Rice Riots began in 1918 when 10-20 female dock laborers made a direct demand for rice at a warehouse in Toyama, Japan. The demand was in response to merchants buying all the rice in the market so they could sell it the Japanese government for their troops in Siberia, doubling the price and making rice inaccessible for the common folks. The demands turned into a massive uprising, inspiring more than 1 million people to take action all over Japan. These riots were no accident but an organized resistance led by female laborers, who only earned 60% of their male counterparts. The Rice Riots became a turning point for Japanese labor movements and class warfare.
This CPH poster printed at the worker-owned and union-run Community Printers, Santa Cruz, CA.
This is #150 in the Celebrate People’s History Poster Series.
A3BC is a woodblock print collective based in Irregular Rhythm Asylum, an infoshop in Tokyo.
