So I started watching the movie あかひげ the other night and intrigued by the title I looked it up in the dictionary where one of the definitions was:
Westerner (derogatory)
Does it really contain this meaning?
How is this used (if it is indeed used?!?) in modern Japanese?
If it's not used what word can be used to express "Westerner (derogatory)" in modern Japanese?
Answer
Born in Japan and raised in Japan for more than 30 years, I have never seen "赤ひげ" used as a derogatory term of "westerner".
Before I write this, I did find an entry 赤髭 in a Japanese derogatory terms glossary, and it does say it's "Westerner (derogatory)." However, more than 90% of the words in that list were totally unfamiliar to me. So I believe it's safe to say there's no derogatory nuance in "赤ひげ" in modern Japanese. Maybe it was a derogatory term in the Edo period.
Today, "赤ひげ" reminds Japanese (not younger than 30) of what you've just watched in the movie; a humane doctor who sacrifices himself and willingly helps weak people. It is a stereotype of "ideal doctor" in Japan, just like "黒ひげ" or Blackbeard is the symbol of pirates. There is Akahige Prize for doctors.
(However, its original novel, 赤ひげ診療譚, published in 1958, is full of discriminatory terms and acts by today's standards...)
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