Coria del Rio looks like just another southern Spanish village, but its residents carry their unique history in their genes. Nearly 650 of the 25,000 residents have the surname Japon (Japan) as an alleged sign that they descend from samurais who settled in the village in Seville province in the early 17th century.
"People here may not have a profound knowledge of Japanese culture, but they are proud of their Japanese ancestors," says culture official Cristina Isla Palma, who believes the case of Coria del Rio to be unique in Europe.
Many of the people called Japon became aware of the origin of their name only in 1992, when the Japanese city of Miyagi donated to Coria del Rio a statue of 17th century samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga Rokuyemon.
Japan's relations with Spain are believed to be its oldest with a European country. They date back to 1549 when Spanish Jesuit Saint Francisco Javier arrived in Japan hoping to convert its inhabitants to Christianity.
In 1613, Spanish monk Luis Sotelo persuaded northern Japanese feudal lord Date Masamune that his commercial fleet would find a lucrative market in the Spanish empire. A delegation of 180 people, headed by Hasekura, left for Spain to meet the king and organize trade relations.
When the group visited Coria del Rio a year later, they were received with honors. The story has it that six samurais decided to stay, because they liked fishing in the river.
"They probably liked the country life, and fell in love with local women," Isla Palma says.
The village has cultural exchanges with Japan, participates in events organized by the Japanese embassy in Madrid, and many residents have visited the Asian country.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS