Burakumin, meaning “hamlet people”, originally referred to communities made up of supposedly “impure” workers.

In Japan, Feudal Stigma Persists Burakumin Class Still Encounters Bias July 17, 2004 More than 20 years ago Summary By Mari Yamaguchi ...

The burakumin are the descendants of people who were considered under Buddhist beliefs to be unclean -- butchers, tanners, undertakers -- and were separated from the general population.

He didn’t hide that he is a burakumin nor did he feel ashamed to tell me his full name – unlike many I tried to interview. Saegoro Yoshida, 89, has lived in Sujin all his life.

Today, official statistics put the number of burakumin at around 1.2 million, with unofficial estimates as high as 3 million.

But more than a century after Japan’s caste system was abolished, in 1871, burakumin still face the injustice of bigotry -- scuttled engagements, the taunts of strangers, rejected job applications.

Like many in the abattoir because of his profession, Miyazaki is associated with the Burakumin, Japan's "untouchable" class. Burakumin, meaning "hamlet people", dates back to the feudal era.

Today, rights groups say the descendants of burakumin make up about 3 million of the country’s 127 million people. But they still face prejudice, based almost entirely on where they live or ...

Today, rights groups say the descendants of burakumin make up about 3 million of the country's 127 million people. But they still face prejudice, based almost entirely on where they live or their ...

The burakumin still face prejudice based on where they live or their ancestors lived, and fear that Google's software can be used to easily pinpoint the old villages and match them up with modern ...

Yet the burakumin still exist on the fringes of this mostly homogenous society, and fight the age-old battles of discrimination. “It’s still a taboo,” says Hiroshi Kanto, organizer of a ...