Burakumin in the 1960s

Michael Rogge, a Dutchman, has a wealth of fascinating 16mm clips of Showa-era Japan and the Far East, including this one of those left behind by Japan’s speedy post-war economic development.  Interesting to see Burakumin acting as street bookies for bicycle races – along with leather tannery and undertaking, another example of Buraku involvement in jobs deemed taboo.

Some of the shots of the destitute don’t look so different to the less salubrious parts of Osaka today.

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