Christianity in Japan
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Christianity in Japan is among the nation's minority religions in terms of individuals who state an explicit affiliation or faith.
In 2022, there were 1.9 million[1] Christians in Japan.[2] In the early years of the 21st century, between less than 1 percent[3][4] and 1.5%[1] of the population claimed Christian belief or affiliation.
Although formally banned in 1612 and today critically portrayed as a foreign "religion of colonialism", Christianity has played a role in the shaping of the relationship between religion and the Japanese state for more than four centuries.
Etymology
The Japanese word for Christianity (キリスト教, Kirisuto-kyō) is a compound of kirisuto (キリスト) the Japanese adaptation of the Portuguese word for Christ, Cristo, and the Sino-Japanese word for doctrine (敎, kyō, a teaching or precept, from Middle Chinese kæ̀w 敎), as in Bukkyō (仏教, Japanese for Buddhism).[8]
History
Missionaries and early expansion
The first appearance of Christianity in Japan was the arrival of the
Later on, the
The earliest success Christianity witnessed in Japan occurred in Kyushu. Conversions of local warlords like Ōmura Sumitada, Arima Yoshisada, and Ōtomo Sōrin led to the conversion of many of their subjects.[13] The conversion of several elites in the area was likely due to the decentralized nature of the Sengoku period (15th–16th century) where warlords vied for control among themselves. This power vacuum led some warlords to believe that being more open to external sources of power and legitimacy as a possible method to gain an advantage.[13] As several daimyos and their subjects converted to Christianity, the destruction of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples would often accompany it, with the Jesuits also contributing to the destruction and persecutions.[13] Buddhist monks and Shinto priests would face persecution by being forcefully evicted out of their religious sites, be forced to marry, or forced to convert.[13][14]
Perceived threat to Japan
Under Oda Nobunaga, the Jesuits enjoyed the favor of his regency. The successor of Oda, Toyotomi Hideyoshi at first protected Christianity, however later changed his policy with the publishing of the Bateren Edict, banning missionary activities. After conquering Kyushu, Hideyoshi visited Hakozaki and came to believe that Jesuits were selling Japanese people as slaves overseas, Christians were destroying shrines and temples, and people were being forced to convert to Christianity, resulting in the aforementioned edict. Alessandro Valignano, on 14 December 1582 wrote a letter to Governor-General of the Philippines Francisco de Sande Picón stating that it would be impossible to conquer Japan by military power and converting Japan to Christianity was the most important task of church.[15][16] Scholars also theorise that Hideyoshi believed the true mission of the Christian missionaries was to convert the Japanese population to Christianity, overthrow the government, and turn it into a colony.[17][18][19][20][21]
Persecution under the Shogunate
Under Hideyoshi and the succeeding
The Tokugawa shoguns eradicated Christianity in Japan via murder, persecution and decrees.[24] In 1637, Matsukura Katsuie imposed a high tax onto people and oppressed Christians. This, combined with famine, led in 1638 to the Christian-led Shimabara Rebellion, where an estimated 37,000 people (mostly Christians), were massacred.[24] The rebellion started as a peasant movement, but later Christians joined the cause. This was the largest rebellion in the history of Japan. In 50 years, the crackdown policies of the shoguns reduced the number of Christians to near zero.[24]
By this point, after the Shimabara Rebellion, the remaining Christians had been forced to publicly renounce their faith. Many continued practicing Christianity in secret, in modern times becoming known as the "
Drawn from the oral histories of Japanese Catholic communities, Shūsaku Endō's historical novel Silence provides detailed fictionalised accounts of the persecution of Christian communities and the suppression of the Church.[27]
Opening of Japan
Captain
After Japan was opened to greater foreign interaction in 1853, many Christian clergymen were sent from Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches, though proselytism was still banned. After the Meiji Restoration, freedom of religion was introduced in 1871, giving all Christian communities the right to legal existence and preaching.
Quakers have had a significant impact in Japan. The American Quaker Elizabeth Janet Gray was hired by Emperor Hirohito in 1946 to be a private tutor to his son, Crown Prince Akihito. She taught English Language and introduced all of the children of the Imperial Household to western culture and values. "Vining was chosen because she was not only a Quaker known to be a pacifist but also an author of children’s literature, whom the Japanese expected to be sympathetic to the 12-year-old crown prince in the midst of the postwar confusion. Some also write that the imperial side found Vining more ideal than the other candidate [a Presbyterian], as she, having lost her beloved husband in an accident, had experienced the utmost sorrow in life and therefore would have compassion for others."[29]
Quaker influence is thought by many to be the foundation of the Pacifism promoted by members the Royal Family. This pacifism has stood in stark contrast to right-wing nationalists.[30]
Culture
Japan remains one of the most secular nations in the world according to the World Values Survey.
Christianity in Japan is spread among many denominational affiliations. In the early 2000s, 70 percent of Japanese churches had an average attendance of less than 50, though membership was often almost double this figure.[31]
Holidays
The celebration of selected Christian holidays has gained popularity in Japan since the
Except in Japan's minority Christian communities, Easter is not typically marked by any special form of celebration.
St. Valentine's Day in Japan is also celebrated, but the normal Western cultural traditions are often reversed – women give men a gift of chocolate, and on White Day, one month later, the favor is returned. Gifts are not exclusive to romantic relationships; women exchange gifts most frequently between one another and will occasionally give male co-workers chocolate, although this latter exchange is often referred to as an obligation gift. It is not as common for couples to go out on dates together; that element seems to be reflected in Christmas Eve instead.
Expression
Christian weddings have become prominent as an alternative (or addition) to traditional Shinto ceremonies. This is partially due to the successful missionary efforts of Japanese Christian churches and commercial endeavors. Architecturally resembling churches, wedding chapels have sprung up across Japan to meet the needs of Japanese who do not join Christian churches but still desire the ceremony.[7]
Major denominations
Catholicism
Catholicism in Japan operates in communion with the worldwide
When Francis Xavier arrived in Japan in 1549 as the first Catholic missionary to the archipelago, Catholicism was Japan's first contact with organized Christianity. The Catholic Church remained the only major source of Christianization in Japan until the fall of the
The samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga led a diplomatic mission, accompanied by over one hundred Japanese Christians and twenty-two samurai, to see Pope Paul V. Hasekura arrived in Acapulco, Mexico (then New Spain) in 1614; and would then travel to Spain. After meeting with King Philip III, Hasekura was baptized as a Catholic under the name Felipe Francisco de Fachicura. After traveling to France and Rome, Hasekura returned to Japan in 1620 and was forced to renounce his adopted religion after Christianity was banned.[42]
A multitude of Japanese Catholics were brutally tortured and killed for their faith, thus becoming
In 1981
Eastern Orthodoxy
The
Protestantism
In 2020, Protestants in Japan constituted a religious minority of about 0.45% of the total population or 600,000 people.[48]
Hepburn went to
The post-
Other Christian
Jehovah's Witnesses
In 2020, the number of
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
As of year-end 2009,
As of March 15, 2011 there were over 630
Art and media
Christian art in Japan dates back to the 16th century, with traditional shrines and Japanese artwork depicting the Christian faith within Japan.[59][60][61][62] When Christianity was illegal in Japan, the local Christians developed distinctive forms of Christian art, literature, and cultural practices.[63][64]
International Christian University is the alma mater of several Japanese media professionals, including Kaz Hirai, the former chairman of Sony.[71] Sony owns several Christian media studios and outlets, including the Pure Flix streaming service.[72]
Notable Japanese Christians
During the first Catholic missions from the 17th century, several high ranked people converted including
Christianity in the
- Nonchurch movement, one of the earliest indigenous Japanese Christian movements. His autobiography Why have I become a christian? (余は如何にして基督信徒となりし乎, yo wa ika ni shite Kirisuto shinto to narishi ka), focusing on his conversion influenced young generations in those days.
- Jō Nījima) (新島襄, Niijima Jō) (1843–1890), a Protestant and the founder of Doshisha University.
- Nitobe Inazō (新渡戸稲造, Nitobe Inazō) (1862–1933), a Protestant and the founder of Tokyo Woman's Christian University.
- Hideyo Noguchi (野口英世, Noguchi Hideyo) (1876–1928), a Protestant and prominent bacteriologist.
- Tsuda College).
In the 20th century, two major contributors to Protestant Christian theology emerged in Japan: Kosuke Koyama (小山晃佑, Koyama Kōsuke), who has been described as a leading contributor to global Christianity, and Kazoh Kitamori (北森嘉蔵, Kitamori Kazō), who wrote The Theology of the Pain of God (神の痛みの神学, kami no itami no shingaku). Social rights activist and author Toyohiko Kagawa ((賀川豊彦, Kagawa Toyohiko), who was nominated for both the Nobel Peace Prize and the Nobel Prize in Literature, has also become known outside Japan, due to his evangelical work mainly in Japan, social work, and labor activism.
The 20th century also saw two Christian novelists of renown:
Christian Prime Ministers
While Christians account only for 1% of the population, there have been eight Christian Prime Ministers of Japan (three Catholics and five Protestants).
Catholic
- Hara Takashi – leader of the 19th government and the 10th Prime Minister (1918–1921).
- Shigeru Yoshida – leader of the 45th, 48th, 49th, 50th, and 51st governments and the 32nd Prime Minister (1946–1947 and 1948–1954).
- Taro Aso– leader of the 92nd government and the 59th Prime Minister (2008–2009).
Protestant
- Viscount Takahashi Korekiyo – leader of the 20th government and the 11th Prime Minister (1921–1922 and 1932).
- Tetsu Katayama – leader of the 46th government and the 33rd Prime Minister (1947–1948).
- Ichirō Hatoyama – leader the 52nd, 53rd, and 54th governments and the 35th Prime Minister (1954–1956).
- Masayoshi Ōhira – leader of the 68th and 69th governments and the 43rd Prime Minister (1978–1980).
- Yukio Hatoyama – leader of the 94th government and the 61st Prime Minister (2009–2010).
See also
Notes
- ^ In the source, this claim is made of all of Xavier's converts across Asia in general, including but not limited to those in Japan
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- ^ Ishikawa Akito (22 November 2019), "A Little Faith: Christianity and the Japanese", Nippon.com. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ LeFebvre, Jesse (March 2021). "The Oppressor's Dilemma: How Japanese State Policy toward Religion Paved the Way for Christian Weddings". Journal of Religion in Japan. -1 (aop): 1–30.
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External links
Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
.