Important Japanese Response to California's Alien Land Law

[The Enactment of the New California Alien Land Law as an Initiative Measure] Beikoku kashu hainichi jijo: Kashu gaijin shin tochiho chokusetsu rippo tenmatsu

Chiba, Toyoji

Notes: "A booklet explaining the enactment of the 1920 California Alien Land Law and its possible effects on Japanese immigrant farmers. Includes the English text of the law."—A Buried Past II, 1518.

Chiba (1881–1944) was perhaps the leading Japanese agriculturalist working in California. In this book:

"Chiba became increasingly pessimistic about the future of Japanese ethnic agriculture in North America as he learned the effects of legal discrimination first hand from his compatriots. By 1921 [this book], he could no longer find reasons for Japanese to remain in the United States as independent farmers. Japanese America's farm leader predicted that his coethnic pioneers would 'not be able to withstand the troubles caused by the strict enforcement of the [1920 alien land law], which should eventually impel them to quit farm operations, abandon permanent residency [in America], and relinquish their vested interests there.'"—Quoted in Eiichiro Azuma, In Search of Our Frontier, pp. 156–157.

By 1924, Chiba was advocating for Japanese farmers in the US to relocate to Manchuria. For a fuller discussion of Chiba's ideas and influence, see In Search of Our Frontier, which devotes pp. 156–165 to his work and ideas.

Published as Japan-U.S. Research series publications, no. 1 (Nichibei kankei chosa shuroku, dai 1-shu). [2], 58, [2], 8 pages. Final section in English. Most Japanese-language books from this era were printed in Japan and exported to the US; this is a relatively uncommon example of a book printed by a Japanese-language press in San Francisco.

OCLC (author's name cataloged as Chiba Toyoharu): 1041126669 (University of Hawaii), 673502007 (National Diet Library)

Edition + Condition: First edition (first printing). Top of spine chipped, else very good in printed gray wrappers. A scarce and significant work on the impact of discriminatory laws on Japanese Americans.

Publication: San Francisco: Nichibei Kankei Chosakai, 1921.

Item No: #360983

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