Issei are part of the wider Japanese diaspora. Though Issei means "first-generation immigrant", the term is often used specifically to mean the Japanese people who emigrated during the period of the Empire of Japan, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term Shin-Issei ("new first generation") is sometimes used for Japanese people who emigrated after 1945.
The character and uniqueness of the Issei can be seen in their social history.
History
The first Japanese-Brazilian (Nipo-brasileiros) immigrants arriving aboard the Kassato MaruArchived 2010-05-25 at the Wayback Machine in 1908. They would call themselves Issei.
The earliest organized group of Japanese emigrants settled in Mexico in 1897.
Immigration to Brazil began in 1908. Today, the community started by the Issei has become the largest Japanese emigrant population outside of Japan, including approximately 1.5 million Brazilians. Other Issei started communities in the United States, Canada, and Peru. In the United States and Canada, Issei were incarcerated and forced into camps, along with many of their Nisei children, during World War II.
In the 1930s, the term Issei came into common use. The word replaced the term "immigrant" (ijusha). This change in usage reflected changes in the way the Issei looked at themselves, including the idea of belonging to the new country. Other terms like Nisei were based on this Isseipattern or template.
Cultural profile
The term Nikkei (日系) was created by sociologists in the late 20th century. The Nikkei include all of the world's Japanese immigrants and their descendants.
The Issei were born in Japan, and their cultural point-of-view was primarily Japanese; but they were in the Americas by choice. Their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren grew up with a national and cultural point-of-view that was different from their parents.
Although the Issei kept an emotional connection with Japan, they created homes in a country far from Japan.
The generation of people born to at least one Yonsei parent
The Issei,Nisei and Sansei generations show very different attitudes to authority, gender, non-Japanese involvement, religious practice, and other matters.
Select list of notable Issei
This list is not finished; you can help Wikipedia by adding to it.
↑The generation names come from the numbers "one, two, three" in the Japanese language. The first three Japanese numbers are "ichi, ni, san. The fourth number is "yon".
