Tozan Farm: A Story of Hardship, Hope, and Legacy
- Sakura Yoshino
- May 12
- 3 min read
Just outside Campinas in São Paulo lies Tozan Farm (formerly Fazenda Monte D’Este), a living statement to the intertwined histories of Brazil and Japan. Founded on November 20th, 1798, as a sugarcane plantation by Floriano de Camargo Penteado, the farm later shifted to coffee cultivation during the 19th century. In 1927, Hisaya Iwasaki, the son of Mitsubishi Group's founder, purchased the land. His goal was to create a model farm that would help Japanese immigrants find success in a land that promised opportunity but demanded resilience.
Following the abolition of slavery in 1888, Brazil's plantations desperately needed laborers, opening doors for immigration from Japan. Most Japanese immigrants arrived with the expectation of finding prosperity in a land known for its abundant sunshine, hoping to build a better future and achieve financial success. However, the reality was harsh. They faced grueling work conditions, working from sunrise until even after sunset every day, cultural isolation, and during World War 2, intense discrimination. During the war, since Japan was fighting against Brazil's allies, like the U.S. and the UK, Tozan Farm was confiscated by the Brazilian government, leaving the land abandoned and its community struggling. Some Japanese immigrants were subjected to imprisonment, abuse, and forced relocation as part of the government's measures.
Despite these hardships, after the war, Dr. Kiyoshi Yamamoto, who was the general manager of Tozan Agricultural Industry and a close friend of Getulio Vargas, requested Vargas to return the confiscated land to the Iwasaki family. Over time, it introduced advanced agricultural techniques, earning international recognition for its high-quality coffee production. Today, Tozan Farm still stands, with preserved colonial architecture, a museum, and over one million coffee trees spread across 240 hectares.
Tozan Farm has also served as a backdrop for significant cultural productions. The 2005 Japanese drama Haru e Natsu―As Cartas que Não Chegaram depicted the painful separation of two young sisters―one who immigrated to Brazil with their family, the other who remained in Japan due to conjunctivitis―and the hardships faced across generations. An interesting article by Nikkey Shinbun from 2005 interviewed real-life immigrants and their perspective on the series. Hiroko Hirai, a second-generation Japanese Brazilian from Bastos, shared that her mother's experience mirrored the drama almost exactly: leaving a sister behind in Japan with promises to return, only to be trapped in Brazil by financial hardship. "My mother always cried, wanting to return," she recalled. Similarly, Yoshimori Hosomomi, who emigrated in 1959, spoke through tears as he remembered losing a child to disease just months after arrival, just like the drama's protagonist losing her brother. “We were born to suffer,” he said, yet stressed that despite the hardships he went through, the joy of growing crops and achieving small success was profound. “Through cycles of fortune and suffering, the present-day Japanese Nikkei community was built.” The voices of others echoed similar sentiments: the longing for Japan, the hardships faced, the pain of families torn apart―and yet, ultimately, a sense of belonging and pride in the lives they built in Brazil. Another production that was filmed in Tozan was the 2012 Brazilian film Corações Sujos, which tells the story of post-World War 2 tensions among Japanese immigrants torn between believing Japan had won (kachigumi) or lost the war (makegumi). Personally, I've only watched Haru e Natsu―As Cartas que Não Chegaram, but even this single series has left a deep impression on me. I first watched it when I was eight years old, and until now, I still remember the story and the characters' emotional struggles. It illustrated the sacrifices, emotions, and inner strengths of the immigrant families in a way that no textbook ever could. It was such an eye-opening experience for me that I reached out to my dad and asked if we could visit it when planning our next trip to São Paulo.
The filming set of Haru e Natsu in Tozan Farm
Last week, I finally had the chance to visit Tozan Farm in person. Tozan Farm is not just a historical site; it is a living reminder of the resilience, sacrifices, and hope that earlier generations carried so that their descendants could build better lives. The spirit of those immigrants, working hard and holding on to hope in the face of unimaginable challenges, is something that I carry with me today. As a Japanese proverb says, fall seven times, stand up eight (七転び八起き), their stories remind me of the importance of perseverance―standing up again no matter how many times one stumbles or fails―and continue to provide me strength during difficult moments in life.
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