Tsunetaro Jo

Japanese: 城常太郎 - じょう・つねたろう

Year of death: July 26, 1905 (Meiji 38)
Year of birth: Bunkyu 3.1 (1863)
An early labor activist in the Meiji era. Born in what is now Kumamoto City, he trained as a shoemaker in Kobe before moving to San Francisco in 1888 and becoming a pioneer of Japanese shoe manufacturing there. While in America, he met Takano Fusataro, and in the summer of 1891, he formed the Shokunin Giyukai (Association of Friends of the Workers) with Takano, Sawada Hannosuke, and others with the aim of resolving Japan's labor problems. After returning to Japan, he reorganized the Shokunin Giyukai in 1897 with Takano, Sawada, and others, and distributed a pamphlet called "A Message to Fellow Workers." In the same year, he served as a speaker at Japan's first labor problem speech meeting, and formed the Labor Union Promotion Association, becoming a provisional executive member. In 1899, he joined the Qing Dynasty Laborers Non-Mixed Residence Promotion Association with Takano. He later traveled to China with Takano, and in 1901 established the Tianjin Shoe Manufacturing Company. He died in Kobe. <References> Kazuo Futamura, "The Association of Shoemakers and the California Japanese Shoemakers' Union" (The History of the Labor Movement, No. 62), Keitaro Sawa, "The Founder of the Japanese Labor Movement: The Life of Shoemaker Tsunetaro Shiro" (The odd-numbered issues of The Labor Movement, No. 151-165)

(Arima Manabu)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：明治38.7.26(1905)
生年：文久3.1(1863)
明治時代,草創期の労働運動家。現在の熊本市に生まれ,神戸で靴工として修業したのち,明治21(1888)年サンフランシスコに渡り,同地における日本人靴製造業の先駆者となった。渡米中に高野房太郎と知り合い,1891年夏に高野,沢田半之助らと日本の労働問題の解決をめざして職工義友会を結成。帰国後,明治30(1897)年に高野,沢田らと職工義友会を再組織し,「職工諸君に寄す」を配布。同年中に日本初の労働問題演説会を開催して弁士を務め,労働組合期成会を結成して仮幹事となる。32年には清国労働者非雑居期成同盟会に高野と参加。のち高野と中国に渡り,1901年天津製靴会社を設立。神戸で死去。<参考文献>二村一夫「職工義友会と加州日本人靴工組合」(『労働運動史研究』62号),佐和慶太郎「日本労働運動の創始者靴工・城常太郎の生涯」(『労働運動研究』151～165号の奇数号)

(有馬学)

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