Bodies and Structures 2.0: Deep-Mapping Modern East Asian History

Family Migration

Unlike Ishigaki Shincho and Yamane Keiko, Ara Kinue migrated to Taiwan along with her family. In other words, she was not the one who decided to move to Taiwan, but she was raised and educated in Taiwan from the very young age.

I was born in 1926. My elder brothers migrated to Taiwan with my father before I was born on Taketomi Island. I guess they migrated to Taiwan around 1921. They migrated to Taiwan, leaving behind the rest of the family. They all got jobs in Taiwan. My first elder brother entered evening school in Taiwan, and he continued to get excellent grades and won an award from the prefectural government. He got a big dictionary as a supplementary prize, which I eventually used as my own.

My second elder brother also studied very hard, and took an exam to become a station master in the [Taiwan Government-General] Railway Department. When he had nearly became a station master, he was called to join the military in 1937 and served for seven years. Luckily, he survived the war and came home after the war.

In sum, my first and second brothers accompanied my father, and migrated to Taiwan first. After they settled down and established the foundations of their livelihoods, the rest of the family all moved to Taiwan. It was approximately 1928, and I was about 3 years old. I went to primary school, the advanced girls school in Taiwan, and eventually got a job at the Keelung Customs House. I eventually left Taiwan after the war.

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