Nikkei Chronicles
#13
Nikkei Names 2: Grace, Graça, Graciela, Megumi?
In our 13th edition of Nikkei Chronicles, Nikkei Names 2: Grace, Graça, Graciela, Megumi?, we asked participants to explore the meanings and origins behind Nikkei names.
Discover Nikkei accepted submissions from June to October 2024. We received 51 stories (32 English; 11 Portuguese; 7 Spanish; 3 Japanese) from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Japan, Mexico, Peru, and the United States, with one story submitted in multiple languages.
Thank you very much to everyone who submitted their Nikkei Names 2 stories!
We asked our Editorial Committee to select their favorite stories. Our Nima-kai community also voted for the stories they enjoyed—voting closed on December 20, 2024. Here are this year’s favorites!
On this page
Disclaimer: By submitting your story, you are granting Discover Nikkei and the Japanese American National Museum permission to post your article and images on DiscoverNikkei.org, and potentially other publications in print or online affiliated with this project. This includes any translations of your work in association with Discover Nikkei. You, the writer, will retain copyright. Check Discover Nikkei’s Terms of Services and Privacy Policy for more details.
Nima-kai Favorite
Editorial Committee’s Favorites
English
Comment from Kristen Nemoto Jay
While all of the stories had their own unique and wonderful messages of resilience, love over hate, and perseverance, the one that stood out to me the most is “Mako” by Mako Kikuchi.
His piece took me on a journey through his family’s history—dissecting parts that have been ugly to them while remaining reflective and resilient. Mako, formerly Paul, Kikuchi’s tribute to his grandfather, Arthur Makoto Kikuchi, by being called “Mako” because his grandfather “couldn’t,” moved me to tears. His deep connection to who he is, and his willing acceptance of kuleana (Hawaiian word for responsibility) on how to carry his family’s name moving forward, has made me highlight this story as my favorite one. Well done.
Japanese
Comment from Eijiro Ozaki
I can feel from the story that the Japanese immigrants who moved to Brazil in the early 1900s had to go through such frustrating experiences, as some even couldn’t have their names registered correctly in their foreign resident identification documents, and that they probably underwent a series of unexpected hardships.
The author was given the name “Laura” because Japanese names were considered “hard to pronounce for Brazilian people” and were thought to “evoke conflicting feelings.” Laura-san then eventually got to publish her novel under the pseudonym “Laura Honda-Hasegawa” which combined her parents’ surnames. What a delight, and how proud she must have been!
I sincerely would like to applaud from the bottom of my heart the resilience of people who have endured many hard times in South America, which I can feel from the rather bubbly tone of the narration in this essay.
Spanish
Comment from Mónica Kogiso
The act of choosing a name is special because the person given the name will live with it for a lifetime, and the person choosing it has a responsibility to pick an appropriate name. The number of strokes, the sound of the name, and symmetry all play important roles in the choice of Japanese names.
And as in almost all the stories I’ve read, Nikkei have one name in the language of the country where they were born and a Japanese name, which may or may not be included in their birth certificate. On top of this, the chosen Japanese name should be harmonious with the Spanish name.
The article I chose is “The Long-Awaited Harumi,” where the author tells the story of her name in a simple yet entertaining way. She describes how her name was conceived, beloved, and dreamed about by her father and made reality by her mother. She also explains how choosing a person’s name defines their character and destiny.
Portuguese
Comment from Liana Nakamura
Laura Hasegawa, after so many years contributing to Nikkei literature, takes us back to her childhood in the article “Why I don’t have a Japanese name.” She tells some stories of her father, who had a name considered feminine and the registry confusion that made him justify the existence of a “clone.” His mother also had a name considered masculine and this resulted in numerous racial and gender-based violence. Ancestry hurting them daily because of something as simple and complex as a name. Their solution for her daughter? A Latin name. Laura.
The creation of the artistic-literary surname “Honda-Hasegawa” shows the poignant desire to be “unique” and recover the mother’s surname from the patriarchal culture of Japanese immigrants. Laura not only recovers her history, but also points to a innovative future, now, with her new name as a theologian: Láurea Hasegawa. Divine!
Stories
Community Partners
The Asociación Peruano Japonesa (APJ—Peruvian Japanese Association) is a non-profit organization that represents the Peruvian Nikkei community and its institutions. Founded on November 3, 1917, APJ preserves the memory of Japanese immigrants and their descendants, develops cultural promotion and welfare assistance activities, and provides education and health services. APJ also promotes cultural, scientific and technological exchange between Peru and Japan, strengthening friendly relations between both countries.
The Brazilian Society of Japanese Culture and Social Assistance – Bunkyo
The Brazilian Society of Japanese Culture and Social Assistance – Bunkyo was founded in 1955 to increase understanding and fraternization between Japanese-Brazilians, promote the preservation and dissemination of Japanese culture, and intensify Brazil-Japan exchanges. Located in the Liberdade neighborhood of downtown São Paulo, it is also responsible for managing the Japanese Pavilion in Ibirapuera Park and Bunkyo Kokushikan Park, in São Roque.
The Rafu Shimpo is a bilingual Japanese-English language newspaper based in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Established in 1903, the Rafu Shimpo has survived two world wars, a depression, and the forced evacuation of our entire community. It is now the longest-running Japanese American daily newspaper in the United States.
The mission of Nikkei Australia is to preserve and promote the legacy of the Japanese diaspora in Australia through artistic, cultural, academic, educational, and community engagement activities. Established in 2013 by researchers who facilitated the Civilian Internee Project, the members of Nikkei Australia include academics, creative practitioners, community cultural workers, and individuals interested in documenting Nikkei histories and stories in Australia.
Editorial Committee
We're deeply grateful for the participation of our Editorial Committee:
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ENGLISH
Kristen Nemoto Jay was the former editor of The Hawai‘i Herald. Her late grandfather, Wilbert Sanderson Holck, was a 442nd Regimental Combat Team veteran who helped create the sister-city relationship between Bruyeres, France and Honolulu, Hawai‘i. She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Chapman University and a master’s degree in journalism from DePaul University.
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JAPANESE
Eijiro Ozaki is a Japanese actor who started with theater and television works in Tokyo in the late 1990s. His film and TV credits include the World War II epic, Letters From Iwo Jima, Shōgun, Heroes, and The Last Samurai. Ozaki is the author of 『思いを現実にする力』 (The Power to Turn Thoughts into Reality)” and the mail magazine 『夢をつかむプロセス』 (The Process of Seizing Dreams).
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SPANISH
Mónica Kogiso is an Argentine Nisei and producer for Japanese media who has translated literature and children’s stories by Japanese authors. A graduate of the University of Salvador, she specializes in Japan travel, organizing events that bridge people and cultures. She also promotes the leadership of Nikkei youth from Argentina and Latin America.
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PORTUGUESE
Liana Nakamura is the author of the book amarela-manga: a Japanese-Poetic Anthology and a librarian specialist in diversity and inclusion. She is the winner of the Nikkei Literary Award (Manga) from the Brazilian Society of Japanese Culture and Social Assistance and the 37th edition of the Yoshio Takemoto Award from Nikkei Bungaku Literary Magazine.
Thanks to Jay Horinouchi for designing our cool logo for this series, and to our wonderful staff and volunteers who help us review, edit, upload, and promote this project!
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