Junji Kikawa

Junji Kikawa
吉川 順治
Born1877
Niigata, Japan
DiedUnknown
EducationImperial Japanese Army Academy
SpouseFumi Kikawa
Children7
Parents
  • Genshun Kikawa (father)
  • Yio Kikawa (mother)
Military career
Allegiance Empire of Japan
Branch
 Imperial Japanese Army
Rank
Lieutenant colonel
Nickname"The Old Kikawa"
Known forFounding the Shindo Renmei
Conflicts
Russo-Japanese War
Other workDyer, president

Junji Kikawa (吉川 順治, Kikawa Junji; born 1877) was a lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army and the founder of the nationalist secret society Shindo Renmei.

Biography

Kikawa was born in 1877 in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, to an impoverished family. He was the son of Genshun Kikawa and Yio Kikawa. Seeking to escape the widespread unemployment of the period, he pursued a career in the military. Known for his disciplined and methodical nature, Kikawa spent thirteen years at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, where he excelled and graduated as a cavalry officer. He also fought in the Russo-Japanese War. According to accounts within the Japanese-Brazilian immigrant community, Kikawa single-handedly fought off more than ten Cossacks while isolated in enemy territory. He reportedly cut down nearly half of them, leaving a scar on his head.

In 1922, Kikawa developed myopia, which distorted his vision. Owing to his rigid education, he believed it was unacceptable for a member of the Imperial Japanese Army to suffer from a physical disability. Consequently, he made a transfer to the reserve list and retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Over the next decade, Kikawa served in various occupations to support his wife and seven children. However, the economic crisis led him to emigrate to Brazil in 1933 at the age of 55, along with other military personnel. Upon arriving in 1935, he and his family settled in Rancharia, São Paulo, where he acquired land through an agricultural cooperative and invested in cotton farming. Although far from Japan, Kikawa maintained traditional Japanese customs. Each morning, he ritualistically dressed, bowed toward the rising sun in reverence to the Emperor, and prayed at a Shinto shrine dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu.

In 1940, Kikawa relocated his family to Vila Mariana, Vergueiro Street, 3427, São Paulo, becoming a dyer. Although described as an introspective and quiet man, Kikawa gained prominence within the immigrant community. In 1941, he was elected president of the Liga das Tinturarias de São Paulo.

Kodosha and Shindo Renmei

In 1938, the Estado Novo regime launched the Nationalization campaign, an authoritarian policy aimed at integrating ethnic communities by mandating the use of the Portuguese language in teaching, rendering foreign schools impracticable. With the outbreak of World War II and the attack on Pearl Harbor, anti-Japanese sentiment grew, and radicalized national security efforts prevented Japanese immigrants from passing down traditions and imperial reverence to their descendants.

In mid-1942, under the pretext of a wedding, Kikawa met with approximately 400 Japanese immigrants from across the state at the Hotel Sawaya in Marília, and founded the secret society Shindo Renmei. Other accounts date the society's foundation to July 1943 or February 1944 with the formation of the Kodosha, an organization in which Kikawa served as president. Nevertheless, operations were handled by younger members, and it is probable that these activities were conducted without Kikawa's full knowledge.

In August or September 1944, Kikawa was arrested and imprisoned by Brazilian authorities on charges of inciting arson attacks, being held at the Casa de Detenção de São Paulo. Though the Kodosha had not directly carried out the acts, its distribution of intimidating pamphlets escalated the situation. Since Kikawa was listed in the pamphlets as the leader, he was held responsible.

In May 1945, the Kodosha was renamed Shindo Renmei, and officially established in July of that year. While in prison, Kikawa agreed to serve as the official Chairman. He was released on 17 November 1945, and on 30 April 1949, he decided to permanently cease the group's activities.

References

  1. ↑ Komatsu, Patrícia Elisa Kuniko Kondo (2010). À espreita de 'súditos do eixo' - para a história social dos imigrantes japoneses e a situação do português paulista do século XX (Master's thesis) (in Portuguese). São Paulo: Universidade de São Paulo. p. 81. doi:10.11606/D.8.2010.tde-03032011-153852.
  2. ↑ Dezem 2020, p. 15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 da Silva 2006, p. 52.
  4. 1 2 3 André & Shoji 2025, p. 15.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Okubaro 2006, p. 274.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hamanaka, Aki (October 8, 2021). "第3回 日米開戦、「敵性国」となったブラジルに閉じ込められた20万人". 考える人 (in Japanese). Shinchosha.
  7. 1 2 "Japanese community situations before and after the outbreak of the war between Japan and the U.S." 100 Years of Japanese Emigration to Brasil. National Diet Library. 2014.
  8. ↑ Okubaro 2006, p. 342.

Bibliography