Christianity In Japan
(From Kondansha's Encyclopedia of Japan)

(Kirisutokyo)

Christianity was introduced into Japan in the middle of the 16th century. The religion was generally tolerated until the beginning of the 17th century, but the Tokugawa shogunate(1603-1867) eventually proscribed it and persecuted its adherants. When relations with the west were restored in the middle of the 19th century, Christianity was reintroduced and has continued to exist in Japan with varying fortunes.


Introduction to Japan

Portuguese traders first reached Japan in 1543, to be followed by the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, who arrived in 1549 with two companions Xavier's preaching met with some success, although his efforts were hampered by the language barrier. Reinforcements arrived to continue his work and were in general well received by local rulers, who often associated them with the lucrative Portuguese trade. Activity was concentrated in Kyushu especially Nagasaki, although Christian communities were established on Honshu. In 1563 Omura Sumitada, became the first Daimyo to receive baptism, and by 1579 no fewer than six daimyo had been converted. By that time the number of Christian was estimated at 100,000 but this figure includes those converts who embraced the faith of the Lord at the behest of their Christian Lords. In 1579 the Jesuit Alessandro Valignano arrived to conduct the first of three inspection tours of the mission. When he left he was accompanied by four boys who formed an embassy to Rome on behalf of the Christian Daimyo of Kyushu.

By this time Christianity had attracted the attention of National figures. The national unifier Oda Nobunaga favoured the missionaries and granted them generous concessions. His successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi continued this policy until 1587, when on realizing the extent of the Christian influence in Kyushu, he abruptly ordered missionaries to leave the country. His edicts was neither obeyed nor enforced, but it marked the end of favorable reception. The Jesuits were eventually joined by Spanish friars while the new influx added impetus to evangelization, national rivalries gave rise to seemly quarrels between religious orders.


Martyrdoms

In 1596 the Spanish ship San Felipe foundered off Shikoku and the Japanese confiscated it's rich cargo. A controversy among Japanese, Jesuits and Friars resulted; Hideyoshi once more turned anti-Christian and condemned to death the Franciscans and their parishioners in Kyoto. Twenty six Christians both foreigners and Japanese were crucified at Nagasaki in 1597. No further hostile action was taken, and missionary work continued unobtrusively. By this time the church had reached it's greatest expansion, with the number of Christians being estimated at 300,000. Tokugawa Ieyasu, who became the defacto ruler in 1600, was at first willing to tolerate the missionaries' presence for the sake of profitable Portuguese trade, but the arrival of the protestant Dutch and English merchants. allowed him to act more freely against the Catholic missionaries. As the final showdown between Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyori, son of the late Hideyoshi, approached Ieyasu turned against the Church, knowing his rival commanded considerable support in western Japan, where the Christian influence was strongest. Ieyasu was victorious, and in 1614 the Tokugawa shogunate ordered missionaries to leave the country; most of them departed but some 40, including Japanese priests, remained to continue their work undercover.


Persecution and Suppression

Within a few year organized persecution commenced. In 1622, 51 Christians were executed at Nagasaki, and two years later 50 were burned alive in Edo (now Tokyo). A total of 3000 believers are estimated to have been martyred; this figure does not include the many who died as the result of sufferings in prison or in exile. In 1633 some 30 missionaries were executed, and by 1637, only five were left at liberty. The Shimabara Uprising of 1637-38 prompted the government to sever contacts with the west, except for some merchants of the Dutch east India company, confined to Dejima. Subsequent missionary attempts to enter and work in the country were unsuccessful.

The Japanese are noted for there religious tolerance, and the persecution was occasioned by social and political rather than purely religious factors. Christian exclusivism, with its unwillingness to tolerate other religions, aroused resentment in some circles. Missionaries were regarded as a potential fifth column preparing the way for Iberian colonialism. More significantly, the shogunate was on the alert for any coalition of disaffected elements that might threaten its hegemony, and Christianity was viewed as a possible catalyst. Finally, Christian insistence on the primacy of the individual's conscience was regard as subversive in a society that attached overwhelmingly importance to unconditional obedience to superiors.

 

Reintroduction

Japan's period of isolation

ended in the mid-19th century, when Westerners were again allowed to enter the country. In 1859 a Catholic priest took up an appointment as interpreter for the French consulate in Edo, and in the same year representatives of three Protestant churches reached Japan. Ostensibly these ministers came to serve foreign residents, but there true aim was to begin direct work among the Japanese.


Kakure Kirishitan

In 1865 a group of people at Ngasaki publicly identified themselves as Christians. Soon various communities of Kakure Kirishitan or "Hidden Christians," were discovered in the region. Located in more remote areas where the government surveillance was at it's weakest, these communities had preserved their religion in secret for more than two centuries. Of approximately 60,000 Kakure Kirishitan discovered at that time only half chose to return to the reintroduced church. The anti Christian laws were still in effect, and many of the discovered Christians were jailed or exiled to other parts of the country. It was only in 1873 that the Meiji government withdrew religious sanctions, although freedom of religion was not specifically granted. Even the 1889 constitution of Japan guaranteed only qualified religious freedom"within limits not prejudicial to peace and not antagonistic to duties as citizens."

This is a grave stone of a Kirisitan in Kunisaki, Kyushu. You can see it is shaped like a cross. One of the Buddhist temple's priests was able to make this grave for a Kirisitan because the priest was protected from the law. The first three above Chinese characters spell out "Kiri-si-tan."
© Daisuke Tomiyasu

Catholic

Catholic activity was entrusted to the Paris foreign Mission Society until the beginning of the 20th century. A steady if unspectacular expansion took place, and by 1937, the Catholic population was reported at 118,000 with a preponderance of the faithful living in the Nagasaki region. A network of schools mostly run by religious orders, was established throughout the country. In 1913 Sophia University (Jochi Diagaku) was founded in Tokyo; the Sacred Heart College, founded in 1915, was reorganized as a women's university in 1948; in the following year Nanzan University was founded in Nagoya.


Orthodox

In 1872 Ioann Kasatkin better known as Faher Nikolai, established a branch of the Russian Orthodox church in Tokyo. He consecrated an Orthodox cathedral in Kanda, Tokyo, in 1891 and the church still remains a landmark in the capital. Nikolai died in 1912 at which time there we about 30,000 Orthodox believer in Japan. By 1931, membership had grown to 40,000 but in recent years the numbers have declined.


Protestant

In the first decade after missionary activity resumed in Japan, the Protestant was represented by four denominations (Anglican-Episcopal, Presbyterian, Dutch Reformed, and American Baptist Free Mission Society) joined later by representatives of other churches. From the beginning, the importance was attached to education as a means of spreading the Christian message. Doshisha English School (Now Doshisha University) was founded in Kyoto in 1875, and Aoyama Gakuin ( now Aoyama Gakuin University) and St. Paul's School (Now Rikkyo University) in Tokyo in 1874. In 1953 international Christian University (Kousai Kirisutokyo Daigaku) was founded in Tokyo. The Protestant contribution to the development of women's education is also noteworthy.


Uchimura Kanzo

Missionary teacher in the Meiji period ( 1868-1912) were often regarded as representatives of a superior civilization, and Christianity was popularly identified with the West. This tendency was opposed by Uchimura Kanzo the founder of Mu-kyokai or Nonchurch Christianity. In his later years Uchimura refused to be identified with any particular church insisting on the need for a " Japanese Christianity" untainted by western influences. Some of the issues raised by Uchimura have yet to be settled by the churches.


Social Activity

At the beginning of the 20th century Christians made a notable contribution to the foundation of the socialist and trade union movements in an effort to solve the grave social problem caused by rapid industrialization. Many of the founding members of the Social Democratic Party were active Christians. A Christian Suzuki Bunji founded the Yuikai or Friendship Foundation, in 1912; this later developed into the Nihon Rodo Sodomei or Japan Federation of Labour. The Nihon Nomin Kumiai (Japan Farmers Union) was founded in 1922 by two Christian Socialists. Despite this contribution at the time of their foundation, many of these movements were split by disputes and much of the initial Christian influence was weakened or lost.

The churches have also sponsored a variety of social and medical projects, such as hospitals sanatoriums, leprosariums, and orphanages; the popular image of Christianity is often associated with such work.


War and Recovery

The growing spirit of nationalism in the 1930's raised problems of conscience for Christians especially when the authorities urged attendance at Shinto Shrines as a "civil manifestation of Loyalty" Foreign missionaries of all churches were interned or repatriated at the outbreak of World War II or at best allowed limited freedom. In 1941 government pressure led to the formation of the Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan, or United Church of Christ in Japan, a union of some 30 Protestant churches. After the war some churches withdrew from the union but it is still regarded as the most influential Protestant body today. The immediate postwar period witnessed a revival of Christian activity. The social upheaval and disillusionment caused by the nation's defeat prompted many Japanese to turn to Christianity to find some meaning in their lives. However, this period coinciding with the Allied occupation of 1945-52, was brief and the disorganization of the churches at the time prevented their taking full advantage of the opportunity.


Christianity Today

At present Christianity in Japan is characterized by unobtrusive activity, with emphasis still placed on education as a means of spreading the gospel message. In recent years there has become a growing ecumenical spirit between the Protestant and the Catholic churches although contacts at the grass-roots level are still tenuous. Discussions have been held between Christian and Buddhist scholars to reach a better mutual understanding and appreciation of the two religions. In 1990 Christian numbered some 1,075,000 or less than 1 percent of the population. There were 436,000 Catholics with some 800 parishes in 16 dioceses, while Protestants numbered 639,000 with nearly 7,000 churches.


Conclusion

In popular estimation Christianity is still regarded as a " foreign" creed, preaching admirable ideal but unsuitable for ordinary Japanese. Because of it's "foreign" nature, the religion has been persecuted when demands for national unity were strong; it has been widely accepted during period of social instability ( the 16th century, Meiji era, post-World War II) but once the social equilibrium was restored interest rapidly waned. Apart from the Nagasaki region Christianity has yet to make any appreciable impact on rural communities; it draws it's strength from the urban, professional classes.

Various aspects of Christian teaching differ fundamentally from the more traditional patten of Japanese thought and outlook - for example, monotheism vs traditional polytheism; the concept of a transcendent God versus the immanent Japanese deities; an individual ethic versus a group-orientated ethic. It is doubtful whether organized Christianity can accommodate itself to the traditional thought in Japan as much as Buddhism (also an "imported" religion) has done but there still remains much scope for expressing Christian thought in a more Japanese form.

This was transcribed from Kondansha's Encyclopedia of Japan

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Updated January 22, 1997