstract and seemed to have only few effects for both curriculum and solution.

MEXT leads teachers to teach the importance of fundamental human rights during the study relates to the Constitution of Japan through the social studies class. It does not directly lead to learn about the buraku problem. It should guide them to teach about the issue and emphasize that the buraku problem is not just one term of history, but it is still continuing.

Ethic class is another possible solution for the issue. In ethic class, MEXT requires teachers to teach students the fair attitude toward all people. It is a good way to grow the fair attitude of students, but does not have so much impact. Therefore, to teach of the buraku problem, they should try to have role playing games. For example, teachers make students to form some groups. One group is going to be ignored or be made fun, so through the role playing game, students are able to learn what the people from Buraku feel when they are discriminated. Combination of these two subjects, Social Studies and Ethic can be the solution

Moreover, McLauchlan, who is a senior lecturer at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, mentions that “the most popular solution offered during the interviews was that people need to witness the reality of modern buraku” (160). If there are chances to visit the buraku areas, it might be a great experience to learn about the real situation of the buraku problem for both students and teachers. However, it is hard for students during compulsory education, so to invite people or person from buraku and let them to make speech about their real lives and situation of the discrimination. It might be shocking for young students, but such experience will not be easily forgotten. The curriculum should include these solutions to have specific effect on the solution of the issue.

Conclusion

Present school curriculum is not specific and not aggressive enough to teach about the buraku problem or discrimination in Japan. It should be included more specific knowledge and experience (such as roll playing) about the issue. Without correct knowledge, it is impossible to solve not only the buraku problem, but the other issues, too. Thus, it is important to teach such issues to young students who are learning in the elementary school or junior high school and will lead Japan in the near future. If these changes become true, it is the sign that Japan started to overcome one negative issue and make it a part of history.

 “Works Cited”

Gordon, June A. Japan's Outcaste Youth Education For Liberation. London: Paradigm

Publishers, 2008. Print.

Group of Parents: Against the Decision of the Text-Making by ‘Making Group.’

“Buraku Liberation League Suginami Branch Gave the Idea of Against

Decision to PTA.” Group of Parents: Against the Decision of the Text-Making

 by ‘Making Group.’ N.p., 8 Aug. 2011. Web. 1 Nov. 2011

Japan. MEXT (Monbu Kagaku Shou). “PART II Recent Trends and Developments in

Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture Chapter 3. Enhancing

Primary and Secondary Education Section 7. Promotion of Dowa Education 2.

Measures to Promote Dowa Education.” MEXT. MEXT, n.d. Web. 30 Oct.

2011.

Kitaguchi, Suehiro. An Introduction to the Buraku Issue. [Nyumon Buraku Mondai:

Ichimon Ittou]. Trans. Alastair McLauchlan. Japan Library, 1999. Print. McLauchlan, Alastair. Prejudice and Discrimination in Japan- The Buraku Issue. The

Edwin Mellen Press, 2003. Print.

Section Mates, Friends from Junior High School, and Their Parents. Survey. 18 Oct.

2011

 “What is Buraku Discrimination?” Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research

Institute. Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute, n.d.

              Web. 30 Oct. 2011