5. The Birth of Shindo Renmei
The birth of Shindo Renmei can be traced back to a wave of violent clashes that erupted in 1942 between native Brazilians in rural Sao Paulo, and the Japanese immigrants in the vicinity. So former Japanese Army Colonel Junji Kikawa left an innocent Catholic charity in which he had been active, to found Shindo Renmei, as a self-defense organization for Japanese immigrants. Kikawa urged his followers to protest their mistreatment with steps such as ceasing the production of peppermint, which included ingredients used in the manufacture of explosives, and to stop making silk, a vital wartime material for making parachutes. He also advocated more direct steps, such as sabotage. By 1945, Shindo Renmei had a headquarters in Sao Paulo, and 64 branches in various Brazilian localities that hosted Japanese immigrant communities.
