The Ryukyuans in Brazil are Brazilian nationals of Ryukyuan descent.

History

Many people were struggling economically in the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yona ...

during the late 1800s and early 1900s. As a result, many Ryukyuans emigrated elsewhere to places such as

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

and

mainland Japan is a term to distinguish the area of Japan from its outlying territories. It was an official term in the pre-war period, distinguishing Japan and its colonies in the Far East. After the end of World War II, the term became uncommon, but sti ...

. On June 18, 1908, the first migrants from Japan arrived at the port of

Santos Santos may refer to: People *Santos (surname) *Santos (DJ) (born 1971), Italian DJ *Santos Benavides (1823–1891), Confederate general in the American Civil War *Santos Balmori Picazo (1899–1992), Spanish-Mexican painter * Santos (footballer, ...

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

. Half of these migrants were

Okinawans The Ryukyuan people ( ryu, 琉球民族 (るーちゅーみんずく), Ruuchuu minzuku or ryu, どぅーちゅーみんずく, Duuchuu minzuku, label=none, ja, 琉球民族/りゅうきゅうみんぞく, Ryūkyū minzoku, also Lewchewan or L ...

. Immigration from the Ryukyu Islands to Brazil would continue in the following years.

Demographics

Ryukyuans in Brazil make up 9.4% (170,000) of the entire Brazilian

Nikkei Nikkei can refer to: *, abbreviated , Nikkei, a large media corporation in Japan *, abbreviated , Nikkei, a major business newspaper published in Japan *, a Japanese stock market index, published by ''Nihon Keizai Shimbun'' *, often simply ''Nikkei ...

community (1,600,000), despite Ryukyuans making up only 1% of Japan's total population. The Nikkei communities in neighboring

and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

are majority Ryukyuan-descended. The majority of Ryukyuans in South America specifically belong to the Okinawan subgroup.

References

Ryukyuan people {{Brazil-stub

History

Demographics

See also

References