The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-05-22
THE CHRISTIAN
CHURCH IN JAPAN
advertiser Correspondence, Copyright
by Frederic ]. Haskin)


of all denominations in Japan have
total membership of 10000. Besides
these there are a great many japanese
who are familiar with the Bible and in
part incline to the Christian faith, al
though not openly protesting it. These
are estimated to number about one
million. Many of the most prominent
men of Japan are Christians and the
influence of the native churches is
widespread. OF the 10000 church
members there are $4,000 Protestants.
$4,000 Roman Catholics and 10000
Greek Orthodox Christians.
Japan occupies a peculiar relation to
the Christian religion. With the ex-
ception of northwestern Africa it is
the only part of the world where Chris
tianity, once firmly established, was
uprooted and destroyed. 1t is also the
first country in the history of modern
missions in which native Christians are
impatient of any connection with for
eign church bodies and desire an indie
pendent ecclesiastical organization.
This spirit of independence has led to
a movement, headed by enemies Of
Christianity, for the creation of mod
ern eclectic religion to be thoroughly
Japanese national religion. This pro-
posal was to take the best from Shin
toism, Confucianism, Buddhism and
Christianity and create an absolutely
new religion on scientific grounds, the
whole thing then to be declared to the
people as a governmental decree. In
superable difficulties have blocked the
progress of this movement and it is
extremely unlikely that it will ever
bear fruit.
The movement for ecclesiastical in
dependence among the japanese Pro-
testants is already successful, there
being independent Japanese churches
of the Presbyterian, Congregational,
Episcopal and Methodist denomina-
tions. These churches still sustain con-
nections with the missions which
founded them, the degree of independ-
ence varying in the case of each de-
nomination.
The Japanese Congregationalists, or
Kumi.ai churches, were the first to as
sumo independence, the nature of the
parent organization ing the spirit.
The American missionaries remain in
Japan as assistants and advisers, and
financial help from abroad is still alb
solutely necessary. The Presbyterian
and Reformed Church bodies having
missions in Japan have united their
: Japanese churches into an organization
known as the Nihon Kiristo Kyokwai,
or the Church of Christ in Japan. This
church also has ecclesiastical independ-
! ence and is striving to get to a point
where foreign financial help Is no
longer necessary. The various Angll-
can or Episcopal churches have united
under the name Nihon Seiko Kwai,
The two Baptist bodies are practically
united, the line of division being even
fainter than in the United States. The
? three principal Methodist churches,
that is the Northern and Southern
branches of the Methodist Episcopal
church in the United States and the
Methodist Church of Canada, caused a
union of all their churches in Japan.
This was consummated last May and
the Methodist church of Japan is now
an independent and autonomous body
under the guidance Of Bishop Honda,
the first Japanese Me hodist bishop.
All these movements toward church
union have had a very encouraging eff
feet and many japanese Christians
look forward to the early union of all
the leading Protestant bodies under the
name of the Protestant Church Of
Japan. While the Protestant churches
show no more members than does the
Roman Catholic, and but twice as
many as the Greek Catholic, the Pro-
testant influence is regarded as being
predominant in Japan. This is largely
due to the fact that the American Pro-
testants were the first missionaries to
come into the country after it was
opened, and to the fact that the Ameri
can missions have a large influence
among the non-Christian and semi
Christian japanese people on account
of the great amount of educational and
medical work which has been done
without regard to profession of the
Christian faith by the recipients of the
benefits.
The Roman Catholic propaganda has
been carried on largely by French mis-
sionaries and has been wonderfully
successful, the real work not being be-
gun until 1872, or fifteen years after
the opening of the American Protestant
missions. OF course the japanese
Catholics have no notion of an indie
pendent church such as is possessed by
their Protestant brethren, as they must
recognize the power of the Vatican.
The Russo-Greek Catholic church
was really the first Christian church to
come into Japan after the exclusion.
Commodore Perry's expedition in 1853
brought with it preacher who endeav.
ored to reach the japanese, but without
success. Two years later the Russian
government established a consulate at |
Hakodate. In 1860 a young priest !
named Ivan came to take charge Of !
the consulate church. This same priest, |
now the venerable Archbishop NicoIai |
of Toxic, has ever since led the mis- |
sionary movement for his branch of |
Christianity in Japan. While his Jap
anese converts recognize the Metro |
politans of the Orthodox church as su- !
preme in ecclesiastical power, there is /
but one foreign priest besides the I
Archbishop and there are thirty-eight |
ordained japanese priests besides 1s4 |
evangelists.
Undoubtedly the Christian church in |
Japan has a greater influence in the 1
country today than the statistics of
membership indicate, but it is also true /
that many Japanese who profess ad- |
herence to Christianity are still largely 4
Influenced by ancient, practices and
thought, and the influence of Shinto
with its ancestor worship is mighty in
the japanese mind. Notwithstanding