WHEN I WAS a student and started to take an interest in Buraku history the first text that I absorbed was the 1975 edition of ‘Buraku History and the Liberation Movement’ edited by the Buraku Mondai Kenkyūjo. Later I would read many other histories of the issue but as a substantial general history this has always been my basic reference point.

More than ten years have passed since Professors Teraki and Akisada produced their Buraku histories – pre-modern in 2002, and modern in 2004, respectively. We have now produced another new history to send out to the world. It must be left to the reader's judgement as to whether this text reflects changes in the circumstances in the Buraku problem or changes in the environment of the research. For me it is not just a question of degree of sensitivity to those questions but it is important to understand theoretically the contextual social structure and for this reason it is essential to comprehend the historical background. This is the crucial point for understanding, for example, the problems that surround the ‘comfort women’ issue. We must focus on what the majority did, study it and come to grips with it head on. If this volume can help in that way I will be very pleased.

I am extremely grateful for the encouragement I have received from Katagi Mariko, of the Development and Planning section of the BLHRRI who helped me edit the first draft of this text when it was published serially in the monthly journal Human Rights. Later Matsumoto Shinji of the BLHRRI research office guided us through the process from planning the serial publication to the creation of this volume. Only thanks to his patient efforts did we manage to accomplish this. In addition, Kobashi Kazushi of the Kaihō Shuppansha and Miyatake Toshimasa of Ichimojo Kobo were extremely helpful.

I have also benefited from the support and advice of many others across the years. I am grateful to them all.